Recently in
cleaning out a cabinet containing rarely used religious articles, I came across
a small leather box which contained a relic of a saint I had never heard of. She is known as The “Little Flower” of Benedictines.
Doing a bit
of research I found BL. MARIA FORTUNATA VITI, OSBwas a Benedictine and her cause for
canonization was introduced by Fr. Thomas Brockhaus, monk of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon.
As editor of St. Joseph Magazine, Father published articles about her life and
spirituality, and accounts of prayer petitions to her which had been granted.
Father Thomas was fortunate to attend her beatification in 1967 and spent some
time with the sisters at their monastery in Veroli (midway between
The Blessed was born Anna Felicia Viti in Veroli, a comune in Italy's Province of Frosinone in 1827. Her father, Luigi, was a landowner who was a gambling addict and a heavy drinker. Her mother Anna, née Bono, died when Anna was fourteen years old. The third eldest of nine children, she was saddled with the responsibility of raising the other children upon the death of their mother. In order to support her family, she worked as a housekeeper. For a while, she was wooed by a young man from Alatri, but she decided to enter religious life instead.
Like so
many humble saints (St. Faustina a good example) her death, like her life, was unremarkable and
little noticed except by her sisters in community.
But following her death, a number of miracles were reported by people praying at her unmarked gravesite, including two young girls healed from spinal meningitis. Church authorities soon took notice and investigated. Her remains were exhumed in 1935, and moved to the cathedral in Veroli, as 5,000 people joined the procession.
Also,
reports of miracles were attested to during her lifetime, including certain
episodes that suggest she had a gift of prophecy.
According to one story, she began to cry during Mass, because she had seen that
the celebrating priest would leave his calling, and she was filled with sorrow
for him. She also predicted that another priest would leave the priesthood, but
that he would repent and come back
The process
for Blessed Fortunata’s canonization is ongoing, and continues to be supported
by Mount Angel Abbey. When Abbot Jeremy Driscoll and Fr. Odo Recker led a pilgrimage to
And the
question is why do we have the relic of this unknown Benedictine? Our
benefactor was an Oblate of Mount Angel Abbey, so most probably either the then
Abbot or Father Thomas gave it to him. Now she is in our care and added to our
reliquary cabinet in chapel.
You can obtain prayer cards of Blessed Fortunata to distribute in your parish or prayer group. The cards have an image of a short biography, and a prayer for her intercession. To obtain prayer cards for Bl Maria Fortunata Viti, email
Fr. Odo Recker, O.S.B. fortunata@mtangel.edu