Giulia Salzano
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Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Province of Caserta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Casoria, Naples, Kingdom of Italy
Giulia Salzano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religious | |
| Born | 13 October 1846 Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Province of Caserta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| Died | 17 May 1929 (aged 82) Casoria, Naples, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 27 April 2003, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | 17 October 2010, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI |
| Feast | 17 May |
| Attributes |
|
| Patronage | Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus |
Giulia Salzano (13 October 1846 – 17 May 1929) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1905).[1] Salzano served as a teacher prior to becoming a religious and since 1865 worked in Casoria as a teacher for children where she demonstrated herself as an apt catechist and instructor.[2][3]
Salzano's cause for sainthood opened on 4 April 1974 under Pope Paul VI and was titled as a Servant of God while Pope John Paul II titled her as Venerable on 23 April 2002 and beatified her as well on 27 April 2003. Pope Benedict XVI canonized her as a saint in Saint Peter's Square on 17 October 2010.
Giulia Salzano was born in Santa Maria Capua Vetere in Caserta on 13 October 1846 as the fourth of seven children to Diego Salzano and Adelaide Valentino; she was baptized that same day. Her mother was a descendant of Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori.[3] Her father – a captain in the Lancers of King Ferdinand II – died in 1850 and her mother could not afford to raise all her children so sent Salzano to an orphanage.[1][2]
The Sisters of Charity educated and raised her at the orphanage of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Nicola la Strada from November 1850 when she was admitted into it until 1861 when she returned home.[1] Salzano made her First Communion on 8 December 1854 and received her Confirmation in 1860. Sometime around this point she made a private vow to God to remain chaste. She graduated in Caserta where she received a teaching diploma in 1865 while her first assignment was not too long after this that October. Salzano served as a school teacher and as a catechist in Casoria and became known for being an apt catechist and religious educator.[1] She was also a close friend and co-worker with Caterina Volpicelli and she came into contact with her at the suggestion of the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples Sisto Riario Sforza.[3]
In 1882 she started to entertain the notion of perhaps becoming a nun herself and this intensified as she began to set the foundations for a new religious congregation dedicated to catechesis and education. Two priests from her area offered their input as did Ludovico of Casoria.[3]
On 21 November 1905 she founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and assumed its habit; it received diocesan approval from Cardinal Giuseppe Antonio Ermenegildo Prisco on 12 August 1920 and papal approval from Pope John XXIII on 19 March 1960 (after her death).[2] Salzano became noted for her personal devotion to the Madonna and encouraged others in devotion to her and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her weaknesses later in life would start to hinder her teaching and she began to receive a pension on 19 March 1890 because of this.[1]
Salzano died at dawn on 17 May 1929. The previous morning she had met with 100 children preparing for their First Communion. Her remains were housed in the motherhouse of the order in Casoria at Piazza Giovanni Pisa 20.[3]
