Blessed Elena Guerra: Apostle of the Holy Spirit
Life of Elena Guerra
Blessed Elena Guerra was born on June 23, 1835, in Lucca, Italy.
A light in the world of the Catholic Church, she was a woman devoted to the Holy Spirit, who, thanks to the influence of a deeply religious family, spent her life in the cause of the Gospel.
Blessed Elena Guerra, from an early age showed a strong tendency to prayer and a care for the spiritual aspect. Although her health was poor, she invested her whole life in helping the poor and needy, never allowing herself to be discouraged.
The Charism of Mercy
Her relationship with divine mercy was profound. She embodied the words of the Gospel in every aspect of her life and particularly through her educational work toward girls. She sought to educate them to live in love according to the spirit of service.
She also devoted herself to the care of the poor and the sick, seeing in each of them, the face of the suffering Christ.
Elena Guerra’s memory is still alive today particularly because of her devotion to the Holy Spirit.
The Blessed was convinced that only through the action of the Holy Spirit could the world be transformed and renewed. For this reason, she wrote numerous letters to Pope Leo XIII, urging him to promote greater devotion to the Holy Spirit in the Church. Her insistence led the Pope to write the encyclical “Divinum Illud Munus” in 1897, dedicated precisely to the Holy Spirit.
Blessed and soon to be Saint
Elena Guerra was beatified on April 26, 1959 by Pope John XXIII.
In the Vatican Press Office Bulletin of April 13, 2024, we learn the news that Elena Guerra will be a saint. The Holy Father has closed the process of canonization.
Her legacy lives on through the Sisters of Saint Zita also called Oblates of the Holy Spirit, who work in different parts of the world, spreading the message of love, mercy and devotion to the Holy Spirit that Elena so ardently promoted.
On the occasion of today’s feast day, spazio+spadoni has activated a podcast of the Blessed to spread her thoughts extracted from the book “Reborn in the Holy Spirit.”
