Venerable Antonietta Meo

Today we go back to my visit to Rome, but maybe in a way that you did not expect. 

Antonietta Meo (nicknamed Nennolina) was born in Rome in December 1930. She died at the age of 6 1/2 of osteosarcoma.  Currently, she is the youngest person the Catholic Church has considered canonizing as a confessor (someone who has professed their faith and lived a holy life).

Nennolina was born in an upper middle class Roman family. She was an active charismatic girl. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when she fell and injured her knee at the age of 5 and the injury did not heal. When the leg had to be amputated, she bore her sufferings cheerfully. In her last months, she wrote letters to Jesus and the Virgin Mary that have been considered extraordinary for her age. She at first dictated the letters to her mother, but later was able to write poems and letters herself. Each letter was left at the foot of her crucifix. She wrote or dictated over 100 letters, many of them describing "holy visions." Because of her letters and visions, some theologians have called her a mystic.

The Basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome, where Nennolina was baptized and spent time in meditation, holds a shrine containing relics from her life - including clothing and toys. Efforts to canonize the little girl began shortly after her death. Pope Benedict XVI approved a decree in 2007 praising her heroic virtues and approving the process towards sainthood.

Since she is not yet beatified, Nennolina does not yet have a feast day, but the date of her death was July 3, 1937. 

Venerable Antonietta, pray for us.