“Cure the sick, save the souls”

Her childhood name was Giuditta and she was born in Rome in 1859. Her and her two siblings spent much of their childhood separated in orphanages. She was placed with the Daughters of Charity near St. Peter’s Square after losing their parents at an early age.

On the day of her first communion, she felt that she was called to a religious vocation. She obtained a diploma as a kindergarten teacher but still sought the religious life. She experienced poor health and was rejected by the Daughters of Charity after her training period.

During a following retreat, she met Blessed Luigi Tezza, who had been thinking of founding a women’s community, specializing in the care of the sick and asked her to help establish it. She agreed and professed private vows, taking the name of Sister Giuseppina.

They founded the Daughters of Saint Camillus, whose charism is to serve the sick, even at the risk of their own lives. Blessed Louis was sent to Peru and the responsibility of the congregation rested with her. Under her leadership, they spread to France, Belgium and Argentina. The institute needed definitive approval, but the Pope refused twice because he had decided to not allow new religious communities.

She died at the age of 51 in 1911 having not lived to see the congregation fully recognized. Today, the order has grown to 800 sisters in 22 countries and several hospitals around the world are named in her honor along with the Mother Vannini College of Nursing in India. She is the first Roman Patron Saint of Healthcare.

“In this presence of Christ among the sick and in us, who serve in His name, they find the basis of our spirituality.”

Her feast day is February 23.

For God’s Glory.