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Saint Paula Frassinetti

Saint Paula Frassinetti Also known as

Paola Frassinetti

11 June

Profile

Only daughter of John and Angela Frassinetti, she was raised in a pious family; all four of her brothers became priests. Paula’s mother died when the girl was nine years old. In need of a substitute mother, Paula turned to Our Lady.

One of Paula’s aunts moved in to help with the family, but she died three years later, and at age twelve, Paula took over as homemaker. Because of the endless chores at home, Paula was not able to attend school. However, each night her brothers would pass along what they had learned that day, her father filled in the gaps, and Paula actually had a good education. She attended Mass daily, and prayed her way though all of her work.

At age 20 she developed respiratory problems, and moved in with one of brothers, a village priest in Quinto, Italy. When she recovered, Paula, with her brother’s help, opened a parochial school for poor girls in the area. In 1834, with a group of like-minded young women, she founded the Sisters of Saint Dorothy (Frassinetti Sisters), a congregation dedicated to educating poor children. They soon opened foundations in Italy, Portugal, and Brazil, and were noted for their work with the sick in the cholera epidemic that ravaged northern Italy in 1835. The Sisters received papal approval in 1863.