From Europa Cristiana of 23 June 2018

by Cristina Siccardi

We report the release of an illustrated book (112 pages, € 7), whose title is "Suor Angela Caterina Borgia. Mistica agostiniana nella Roma del ‘700" (Sister Angela Caterina Borgia an Augustinian mystic in the Rome of the 18th century). The text is written by Daniele Bolognini and it's been published by the publishing house "Velar", which stands out, in the field of hagiographic research, for portraits of little-known and hidden figures. Therefore, they accomplish a valuable work to bring out very interesting profiles, that otherwise would have remained ignored. This is the first biography published about this Servant of God, who was born in Velletri (Rome) on June 14^th, 1694 and died on January 31^st, 1743. His ancestry with the Spanish Borgias is shrouded in mystery.

The author writes in the introduction of his book (own translation):

"A few months after her death the testimonies about her life began to be gathered and the ordinary information process of beatification was prepared (years 1744-1748) and it was followed by the canonical process. The acts count over a thousand pages, thanks to the witness statements about her "holy" life. [...] The process of the trial stopped after the decree about the gathered writings, which was issued November 24^th, 1763. Everything fell into oblivion, probably because of the events that after a few years shook the life of the Papal State".

The Blessed Antonio Baldinucci understood and supported the monastic vocation of Angela Caterina and directed her towards the ancient Roman monastery of Santa Lucia in Selci. She always cared about the conversion of the unbelievers and she used to call them "the blind poor".

She claimed that possessing faith is a great grace and that Catholics had been created as such, without any merit. She was a deeply Eucharistic soul. He was preparing for the Holy Communion for a long time: usually she did not receive it at the first Mass of the day, but a few hours later. She often talked about the luck that the shepherds and the Three Wise Men had in Bethlehem in being able to adore the Child Jesus. She concluded that however they saw Jesus for a few minutes, while Catholics ordinarily do not understand the wonder of being able to adore the Lord in the Holy Eucharist how long as they desire. She believed that this was a weakness of faith.

Once the nuns of the monastery began talking about the Holy Shroud of Turin and requested a fragment of it. However, Sister Angela Caterina said several times that people did not have enough knowledge that also the corporals (pic. 1) and the purificators (pic. 2), that are the linen cloth used to wipe the chalice after celebration of the Eucharist, envelop the Body of the Lord. 

That is one of the indisputable truths that Bolognini proposes us to know through his book about this extraordinary mystic.

St. Philip Neri, who visited the monastery of Santa Lucia in the sixteenth century, had predicted that one day some great saint would have lived among those walls.

Pic. 1: Corporal

Pic. 2: Purificator