On Saturday 25 April 2026 in Novara, at the Church of San Bernardo Divina Provvidenza, where the Sisters of Charity once carried out their mission – now continued by Sister Paola P. – we joined the congregation in a solemn Eucharistic celebration, presided over by Father Simonpietro De Grandis, to mark the bicentenary of the passing of Saint Jeanne-Antide.
The celebrant extolled her extraordinary figure of “Holiness”, following the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd, emphasising that she herself was a “Shepherdess” of a large flock: her sisters, her spiritual daughters!
Saint Jeanne-Antide lived a heroic life in the service of charity, trusting and surrendering herself throughout her entire existence to “God alone”.
She herself affirmed: “In You alone, my God and my Lord, I have placed all my trust and my total hope; whoever hopes in You will not be disappointed.”
At the end of the celebration, Fr Simonpietro imparted the solemn blessing with the precious relic of Saint Giovanna Antida, wishing us Sisters of Charity many vocations in the service of the poor, and wishing the entire congregation, gathered in large numbers, to grow ever more in charity and in the merciful love of Jesus!Sr. Loretta Sr. Claudia Sr. Paola.
The “Pia Casa della Divina Provvidenza” Care Home comprises five wards for 200 elderly people who are not self-sufficient. The institution has celebrated its 100th anniversary and, yesterday as today, continues its work in supporting the most vulnerable members of the community in Novara and the surrounding area.
The president is the Bishop of Novara, Monsignor Franco Giulio Brambilla
One of the distinctive features of the facility is spiritual care, in which the Sisters of Charity also collaborate.
