A little about Madre Provvidenza and Virgo Potens
...following is a brief account of Madre's life as written by
Sr. Rosanna Pirulli
Madre Provvidenza, known in the world as Anna Maria Andreani, was born in Pradalunga (BG), Italy, on 19 August 1933, of wise and religious parents. She was a Foundress of numerous Religious Families.
During her youth her vocation of losing the world and retiring herself in a Carmelite cloister grew more and more. She consecrated herself to God with the Holy Vows in 1954 in the Cathedral of St. Ambrosio in Varazze (SV), and after that she became Secular Carmelite in the Shrine of Concesa Trezzo d’Adda (MI).
At the age of thirty, exactly on 22 February 1964, she offered herself for the conversion of a Priest. The following night was hit by a bilateral glaucoma, and lost completely the light of her eyes.
After many surgery operations, with no good results, had the joy of meeting His Holiness, Paolo VI on 28 May 1969, thanks to Fr. Francesco Cellerino, a Carmelite. After showing Him her intention of entering into a Carmel, the Pope answered: “Go around as a pilgrim until you find a Bishop who will accept you. Receive all those children who go searching for a light” “Your Holiness, I am blind!” she answered. The Pope added: “ Do not fear; the Providence will be always with you”
Her pilgrimage lasted seven long and hard years. During all that time, searching for her vocation, she realized that God talks above all through the humble, the alone, the abandoned, and the desperate. God was preparing for her the hard and painful way of the Foundations.
Finally, His Excellence Mons. Giuseppe Franciolini, Bishop of Cortona, with the consent of His Eminence the Cardinal Siri, gave her the Carmelite religious habit. During that ceremony the Bishop said that, as a Foundress, she had to be called also as: Madre Provvidenza (Mother Providence).
In twenty-five years of work in the Church and for the Church, she has formed together, by God’s help, 150 priests who were sent all over the world. They were not only Italian but also priests coming from all Continents. Thus she opened houses not only in Italy but also in many countries in the world: in India, Philippines, Samoa, Angola, West Indies, Colombia, Ecuador, Vietnam, Myanmar, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina.
Note: Her priests and nuns are known as the Missionaries of Faith. Madre Provvidenza has a great love for the Blessed Virgin and a special relationship with her and suffered throughout her life the Passion of Christ Crucified.
*Editors Note
Madre, Mamma, as we her many spiritual children call her, has left this world to be with her one true Spouse. She departed on 16 June 2002, but she has left us with a most beautiful First Friday devotion.
Her desire was for this devotion to be spread throughout the world, so that, all those who would take part would reap the blessings and graces attached to it, but this desire was not to be realized while she lived.
My beautiful wife, Suzanne Marie, a Secular Carmelite, set about compiling this eBook, Virgo Potens, as an obedient daughter of Mary and in keeping with Madre Provvidenza's desire, that this devotion spread first to the United States and hopefully around the world.
Additionally, in spite of many physical hardships [and putting up with a some times demanding husband of 30 years] she manages to keep two of the websites below updated regularly, adding monthly prayers, devotions and a section devoted to at least one Carmelite saint each month for the first site and offering a brief history of the Carmelite order at the second site. Sr. Rosanna manages the third website, sehaisetediluce, offering it in both Italian and English.
Though I admit to being somewhat biased, I can attest to the fact that this is no small task for either of these daughters of Mary..
Larry Umlor
