St. Veronica Giuliani
Feast Day: July 9
Christened Orsola after her birth in Mercatello, Italy, this mystic in 1677 joined the Capuchins at Citta di Castello, taking the name Veronica.
(CNS/Public Domain)
Following a difficult novitiate, her spiritual life was dominated by the passion of Christ. She had ecstatic visions of the suffering Jesus and over time her body was marked by a crown of thorns and pierced heart. She received the five wounds of the stigmata on Good Friday in 1697 and carried them until her death.
In community life, she combined contemplation with practical administration, serving admirably as novice mistress for more than 30 years and abbess for more than 10. She was canonized in 1839.
