After M. Caterina's death, on 6 May 1887 when she was 74 years old, a large crowd took part in the stately funerals and the Muslims said "Our mother is dead, the Saint is dead". Nevertheless her fame of holiness manifested before her death. Sister M. Scolastica Soldati writes about her:
She had the gift of prophecy and miracles. In 1865 the community of Santa Chiara della Carità in Ferentino disengaged from the commitment of the Egyptian mission and Madre Caterina suffered a lot for this choice. She was resigned to God’s will and she predicted that one day the community would have rejoined her mission. This happened thirty years after, in 1895. She predicted the future and she could also heal the infirms. In May 1884, after the Vesper, I was out of the chorus talking with M. Caterina about my daily duties, when the cloakroom attendant of Lady La Hedive, Mrs Jeanne, arrived out of breath. She was crying and she shouted: "Mother, Mother abbess, give me something that belongs to you, something I could put on my husband's eyes that is losing sight for a terrible ophthalmia. The doctor doesn’t know what to do anymore: please, give it to me. “Wretched lady, what could I do'' said the Mother. So I suggested trusting: “Give her one of your handkerchiefs”. Suddenly the Mother withdrew to pray in her room, she took a handkerchief and she gave it to the woman; she ran to lay it on her husband’s eyes confidently. After less than an hour she came back yelling joyfully: “Mother, Mother my husband recovered perfectly. Thank you!”. Mother Caterina was so glad: she didn’t award herself for the miracle, but the woman’s faith and God’s goodness. (Positio 1962, Ad 47 interr., proc. fol. 85 terg)
A popular feeling proclaimed her saint while she was still alive, for all the graces obtained for her intercession. Anyway the miracles weren’t the reason for her holiness, it was for her proper behaviour; her existence was a living miracle of God.
She was buried in the Latin cemetery in Cairo. Both, Christians and Muslims, felt sorry for this loss. Her body remained in the Clot-Bay abbey until 3rd November 1967. Since that day it has rested in the church “Cuore Immacolato di Maria”, next to the convent.
The cause for her beatification started in 1937 and it was introduced by her faim of holiness, from the esteem received from the Egyptian authorities, the diplomats and the European governments and from the goodwill that the two popes Pio IX and Leone XIII showed to M. Caterina and her sisters.
Pope Giovanni Paolo II beatified her on 14 April 1985
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To learn more about the life and mission of Blessed M. Catherine and the Institute she founded, you can request the following publications:
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard" (Matthew 20,1)
The "Friends of Mother Caterina" are lay people, men and women, individuals and families,
whom the Spirit calls to live the Gospel according to the charism-spirituality of Blessed M. Caterina Troiani
and to realize it, in the lay state and in the concrete situation of life, together with our religious family.
The Friends of Mother Catherine live their spirituality through prayer and works, characterized by the missionary, Franciscan and Caterinian spirit:
in the family, contributing to the human and Christian growth of all its members;
in the living and working environment, entering the social fabric with coherence of life,'struggling' to make it more compliant with the
evangelical values of justice, peace, freedom, fraternity;
in pastoral realities, inserting oneself in catechesis,
in the animation of Christian groups, in voluntary work, in educational communities.
The Friends of Mother Catherine, in order to better respond to the personal call to holiness and mission, undertake to promote their own spiritual and apostolic formation,
supported and animated by us Franciscan sisters, daughters of Mother M. Catherine. Would you like to know more…. ?
Write to us:
Holy Trinity
Source of holiness and of every perfect gift,
We thank you for the incommensurate love you always spread on all of your creatures,
With burning faith we ask you the grace
blessed M. Caterina Troiani to be included among the Saints,
As a crucified bride, a missionary between the overseas people,
Within her earthly existence, she followed the crucified Christ's footsteps
She did all she could for the little ones, the latest, the despised and for poor people
We entrust our ardent prayer to the immaculate heart of Mary,
And we certainly know that She will grant it.
Glory on to thee, Holy Trinity. Amen.
Please report the graces received through M. Caterina’s intercession to:
Superiora generale
Francescane Missionarie del C.I.M.
Via C. Troiani, 90
00144 ROMA
e-mail:
Chiamate ad andare “a tutte le genti” per annunciare il Vangelo con spirito itinerante e penitente, ci inseriamo nella storia e nella tradizione dei popoli, promuoviamo il dialogo ecumenico e interreligioso collaborando alla pastorale locale.
