Clelia Barbieri
Clelia Barbieri (13 February 1847 – 13 July 1870) was an Italian Catholic and the founder of the Little Sisters of the Mother of Sorrows. She is regarded as the youngest founder of a religious congregation in the history of the Catholic church, as she was just twenty-three when she died. Barbieri declined the married life in her adolescence – even when pressured – in favor of leading a life dedicated to the needs of others; she served as an educator for a while and joined a religious movement which made her a notable figure in her village.
Barbieri's beatification cause was opened on 15 March 1930, progressed with her beatification on 27 October 1968, and culminated with her canonization on 9 April 1989 under Pope John Paul II.
In the Martyrology
- July 13 Saint Clelia Barbieri, founder of the Little Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows