GUERRA, ELENA. – Foundress of the Institute of the Oblates of the Holy Spirit, commonly called the Sisters of S. Zita, for the Christian education of youth and the particular worship of the Holy Spirit, born in Lucca on 23 June 1835, died there on 11 April 1914.
Of comfortable means, she spent her youth in study and in the apostolate of catechesis, enrolled in the Pious Union of the Daughters of Mary. With some companions, on 9 December 1872 she began to live a religious life, thereby initiating her Institute. She wrote several ascetical works, from which it is clear how profound her knowledge of Sacred Scripture was.
In 1936, the cause of her beatification was introduced before the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
BIBL.: P. Scavizzi, E. G. apostola dello Spirito Santo, Lucca 1939. Silverio Mattei