LUCIA FILIPPINI, saint. — Born on 23 January 1672 at Corneto (today Tarquinia), died on 25 March 1732 at Montefiascone.
Orphaned of both parents at the age of seven, she was received, together with her sister and brother, into the household of her maternal uncle Picci Falzacappa and nobly educated. As a young girl she attended the Benedictine monastery of S. Lucia, offering to teach catechism to the girls in the parish. The new bishop of Montefiascone, BARBARI (v.), in 1688 placed L. F. in the somewhat deteriorated monastery of S. Chiara at Montefiascone, intending to make use of her to reform II. The cardinal then became convinced of the urgent need to provide girls with religious and civic instruction. After several fruitless attempts, learning that as early as 1685 the ven. Rosa Venerini had opened free schools for girls at Viterbo, he summoned her to Montefiascone in order to introduce this excellent work into his diocese as well. Thus, between 1692 and 1694, under Rosa’s direction, with personnel trained by her and with the cardinal’s effective support, there arose foundations of girls’ schools at Montefiascone, Corneto (Tarquinia), Valentano, Gradoli, Latera, Celleno, Tessenano, Capodimonte, Marta, and Pianzano—that is, in almost all the towns of the diocese. Since Rosa Venerini had to return to Viterbo in order to continue her own work, she proposed L. F. to Barbarigo as director of the schools at Montefiascone, while continuing, during the cardinal’s lifetime, to visit the schools herself. After Barbarigo’s death (1706), under his successor, Pompilio Bonaventura, the ties between the two Institutes of Viterbo and Montefiascone were dissolved: that of Viterbo remained under the direction of the Jesuit fathers, while that of Montefiascone came under the direction of the Pious Workers, thereby acquiring a somewhat different orientation and spirit. This differentiation became evident when L. F. opened her first school in Rome (1707); later, being compelled to withdraw from Rome, she called upon Venerini to replace her. Venerini, however, was unable to save the school (1708), which was closed. The brother of the bishop of Montefiascone, the papal almoner Alessandro Bonaventura, subsequently opened other schools, following the Montefiascone method, in Rome and elsewhere; from these there later developed the present Pontifical Filippine (v.), while the diocesan Institute remained at Montefiascone. Although residing at Montefiascone, F. continued to direct all the schools. A woman of great virtue, she was beatified by Pius XI in 1926 and canonized in 1930; her remains are venerated in the cathedral of Montefiascone; her feast falls on 25 March.