Beata Michelina de Pesaro

Blessed Michelina of Pesaro was born to the wealthy Italian nobility. At the age of twelve, she was given in an arranged marriage to Duke Malatesta, the lord of Pesaro, Italy, and became a mother. She was widowed in 1320, and her son died soon after. Her chambermaid, confidant, and friend, Blessed Soriana, helped her through her grief by introducing her to a deeper life of prayer and penance. Michelina embraced the Third Order of Saint Francis and devoted herself to the care of the poor, the sick, and especially lepers, giving away her considerable wealth. Her radical conversion from a life of privilege to one of austere charity and service earned her both admiration and suspicion. She is the patron against the death of children, against mental illness, of widows, and of Pesaro, Italy.