Elvira Petrozzi
Elvira Petrozzi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rita Agnese Petrozzi 21 January 1937 |
| Died | 3 August 2023 (aged 86) Saluzzo, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Nun |
Elvira Petrozzi (born Rita Agnese Petrozzi; 21 January 1937 – 3 August 2023) was an Italian Roman Catholic nun.[1] A member of the Sisters of Divine Charity, she was known as "the sister of drug addicts" and the founder of the Communità Cenacolo, which specialised in helping drug addicts.
Biography[edit]
Born in Sora on 21 January 1937 to an alcoholic father, Petrozzi and her family fled to Alessandria during World War II.[2] She claimed to have "never thought of learning to read or study".[3] In 1956, at the age of 19, she joined the Sisters of Divine Charity in addition to working as a caregiver at a nursery.[2]
On 16 July 1983, Petrozzi founded the Communità Cenacolo in an 18th-century house in Saluzzo.[4] She first intended to create a community for marginalized young people, but turned to helping young drug addicts, eventually devoting herself to the latter.[2] On 16 July 2009, the community was recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as a private international association of the faithful.[3]
By 2013, there were sixty Cenacolo communities, with a presence in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Russia, Ireland, France, the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil.[2]
Elvira Petrozzi died in Saluzzo on 3 August 2023, at the age of 86.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Pronechen, Christian (5 August 2023). "Mother Elvira, who shared God's love with those struggling with addiction, dies at 86". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Testa, Mirko (28 December 2013). "Sœur Elvira Petrozzi : elle sauve les drogués avec le rosaire". Aleteia (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
- ^ a b "L'étreinte". Éditions des Béatitudes (in French). Archived from the original on 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Madre Elvira". Communità Cenacolo (in Italian).
- ^ "E' morta suor Elvira Petrozzi, la suora degli ultimi". Famiglia Cristiana (in Italian). 3 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
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