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Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrochi - Pro-life Witnesses Beatified
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...Joseph Meaney
For the first time in the Church’s history, a couple was beatified together on 21 October 2001. In his homily, Pope John Paul 2nd said Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi “ lived married love and service to life in the light of the Gospel and with great human intensity.” The Holy Father added that all the faithful are called to holiness, and reflected on the importance of recognizing the beauty of Christian marriage as a path to sanctity.
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Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi lived through dramatic events such as the First and Second World Wars, and took an active part in the life of the Church in Rome. But what impressed many about these loving parents was their humble and ordinary faith lived in an extraordinary way. The Pope particularly stressed the important pro-life witness of this holy family.
Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi was born in Catania, Sicily on 12 January 1880. His father, Charles, was a civil servant born in Friuli in northorn Italy and transferred to Sicily. Luigi eventually moved to Rome to study law. Maria Corsini was born in Florence to one of the oldest Florentine families. She is related to Pope Clement X11, who reigned from 1730 to 1740. Her father, Angiolo, was an officer in the Sardinian Granadiers, the most prestigious Italian Army regiment. Maria received an excellent cultural education, spoke several foreign languages and was an accomplished musician. The two young people met in 1899. In 1902 Luigi finished his legal studies, and on 25 November 1902 he married Maria in the basilica of St. Mary Major. In 1910, Luigi entered the legal section of the Internal Revenue Department. He remained a government attorney his entire career. After the rise of Mussolini, Luigi refused to condone Fascism of to accept promotions from the government.
The couple had four children, three of whom are still living today. Filippo the eldest, became a diocesan priest, taking the name of Don Tarcisio. Their daughter Stefania, who died in 1993, took the name Sister Maria Cecilia upon entering the Benedictines. Their son Cesare also had a vocation as a Benedictine. He is now Fr. Paulino.
At the end of 1913, Maria was expecting her fourth child, Enrichetta. Dr. Regnoli, a distinguished Roman gynecologist, diagnosed Maria with placenta previa when she was in her fourth month of pregnancy. Maria suffered terrible hemorrhages due to the placenta’s having implanted in the lower part of the uterus, obstructing the cervical opening to the birth canal. With the limited medical techniques of the day, the doctor said the only way to save her life was to perform an abortion. He declared the Maria, without the abortion, had only a five percent chance of survival; they had no hopes for the survival of the baby. Refusing abortion as option, Luigi and Maria placed all their trust in Divine Providence. Maria remained in bed for the duration of the pregnancy, and God rewarded their faith and prayers on 6 April 1914 with the safe delivery of their daughter.
The active spiritual and apostolic life of the family included consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, daily Mass and the Rosary prayed together in the evenings. They observed the First Friday family hour and participated in retreats organized by the Monastery of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. They also helped found the Catholic Scouting movement in Italy and sponsored a scout troop for disadvantaged youth from the poorer parts of Rome, they risked their lives more than once assisting and hiding refugees.
On 9 November 1951, Luigi, age 71, died of a heart attack. Maria remained an active writer on family and religious matters for many years and died at the age of 81 at Serravalle in Tuscany on 26 August 1965. Visitors to Rome can venerate their relics at the Divino Amore Shrine(Divine love) on the outskirts of Rome. May the Lord send us more faithful, devoted and holy spouses and parents like Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi who provide a shining example for married couples today.
(Source: HLI Report)
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