In Barletta a celebration in memory of Mother Maria Filomena

On the evening of 9 August, in the Benedictine Church of the San Ruggero Monastery in Barletta, at 6.30 pm, the Abbess Mother M. Filomena Di Stefano will be commemorated on the 45th anniversary of her birth into heaven. The Eucharistic Celebration and, subsequently, a Conference will be held by Msgr. Sabino Lattanzio, Director of the Diocesan Office for the Causes of Saints.

Mother Maria Filomena, born Angela Di Stefano, was born in Barete (Aq) on March 9, 1909. She received a solid human and Christian formation in the family and in the assiduous attendance of parish life at the school of the Catholic Action Association as a member and an active educator. She has always been attracted to the contemplative life, at the age of 24, on November 27, 1933 she realized her dream of consecration by entering the Aquila Monastery of San Basilio of the Celestine Benedictine Nuns.

In 1957 she was elected Abbess of the Aquila Monastery with full marks. Invested in this high responsibility, she undertook with greater enthusiasm, courage and firmness the work of renewal and updating of the internal monastic life, raising the tone of the Community, not letting the nuns lack the nourishment necessary for their harmonious and complete growth, making use of competent personalities in various subjects of theology, spirituality, liturgy, etc.

Meanwhile, in 1966 Mother Filomena Di Stefano had been designated by the Sacred Congregation for Religious Abbess of the San Ruggero di Barletta Monastery “for two years“, Which became”forever”Thanks to the repeated elections by the nuns proud to have her for Mother. Here, on November 3, 1971, the representatives of the various Celestine Monasteries gathered in Barletta unanimously elected Mother Filomena Prima President of the Federation.

In Barletta, as in L’Aquila, his concern was to keep the interior life alive in the Community, the observance of the Rule, the service of God and fraternal charity. But even outside his presence did not remain unnoticed and esteem for him spread among many, first of all among the school staff of the “San Ruggiero Nursery and Elementary School” managed by the Nuns since October 1953.

In July 1977 the nuns of Barletta, seeing their Abbess more and more suffering and fatigued due to further health complications that had added to the aftermath of breast cancer, heartache and sciatica, suggested that she spend a period of rest in L’Aquila, with the hope that the native air would have brought her benefit and relief. But the Lord who had her designs allowed this for her to die in her beloved Community of origin.

A few days before she died, Mother Filomena, still vigilant, told Donna Maria Germana Eliseo who had accompanied her to the hospital: «Germana, my daughter, this is the last journey. Stay close to me with prayer! “. She brought her back to the Monastery, on the morning of 9 August 1977 she closed her eyes on this earth to open them to Eternal Life. She had fought the good fight, finished the race, kept her faith, guarded the flock entrusted to her; she now she only had to receive from the hands of her Lord and her Spouse the crown of glory promised to her faithful servants (cf. 2Tm 4,7-8).

In Barletta a celebration in memory of Mother Maria Filomena