Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
Eustochia Smeralda Calafato (Messina, March 25 1434 - Messina, January 20, 1485) is an Franciscan italian Saint belonging to the Order of the Poor Clares.
As all the other Saints, her feast is in her Dies natalis (the day when she was born to the eternal life), that is on January 20. She was canonized on June 11 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
Her incorrupt body rests in the Sanctuary of Montevergine in Messina, an ancient monastery founded by her around in 1459. In the past centuries, as she is the co-patron of Messina, every August 22 her body was exposed to the veneration of the people and, with a solemn celebration, the Municipality of Messina offers to her a gift. This an ancient tradition still remains nowadays, while the body can be visited twice a week.
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