Mother Elvira: a life spent for the redemption of many young people

On the night of Aug. 3, Mother Elvira Petrozzi, Foundress of the Comunità Cenacolo, left this world and the work she began, forty years after opening her first home.

The Dicastery remembers her as a woman devoted to Jesus Christ and dedicated to redeeming numerous young people, restored to their dignity from troubled and dependent lives. For them, on July 16, 1983, she opened her first home in Saluzzo (Cuneo, Italy). Then, soon after, she organized many other facilities for numerous people eager to join her, won over by her ideal of service to lonely and lost young people, or to families in distress and street children.

The Comunità Cenacolo soon became a path of Christian life for its members through formation, a concretely-lived acceptance, and assistance to those most in need: a sign of the love of God who loves the poor and heals suffering humanity.

After being recognized by the Diocese of Saluzzo in 1998, the Comunità Cenacolo was recognized by the Dicastery as an international association of the faithful on July 16, 2009.

Mother Elvira's life was marked by her love for Jesus, encountered in so many young people, for whom she traced new paths in faith in the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd and Good Samaritan.

The testimony offered in her final years of illness, lived with patience and trustful surrender, and the wonders God performed through the dedication and courage of this strong and energetic woman, are today a source of inspiration for the Comunità to follow in her footsteps and keep her charism alive.

Mother Elvira's passing from this world during the very days of the World Youth Day that is being celebrated in Lisbon appears as a bright sign for the Church and for the young people she served with love and dedication.