Sister Carmela (1909-1984) was a member of the Visitation Monastery in Acilia, Italy, near Rome. Entering religious life as a mature woman of 55, after marriage, motherhood and widowhood, she serves as a model for older women entering religious life today. Blessed and received by her understanding Superior, Mother Anna Magdalena Sarnelli, VHM, Sister Carmela Giuseppina lived a life of deep intimacy with the Lord.
She was known to say, “We must ask Jesus to love suffering!”, indicating both her deep spirituality and her dependence upon God.
Her faith was simple and clear and she relied on the mercy of God, from which she hoped all things for herself and others. Great was her devotion to Our Lady. The Eucharist , however, was for her the “love of loves ”
She would remark, ” A little thing is a small thing, but loyalty to the little things is a great thing .” She also expressed her sentiment that if she had to be reborn she would have chosen the Visitation way of life from childhood!
Small , humble , and quiet she remained in the memory of all , without any pretension. Her deep respect for the superior was always palpable.
As she moved along in the steps of commitment to religious life, such as Profession, her children, grandchildren and other family members were there to support her. She wished her grandchildren to grow up pious and good and fervently asked the Lord for one of them to be consecrated to the Lord. When relatives visited her, usually on the feast of St. Joseph, she was waiting for them and welcomed them with joy. Afterwards, she went on her knees before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer for them.
She was a soul of prayer and peace. The choir attracted her. In the morning she was the first to be in the Chapel. Mother Anna Magdalena, when she needed to recommend something to the Lord , asked her prayers and she experienced their effectiveness. Sister Carmela’s prayer was in the full dimension of the Church, from the Pope down to the last faithful , with a preference for the priests and sinners. For every intention she was willing to pray and offer daily sacrifices.
While it is not stated that she was a visionary, Sister Carmela Giuseppina was what we call today an “ordinary mystic”, a contemplative deeply attuned to the needs of the Church and the world and willing to live in the cloistered Visitation Monastery as a sacrifice of praise to God.
Source:
http://www.ildiariodicastrovillari.it/TUTTI%20I%20NUMERI/ANNO%203/anno%203%20num%2030.pdf
http://www.sacricuoricdf.it/comunicazioni/mamma_speciale_suor_giuseppina_pace.htm