Today is the feast of Blessed Agostina Pietrantoni (1864 - 1894). She could write a book "Forgiving the Dead Man Walking" . . . or maybe retitle it "Forgiving the Dead Patient Walking." For she was a nurse in a (secularized) Catholic hospital on a notoriously tough and dangerous ward. Patients there were little more than criminals; they swore, they spit, they insulted -- they even assaulted. One time she was quite badly beaten. But this serene sister, from a fairly tough but not particularly poor background, was always praying and had a remarkably progressive outlook: "They are not bad, but they are ill and one must pity them. You must rather help me to help them." Amen, sister!
And she did. She talked about God to them (even though expressly forbidden from doing so by the secular authorities), she gave alms to the patients' families when they visited, she worked extra shifts to help out the others -- and as penance; she said, "We'll rest when we're dead" -- and she always smiled.
She died in a horrible stabbing by a tormented former patient, Giuseppe Romanelli. She died where she fell, forgiving her attacker. He was caught and sentenced to life in prison. He repented before he died and received the last Sacraments. I'm sure Agostina was smiling as he did so. Blessed Agostina, pray for us.
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