Sister and Virgin
Blessed Stephana was born in 1457 near Brescia, Italy. Our Lord appeared to her when she was seven years old, accompanied by His holy Mother, Saint Dominic, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Catherine of Siena, and told her He wanted her to be a Dominican like those great Saints.
She was particularly devoted to the Passion of our Lord and bore the marks of his stigmata. At the same time she experienced spiritual aridity as well as doubts and temptations. She founded a convent at Socino where she and her sisters led a regular life. Well known for her service to the poor, she died at Socino on January 2, 1530.
