Who Is Luisa?

Jesus to Luisa: “Your mission is great, because we are not talking about one’s
own personal holiness, but about embracing everything and everyone and
about preparing the Kingdom of my Will for all human generations.”

Date and Place of Birth
She was born in Corato, Italy, in the province of Bari on the morning of April 23, 1865, and was baptized that afternoon.

Date and Place of Death
She died in Corato on March 4, 1947, just 50 days before her 82nd birthday.

Place of Residence
She always lived in Corato, with the exception that as a little girl and adolescent she passed long periods of time on the farm called the “Desperate Tower,” the family’s employer’s summertime sheep pasture, 27 kilometers from Corato.

State of Life
She never married and, a virgin, offered herself to Jesus as His crucified spouse. She was not a nun, but she was “the true little nun of His Heart.” She was bedridden for about 70 years of her life.

Profession
At the age of 16 she made her profession to Jesus as His victim. She also made lace (tombolli) to support herself.

Temperament
As a child, Luisa was bashful and afraid but also lively and happy. She jumped and ran and (she says) was even mischievous.

Stature, Hair, Eyes
She was always serene and “fresh as an Easter Lily, small in stature and had large, vivid and soulfully penetrating eyes with her head leaning slightly towards the right,” states Monsignor D. Luigi D’Oria, Head of the Clergy at Corato, and authoritative witness.

Education
Not long after meeting Luisa, Saint Hannibal M. Di Francia, a Priest, writes of her: “Although she does not possess any human science, she is abundantly gifted with an entirely heavenly wisdom, and with the science of the Saints. The way she speaks gives light and consolation. By nature, she doesn’t lack ingenuity. The studying she did when she was little amounted only to a first grade education.”
Particular Signs:
Among the characteristics and particular signs of her nature were a love of hiding and an even greater love of
obedience.  Saint Hannibal M. Di Francia continues to write: “….She wants to live alone, hidden, and unknown. Not for anything in the world would Luisa have put the intimate, drawn out communications with her adorable Jesus into writing, if our Lord, Himself, hadn’t repeatedly made her do it both personally and through holy obedience to her directors.”  The communications she received from a tender young age continued until her death.  She always gave in to holy obedience with great strength and generosity, because the concept she had of holy obedience would make her even refuse going into Paradise.  “The fact is that this soul was in a tremendous battle between an overpowering love of hiding and an inflexible rule of obedience to which she always willingly submitted.  This obedience comprises one of the most important characteristics of a true spirit, of solid and tested virtue, keeping in mind the 40 years of self-subjection, doing violence to herself and submitting to great ‘Lady Obedience’ who dominated her.”

Her Confessors:
Five Priests, her confessors who were assigned this duty by different diocesan archbishops, assisted Luis, one after the other during her whole life. In addition, Saint Hannibal M. Di Francia, was assigned the commission as Censor of Luisa’s writings by the Archbishop of Trani, Mons. Giuseppe Maria Leo.

Spiritual Director:
Our Lord wanted to reserve this duty to Himself even from Luisa’s First Communion and Confirmation which she received at the age of nine. From that age, our Lord began to make her hear His voice interiorly. He taught her, corrected her, and scolded her, if necessary. He imparted to her His teachings on the Cross, the virtues, and His hidden Life. He did it, more than anything else, because He was going to teach and guide her in something no other person would be able to do: Living in the Divine Will.

Particular Commitments of Luisa’s Christian Life:
At age 18, Luisa enrolled herself as a “Daughter of Mary.” As a young lady, she became a Third Order Dominican and took the name of Sister Magdalena.

Extraordinary Mystical Experiences:
Besides hearing Jesus’ voice interiorly, she had her first vision of Jesus at the age of 13 from the balcony of her house. It was Jesus carrying the Cross, who raised His eyes towards her asking for her help with the words, “Soul, help Me!” From then on Luisa had an unquenchable desire to suffer for the love of Jesus! That was when her first physical sufferings of Jesus’ Passion began, though hidden. In addition, there were many indescribable pains both spiritual (Jesus’ sensible absence from her) and moral (the fact that her family discovered her sufferings and thought they were merely due to her own will). This only served to publicize her plight more, bringing down upon her the incomprehension and hostility of Priests on whom she realized she depended upon totally.
On top of all this, a terrible test lasting 3 years (from age 13 to 16) was added. It was a ferocious battle against the demons. She valiantly resisted their attacks, infernal suggestions, unnerving temptations, taunts and torments until she completely and successfully defeated them.

In the final assault she suffered in this battle, Luisa lost normal consciousness and had a second vision of Jesus suffering grievously for the offenses of sinners. This is when she submitted herself to the victim state that Jesus and Our Lady of Sorrows invited her to accept. Following this, Jesus’ visions multiplied; and Luisa customarily took part in different sufferings of His Passion, particularly in the Crowning of the Thorns. As a result, she could not eat, bringing up all food from that age on, living in a state of almost total abstinence from food until her death. She nourished herself solely on the Holy Eucharist. Her food was the Will of the Father.

Another Extraordinary Sign:
On account of her ever increasing suffering of Jesus’ Passion, Luisa often lost her senses, her body becoming rigid, sometimes for many days, until a Priest – usually her confessor – would come to call her out of that state of death. He did this by blessing the back of her hand or her forehead and praying, “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Out of obedience, her soul then returned to her body and when she had sufficiently recovered, her Confessor would celebrate Holy Mass in her room.

And this was one of Luisa’s greatest sufferings, that of “requiring” a Priest to come to her every morning to “call” her soul back into her body, for there was no other way for her to return except through a Priest. Luisa’s beautiful humility suffered greatly because of the fact that a Priest would be subject to her in any way, although many of her Confessors throughout this time saw the extraordinary work that God was doing in this most beautiful and humble soul.

Her last Confessor, Don Benedetto Calvi, certifies: “Another extraordinary phenomenon, during the 64 years that she was bedridden, she never experienced bedsores.”

Luisa died a little before reaching the age of 82 on March 4, 1947, in Corato, Italy after a 15 day illness of pneumonia, the only serious illness she ever experienced in her whole life. She died at daybreak at the same hour which her Confessor had been accustomed to make her come out of her death-like state every day.

Don Benedetto continues to write: “Extraordinary phenomena after death: Luisa’s corpse is in a sitting position upon her little bed, exactly as when she was alive. It was impossible to straighten her out even with the help of various people. She stayed in that position, so they had to build a completely special casket. Something extraordinary happened: Her whole body did not undergo the corpse-like rigidity that ensues after death. Throughout the several days she was in plain view of everyone in Corato and of the many people who came from abroad for the specific purpose of being able to see and touch with their own hands this unique and marvelous phenomenon.

“They were able to effortlessly move her head in any direction, raise her arms and bend them, bend her wrists, and all her fingers. They could even raise her eyelids and notice how the eyes were glossy and not veiled. It seemed that Luisa was alive and merely asleep. Meanwhile, a group of doctors deliberately called together, after careful examination of the corpse, declared that Luisa was dead. Everyone wanted to know that it was a true death and not merely an apparent one as everyone supposed. With the consensus of the civil authorities and health officer, and to satisfy the crowds that pressed in on her, they were constrained to leave her for four – I say four – days upon her deathbed without giving any visible signs of decomposition…(no embalming).”

Extraordinary Mystical Gifts:
At age 23, a year after her permanent confinement to bed began, she received the grace of Mystical Marriage on October 16, 1888. Overshadowed by the Three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, it was renewed 11 months later in Heaven in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity.  It was on this occasion that Luisa was first given the Gift of Living in the Divine Will.

Shortly afterward a last bond was added with Jesus: “The Marriage of the Cross.” From that time on Jesus gave her the most painful stigmata of His Passion, yielding nevertheless to Luisa’s request that He allow them to remain invisible. The Crucifixion was renewed frequently.

Luisa also received what was to be called, “The Stigmata of the Soul.” This was another of Luisa’s most painful sufferings. She suffered what Jesus suffered in His interior, in His soul during His life on earth, including the 9 months He spent in His Mother’s womb.

Sources of Testimony Regarding Luisa:
Luisa’s witnesses have been many and have been perfectly reliable because of their serious, competent, and virtuous characters. Among these were many religious and Priests, theologians and professors, Bishops and a few future Bishops and Cardinals and even a Saint, Father Hannibal Di Francia. But, above all, was her own testimony of what God did in her, sealed by the sacrifice of obedience for her to write.

The Writings:
The 36 Volumes of Luisa’s writings are fundamentally her autobiographic diary whose title was given by Jesus:

“The Kingdom of the FIAT in the Midst of Creatures.
~The Book of Heaven.~
The Recall of the Creature to Return to the Order, to the Place and to the Purpose for Which it was Created by God!”

The first Volume narrates Luisa’s life up to the moment she received the command to write on February 28, 1899. It was completed with a “Notebook of Memories of Her Infancy,” written in 1926. She stopped writing when the obligation to do so ended on December 28, 1938, when she finished her 36th and final Volume.

Additionally, she wrote many, many prayers, novenas, etc. Upon the request of Saint Hannibal in 1913 or 1914, she wrote the “Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.” At a later time, she added to that work some “Things to Consider” and “Pious Practices.”

Luisa also wrote 31 meditations for the month of May entitled: “The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will,” completed on May 6, 1930. These meditations were a dictation which Luisa took from the Blessed Mother, who came everyday to give them to Luisa. They tell us how Our Lady lived in the Divine Will, which in turn teaches us.

Luisa’s obedience to write ceased on December 28, 1938. She lived another 8 years during which she added considerably to her epistolary, writing many kindly counsels to others about spiritual matters, especially with what regards living in the Divine Will.

Mission of Luisa:
Saint Hannibal M. Di Francia wrote the following in his beautiful testimony on Luisa: “Our Lord, who always makes the marvels of His love grow and grow, century after century, seems with this virgin, whom He calls the littlest one He found on earth, barren of every kind of education, to have wanted to form her into a perfect instrument for a mission so sublime, to which no other can compare. In other words, the mission of the Triumph of the Divine Will all over the earth in conformity to what is said in the Our Father: ‘Your Will be done on earth as It is done in Heaven.’”

Current Events:
After Luisa’s death in 1947 there followed a period of some 20 years of diminished interest in her writings, although her memory was kept alive by various eye witnesses who testified with indescribable fervor and conviction how they were touched and how their lives were changed by the way Luisa lived and by what she wrote and said.

A noticeable turn around began in the early 1970s with a new surge of interest; and in the 1980s interest increased significantly. Archbishop Giuseppe Carata and Sister Assunta Marigliano founded the “Association Luisa Piccarreta” in Corato, Italy, with headquarters in the very building where Luisa had lived most of her life. Archbishop Carata frequently wrote and made trips to the Vatican on behalf of Luisa’s name.

His successor, Archbishop Carmelo Cassiti after taking office in the Archdiocese where Luisa lived, continued diligently in these efforts both in Rome as well as in the Archdiocese. On the Feast of Christ the King, 1993, he opened a Holy Year of Prayer for the coming of the Kingdom of the Divine Will with a Holy Mass celebrated at the Association Chapel located on the first floor of the international headquarters in the center of Corato, on the street named after Luisa, Via Luisa Piccarreta, 25!

Cardinal Felici’s letter to Archbishop Cassati:
In early 1994, the Church, after meetings at the very highest levels, directed Cardinal Felici to send the historic letter (dated March 28, 1994) from the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of the Saints to His Excellency, Archbishop Carmelo Cassati declaring that on the part of the Holy See there was no impediment to opening the Cause for Luisa Piccarreta’s Beatification and to therefore start the process.

In early May, 1994, following the required protocol, Association Luisa Piccarreta, by the signature of Sr. Assunta Marigliano, petitioned Archbishop Carmelo Cassati to initiate the Cause of Luisa’s Beatification. In late July, 1994, Archbishop Cassati signed a letter of glowing praise for Luisa, appointing the Postulator for the Cause, directing him to choose vice postulators, thus forming the official commission with all the authority granted by Church Law. The Archbishop’s remarks concerning Luisa pointed out that she was a Victim of Love, a Victim of Obedience, who had only one thought: the fulfillment of the Divine Will. The Postulator, Msgr. Felice Posa, is a Canon Lawyer, highly esteemed for his competency and his work with the Eastern Rites on matters of Canon Law.

One of the Greatest Events in History!:
Visitors from many nations attended the Holy Mass for the Opening of the Cause and the installation of the Official Tribunal which will be overseeing the process. There were about 60 people from the United States, 22 from Costa Rica, others from Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Italy, and Japan. Descendents of Luisa’s sisters were present in the packed Church, as well as a nun and others who had known Luisa during her life. Several used to sit and recite the “Twenty-Four Hours of the Passion of Our Lord, Jesus Christ” with Luisa, as they all knew it by heart. The Holy Mass was celebrated in the ancient Mother Church of Corato (where Luisa was baptized) in the evening on the Feast of Christ the King, 1994. Archbishop Carmelo Cassati, who is the head of the Tribunal, was the chief celebrant. He gave a lengthy homily in Italian with continuations in English and Spanish. Then came the official swearing in and installation of the six members of the Tribunal: Archbishop Cassati; Msgr. Felice Posa; Msgr. Pietro Ciraselli; Padre G. Bernadino Bucci; Fr. John O. Brown (an American), and Mr. Cataldo Iurillo. At the time of the offertory, representatives from various nations, some in native costumes, came forward with gifts to present to Archbishop Cassati, then the Holy Mass continued. At its conclusion, history had been made! – Thy Kingdom Come!!

The Cause for Luisa’s Beatification Proceeds Onward:
Luisa’s mission on earth was always identified with the Official Church. Now that the Official Church has opened the Cause of her Beatification (November 20, 1994), it seems that from Heaven Luisa is giving every sign of her assistance here on earth. There have been reports of miracles through Luisa’s intercession in various places which have been forwarded to the Tribunal for investigation.

Little by little, important and exciting developments are taking place. Luisa’s home, which is the headquarters for the Pious Association Luisa Piccarreta, has been designated as the depository for the things associated with her life. More and more visitors are going to this Holy Place where the Third Fiat of God began here on earth, and various Pilgrimages are being planned.

Many, many thanks to those who have contributed to the Cause of the Beatification of Luisa Piccarreta! The more contributions to Luisa’s Cause the better, because the Church looks at the widespread, grassroots support from around the world as a sign of the action of the Holy Spirit. When a lay person is up for Beatification or Canonization, they are usually at a disadvantage compared to Religious who have belonged to one of the many Religious Orders. In the latter case, the Religious Communities are often spread throughout the world and may even have Headquarters in Rome among other obvious advantages, which aid the advancement of the Causes of Religious. All donations are tax deductible.

Vatican Releases Hidden Volumes of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta:
“These Writings will Renew the Face of the Earth!” Jesus tells Luisa!

A wonderful and unimaginable New Era is about to dawn upon the earth. It will be the crowning glory of man, the Gospel and the Church. The happiness of Eden is to be restored; the true purpose of Creation will be realized, and our Father in Heaven will receive his greatest glory from humanity. The 36 Volumes of the “Book of Heaven” given to the world through Luisa Piccarreta are the key to this grand and glorious change of affairs between Heaven and earth. Hidden for 58 years in the Vatican Archives, the words of these writings (on photocopies) are out once again; they are in the Diocese of Trani where Luisa lived, under the control of Archbishop Carmelo Cassati, President of the Tribunal for the Cause of the Beatification of Luisa Piccarreta. (Archbishop Carmelo Cassati retired in 2000 and the writings are now under the control of Archbishop Giovanni Battista Pichierri.)

Those present to photocopy the original Manuscripts of the “Book of Heaven” in the Archives of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith were: Rev. Fr. John Brown, Rev. Fr. Michael Adams, Rev. Fr. Carlos Massieu, Rev. Fr. Thomas Celso, Mr. Thomas M. Fahy and Mrs. Miguel Machado.

Thirty-four of the 36 Volumes of the “Book of Heaven” were taken from Luisa in a less than honorable manner by certain Church authorities on May 11, 1938. Volume 35 was somehow overlooked in the process, and Luisa was still writing Volume 36, which was completed on December 28, 1938, at which time her Confessor relieved her of the obedience to continue writing what Jesus had been disclosing to her about the Kingdom of the Divine Will. Prior to those 34 Volumes being taken to the Vatican, some of the nuns of the Daughters of Divine Zeal (co-founded by Saint Hannibal M. Di Francia) had made transcriptions of Volumes 1 through 19, which years later began to be translated into English and Spanish. Those Volumes had been given the Nihil Obstat by the Diocesan Censor Liborum, , and the imprimatur was granted by Archbishop Joseph Leo. But, for 58 years, nothing has been known of the sublime secrets contained in Volumes 20 through 34, with the exception of a few passages which had been extracted from them prior to 1938, until 1996.

When Will the “New” Volume be Available?:
We don’t know. They are now under the protection of Archbishop Pichierri. It could take a long time; yet there is always the possibility of Divine intervention to hasten the release of these most holy writings. Be sure that Our Lord will be guiding those responsible for their release to the general public. It would be very inappropriate to trouble the good Archbishop in Trani with inquiries, but it would be good to spend our time digesting well what we already have available, and do what we can to make the Kingdom of the Divine Will better known, especially by applying and living what we learn.

Update on the Writings and the Cause of Luisa Piccarreta:
On October 29, 2005, the Cause of Beatification of Luisa Piccarreta was closed at the Diocesan level and was advanced to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican in Rome. The Congregation assigned two theologians to study all Thirty-Six Volumes of Luisa and in late July, 2010, these wonderful and chosen theologians gave their nod of approval to all of Luisa’s Volumes. The reports submitted by the theologians have now gone to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which will study the reports and following their anticipated nod of approval, this will open the way for Luisa to be pronounced Venerable.

Please let it be understood that even though Archbishop Pichierri and the Diocese of Trani still own the rights to all the Volumes of Luisa, he is being mindful of the voice of the Vatican which asks that no publications of the writings of Luisa, in print or by digital means, be allowed until further notice. Archbishop Pichierri has asked in two letters sent out in 2007 and again in 2008 that all who love and follow Luisa also be obedient to this request.

 

We wish to present two testimonies given by Fr. Domenico Franze and Fr. Consalvo Valls. They are the following: 

Dear Father,

Almost a year ago last September, your Excellency, along with another dignitary, interviewed me regarding two manuscripts of the book entitled “In the Reign of the Divine Will”. It was your wish that I render a judgement about the book whose author had sought absolute anonymity. Well, Reverend Father, as you know, I wasn’t content in just reading the book but wanted to also meet the author so as to better be able to render an opinion.

Having read the book and met the author, I didn’t stop with my own convictions, but sought the opinions of some competent religious colleagues. I am enclosing one such testimony. It is the opinion of Fr. Consalvo Valls, professor of Theology in our university, the International University of St. Anthony. He is currently in charge of revising our text books. I will include his testimony later.

Truthfully, anyone not having time nor interest in examining the book can simply review the index to see how this soul, called by God to perfection, is gradually elevated through self-annihilation, anonymity and detachment, through temptations and trials, one of which is most severe and has lasted more than 46 years.

I am simply astounded as a medical doctor to find no bed sores or skin abrasions on a patient who has been obliged to be immobile in bed for so many years.

As a Religious Examiner, it is most consoling to have received assurances that for many years and after exhaustive examinations by physicians, Confessors and Archbishops, no one has ever discovered any deception.

And finally, as a Priest I am delighted to have confirmed that in this patient there exists not only a refined integrity of Christian virtue but a movement of a soul striving toward a perfection illuminated by a special grace.

Aside from all that it seems our Lord deigned to accomplish in this soul to purify and make her a worthy instrument of mercy for others, I observe in her writings the prevailing theme which I would call the paramount meaning of the existence of this creature: THE DIVINE WILL.

This humble soul calls upon everyone to comprehend the evil of their personal wills and proclaims that just as the human will represents a common evil which is sin, so also there exists for sinful mankind a universal remedy. This remedy is that the MOST HOLY WILL OF GOD BE THE LIFE OF THE HUMAN WILL.

If this book did nothing more than impress on its readers the rights of God and his Most Holy Will and affirm his supreme power over the human will and over the power and kingdoms of our miniscule earth, I would still maintain that it would make a significant contribution for the good of souls.

Reverend Father, I tell you that it is my judgment both as a Priest and physician that only a mortified and continuously mortified soul, only a human will fused in the Divine Will could arrive at concepts so basic and fundamental as those which this soul reveals. And this is achieved without studies or schooling, being only on a bed of pain and spasm, with an extremely limited background in literature, theology or asceticism. Yet she speaks with true competence about the most obscure themes and gives solutions to the most difficult problems and takes the soul of who reads her writings to the most aromatic spheres of virtue.

It is not the time, however, for me to explain the physical, psychophysical and moral proofs which I have found in this patient. I have moral certitude and, having 65 years of good experience and divorced from worldly concerns and excesses, I reaffirm this moral certitude in as far as it is given to man that the book which your Excellency gave me can achieve a great good, above all because it comes from an unpretentious and virtuous soul.

I thank you for the memorable occasion you have given me and I commend myself to your prayers.

Regarding Fr. Valls’ testimony which Fr. Franze mentions, we transcribe only the main points which are the following: 

Reverend Fr. Franze:

I have read and studied the book entitled “In the Reign of the Divine Will” and, having meditated on some of the themes, I am able to state the following:

I. Relative to Dogma: I find it to completely conform with the teachings of the Holy Church and those revealed in the sources of Revelation, including when it speaks in a passing manner on questions of dogma as…. (and then follows a series of analyses and commentaries such as: “sublime and marvelous theological precision….” “also the concept is most precise…without dissonance and with marvelous harmony.” “Concepts are never repeated yet new and most beautiful aspects are presented without ever for an instant deviating from the truths of the Faith,” etc.). It is true that on occasion incertitude are encountered, including, at times, unusual things which need explanation. But it is also true that when one reflects more on these thoughts, the dissonance of the first impression disappears. Moreover, Jesus, Himself, gives assurances when He calms her fears of writing nonsense.

II. Relative to asceticism: The book is most exact with respect to the judgments that are presented, especially when treating the active means of sanctification (prayer, work, fulfilling responsibilities, sacraments, pious practices, mortification, etc.) and the virtues. . . . (Note: to justify all the author’s points, one would need to quote the entire book).

III. With respect to mystical phenomena: The book seems to be truly inspired. (Of the numerous points that are presented, we mention one as an example: “the difference between the abstract and intuitive knowledge of God and of the soul itself. The intuitive explanation is one that is both psychological and experimental. It explains the theological doctrine regarding the Divine Gifts of the Holy Spirit acting in man and how these Divine Acts differ in nature from the human acts which man accomplishes using his own virtue.

IV. With respect to the self-portrait of this soul: It is evident that she intensely lives the life of Grace from which she creates the most beautiful and exact descriptions. And only the gifts of the Holy Spirit could give her the knowledge and, still more, the science to describe them. This contemplation of God in his attributes and Trinitarian Life comes from the full use of these gifts. The same can be said of her contemplation of Christ and the Most Holy Virgin in their mysteries and this vision—so consoling and marvelous—of the Divine Will which governs the world. Such resolution and generosity can come from no other source other than Divine Grace which absorbs the being of this soul. With these virtues she undergoes the greatest and most profound sacrifices which our Lord requests of her. Her sensitive and acute sentiments, along with her immense charity toward others springs from and has its foundation in the love of Jesus. And, moreover, THE SUBSTITUTION OF ONE’S OWN WILL FOR THE WILL OF OUR LORD can only come from Grace which allows her to remain peaceful, secure and content in the midst of the greatest tribulation, sufferings and aridity. And this constitutes the particular mission of this soul.

From all of these observations, made in passing, I harbor the conviction that the person in question is a soul of God and that the WORK BEING ACCOMPLISHED IN HER IS DIVINE. Although I do not know about the life or history of this soul, my examination of the book and the effect which I myself have experienced with her discourse permits me to take this position. This discourse has placed in my spirit a new yearning for a more intense spirituality. Only God holds the keys to man’s heart and causes it to vibrate toward sanctification. . . ”
With deepest regard to your Reverence,

CONFESSORS:

Fr. Cosma Loiodice – Friar and first confessor
Fr. Michele De Benedictis – Luisa’s confessor in childhood, appointed in 1884 as her official confessor by order of Bishop Giuseppe B. Dottula
Fr. Gennaro di Gennaro – Parish priest of San Giuseppe, her confessor from 1898 to 1922; he ordered the Servant of God to keep a record of what the Lord revealed to her day by day.
Saint Hannibal Maria Di Francia – From 1919 to 1927, at the bishop’s orders, he was her extraordinary confessor, the ecclesiastical editor of the Servant of God’s writings; he published some of her works, including L’orologio della Passione
Mgr. Ferdinando Cento – Apostolic Nuncio and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church
Fr. Francesco De Benedictis – Confessor from 1922 to 1926, successor to Fr. Gennaro di Gennaro
Fr. Felice Torelli – Parish priest of Santa Maria Greca
Fr. Ciccio Bevilacqua – Coadjutor of the principal church, occasional confessor
Fr. Luca Mazzilli – Coadjutor, occasional confessor
Fr. Benedetto Calvi – Regular confessor, from 1926 to 1947, appointed by Archbishop Giuseppe Leo
Fr. Peppino Ferrara – Occasional celebrant.
Fr. Vitantonio Patruno – Occasional celebrant.
Fr. Clemente Ferrara – Archpriest and occasional celebrant.
Fr. Cataldo Tota – Rector of the Seminary of Bisceglie and parish priest of the Church of San Francesco.
Mgr. Michele Samarelli – Vicar General of Bari.
Mgr. Ernesto Balducci – Vicar General of Salerno.
Mgr. Luigi D’Oria – Spiritual Director of the regional Seminary of Molfetta and Vicar General of Trani.

Many other religious and secular priests, who are not listed here, also regularly visited the house of the Servant of God.

BISHOPS:

Archbishop Giuseppe Bianchi Dottula – 1848-1892
Archbishop Domenico Marinangeli – 1893-1898
Archbishop Tommaso de Stefano – 1898-1906 [Luisa begins to write her diaries]
Archbishop Giulio Vaccaro – 1906, administrator
Archbishop Francesco P. Carraro – 1906-1915
Archbishop Govanni Regime – 1915-1918
Archbishop Eugenio Tosi – 1918-1920, administrator
Archbishop Giuseppe M. Leo – 1920-1939, He put the Imprimatur on the first 19 Volumes after St. Hannibal de Francia put the Nihil Obstat.
Archbishop Francesco Petronelli – 1939-1947. He died on June 16, 1947, three months after the pious death of Luisa Piccarreta.
Archbishop Reginaldo G.M. Addazzi – 1947-1971. He gave Luisa the title of Servant of God and authorized the issue of the figurine with the prayer.
Archbishop Giuseppe Carata – 1971 – 1990. He began the Association of the Divine Will with canonical approval in 1986 after procedures which had lasted for ten years. At the same time, he gave orders, at the request of Cardinal Palazzini, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints, for testimonies to be collected regarding the Servant of God. (+2003)
Archbishop emeritus Carmelo Cassati – 1990 – 1999. He opened Luisa Piccarreta’s Cause of Beatification on the day of the Feast of Christ the King, November 20, 1994.
Archbishop Giovanni Battista Picchierri, current Archbishop of Trani. It is he who requested that the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta be continued.