March 4, 1947

“Now I die with greater contentment, because the Divine Will has consoled me more than usual with Its presence in these last few moments of my life.

“Now I see a long, beautiful and spacious road, all illuminated by an infinite number of resplendent suns – Oh, yes, I recognize them! They are all my acts done in the Divine Will!

“This is the road that I must now take; it is the road that the Divine Will has prepared for me. It’s the road of my victory: it’s the way of my glory, which will unite me with the immense happiness of the Divine Will.

“It’s my road; it’s the road that I have prepared for you. It’s the road that I will keep reserved for all the souls who will ever want to live in the Divine Will.”

Excerpt from Volume 11, March 8, 1914:

“The soul who dies united to My Will (Jesus speaking to Luisa), upon entering into My Rest, will find not only the heavenly doors open, but all of Heaven reaching down to greet the new-comer, honoring My Will which has formed Its Life in the soul.

“What can I tell you about the feasting among the Blessed when they see this soul that has lived its life in the Divine Will, with its every word, thought and act, all adorned with as many Suns as its acts, all varying in brightness and beauty? So innumerable are the little divine streams touching all the Blessed that heaven cannot contain all the blessings, and they flow down even upon the earth for the benefit of the pilgrim souls.

“Yes, My daughter, My Will is the greatest thing that exists. It is the secret to finding the light, sanctity and greatest spiritual treasures. It is the secret to knowing every good thing, but because It is not intimately known, It is neither valued nor loved as It merits. It is your job to know, love and make It known to all disposed souls.”

  

The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta died at the age of eighty-one years, ten months and nine days, on March 4, 1947, after a fortnight of illness, the only one diagnosed in her life, a bad attack of pneumonia. She died at the end of the night, at the same hour when every day the priest’s blessing had freed her from her state of rigidity. Archbishop Francesco Petronelli (May 25, 1939-June 16, 1947) archbishop at the time. Luisa remained sitting up in bed. It was impossible to lay her out and – an extraordinary phenomenon – her body never suffered rigor mortis and remained in the position in which it had always been.

Hardly had the news of Luisa’s death spread, like a river in full spate, all the people streamed into her house and police intervention was necessary to control the crowds that flocked there day and night to visit Luisa, a woman very dear to them. A voice rang out: “Luisa the Saint has died“. To contain all the people who were going to see her, with the permission of the civil authorities and health officials, her body was exposed for four days with no sign of corruption. Luisa did not seem dead, she was sitting up in bed, dressed in white; it was as though she were asleep, because as has already been said, her body did not suffer rigor mortis.Indeed, without any effort her head could be moved in all directions, her arms raised, her hands and all her fingers bent. It was even possible to lift her eyelids and see her shining eyes that had not grown dim. Everyone believed that she was still alive, immersed in a deep sleep. A council of doctors, summoned for this purpose, declared, after attentively examining the corpse, that Luisa was truly dead and that her death should be accepted as real and not merely apparent, as everyone had imagined.

Luisa had said that she was born “upside down”, and that therefore it was right that her death should be “upside down” in comparison with that of other creatures. She remained in a sitting position as she had always lived, and had to be carried to the cemetery in this position, in a coffin specially made for her with a glass front and sides, so that she could be seen by everyone, like a queen upon her throne, dressed in white with the Fiat on her breast. More than forty priests, the chapter and the local clergy took part in the funeral procession; the sisters took turns to carry her on their shoulders, and an immense crowd of citizens surrounded her: the streets were incredibly full; even the balconies and rooftops of the houses were swarming with people, so that the procession wound slowly onwards with great difficulty. The funeral rite of the little daughter of the Divine Will was celebrated in the main church by the entire chapter. All the people of Corato followed the body to the cemetery. Everyone tried to take home a keepsake or a flower, after having touched her body with it; a few years later, her remains were translated to the parish of Santa Maria Greca.

The 3 1/2 foot wall relief over Luisa’s tomb in the Church of St. Mary the Greek, was created by Professor ‘Vincenzo Petrizzelli of Corato.   The relief depicts the Crucifixion of Christ with rays of light descending upon Luisa.   Luisa is smiling with her heart exposed and the writings of the 36 Volumes laying about her.  In prayer, she holds the Rosary in her left hand.  The Fiat is clearly seen in gold above her head superimposed over a map of the world.  The Church is represented to the right of her.  The word, “Eccomi” (Here I am), in copper tubing, is placed in front of the tomb.  The unveiling of the relief took place on 4 March 2004, in honor of the 57th Anniversary of Luisa’s entrance into Heaven.  Fr. Sergio Pellegrini, the Pastor of St. Maria the Greek Church in Corota, celebrated a special Mass on the occasion.  Sr. Assunta, co-foundress of the Association Luisa Piccarreta, attended.