WIDOWS: FRANCES OF ROME

 1384 – 1440                FEAST DAY: MARCH 9

 A noble Roman woman, Frances had a happy forty-year marriage. Though she lived in a palazzo, she organized a group of laywomen to help tend the sick. The city was in great political turmoil, and her husband was exiled, leaving her to manage alone. The family lost much of its fortune, and on his return, he died a broken man. Through prayer and a cheerful disposition, Frances was granted the privilege of always seeing her guardian angel, whose glow functioned much like a headlight on a car. After her husband’s death, Frances entered religious life.

 Other Patronages: Motorists, Taxi Drivers; Death of Children