St. Frances of Rome

St. Frances of Rome (born 1384, Rome [Italy]—died March 9, 1440, Rome; canonized 1608; feast day March 9) was the founder of the Oblate Congregation of Tor de’ Specchi (Oblates of St. Frances of Rome), a community that, with the Olivetan Benedictines, works for the sick and the poor without taking formal religious vows. She is venerated as the patron saint of widows, Benedictine oblates, and motorists.

When she was only 13, Frances’s parents married her to Lorenzo de’ Ponziani, whose sister-in-law, Vannozza, would help Frances draft a rule of life for the new religious order. In the fierce civil strife caused by the Great Schism (1378–1417), a period in which the Roman Catholic Church had two (and later three) rival popes, the Ponzianis lost their fortune. Plague took the lives of two of their sons. While living in part of her ruined palace, Frances shared her last resources with people in need.

Frances is said to have experienced visions that predicted the end of the schism. According to legend, she also had the ability to see her guardian angel, which reportedly carried a lantern to light the road for Frances when she traveled after dark. (This tradition led to her patronage of motorists and automobile drivers.)

With Lorenzo’s approval, she founded (1425) the Oblates of Mary, known since 1433 as the Oblate Congregation of Tor de’ Specchi. Upon her husband’s death in 1436, she became its superior.