Maria Marchetta
Italian laywoman of Grassano, paralysed as a teenager, who offered her suffering for Christian unity
Who they were
Born at Grassano, she was left paraplegic in her teens and spent fourteen years bedridden; formed in Catholic Action and the Third Order of St Francis, she offered her illness for the unity of Christians and wrote to Paul VI and to the Anglican Archbishop Michael Ramsey about that offering. The diocese marked the sixtieth anniversary of her death in April 2026 with a Mass led by Cardinal Enrico Feroci.
The miracles
No miracle has been approved. The cause is at its first stage.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Diocese of Tricarico names her a Servant of God and records that the diocesan process opened on 2 August 1995 and closed on 7 April 2002, with the acts lodged at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The cause
Maria Marchetta is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Maria Marchetta.
Connected on this site
- Paul VI Saint“Born at Grassano, she was left paraplegic in her teens and spent fourteen years bedridden; formed in Catholic Action and the Third Order of St Francis, she offered her illness for the unity of Christians and wrote to Paul VI and to the Anglican Archbishop Michael Ramsey about that offering.” — this site's research
- Testimoni — Diocesi di Tricarico (biography of the Servant of God Maria Marchetta)
- Concelebrazione nel 60° anniversario della morte della Serva di Dio Maria Marchetta — Diocesi di Tricarico
Checked against the sources listed on 24 September 2026. Corrections welcome.