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Mary Frances of the Five Wounds of Jesus
Italian Franciscan saint
Feast: 6 October (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Anna Maria Gallo was born in Naples on 25 March 1715 to small haberdashers in the Spanish Quarter. Her father wanted her married, but she followed God; the people called her 'the little saint', and she was guided by St John Joseph of the Cross.
A tertiary of St Francis, she was admired for her patience in endless suffering and adversity, her penance and her love of God and souls. She had the gift of prophecy. She died on 6 October 1791 aged 76.
The miracles
She was the first woman of Naples to be canonised. The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A shopkeeper's daughter of the Naples backstreets who bore great suffering with patience and love.
Connected on this site
- John Joseph of the Cross Saint“Her father wanted her married, but she followed God; the people called her 'the little saint', and she was guided by St John Joseph of the Cross.” — this site's research
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Maria Francesca delle Cinque Piaghe
- Wikidata Q455019 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Mary Frances of the Five Wounds (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.