Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord. Seek the
Lord and you will be strengthened, seek always the face of the Lord.Merciful
God, you adorned Agnes, your bride, with a marvelous fervor in prayer. By
imitating her example, may we always hold fast to you in spirit and so come to
enjoy the abundant fruits of holiness.
Saint Agnes was born in the Italian city of Gracciano in 1268 and entered a monastery at Montepulciano at the age of 9. Who says the young don't have vocation awareness early in life! By 15 the Holy See allowed Agnes to be a superior of nuns at Viterbo. The laity made strong pleas for Agnes' return to Montepulciano to be the superior of an Augustinian monastery of nuns; in time Agnes adopted the Constitution written by Saint Dominic thus changing the monastic life from an exclusive Augustinian orientation to a Dominican one. Her work among the laity was to work for civil peace; she was a model of charity. Saint Catherine of Siena called Agnes her "glorious mother." We pray for the Dominican monastic life and for peace in our cities with Saint Agnes' help before God.
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