Saint Camilla

Description

Varano was born out of wedlock in Camerino, Macerata, in the Marche region of Italy, the daughter of noblewoman Cecchina di Maestro Giacomo and Giulio Cesare da Varano, the Duke of Camerino. She was introduced to, and educated in, the splendor of the court. Both her father and stepmother were very fond of her, and she grew up in the splendour of the court, receiving a noble education (as she was the princess) which included grammar and rhetoric.
When she was 8 or 10 years old (here autobiography says 9) Varano heard a Good Friday sermon preached by the Observant Franciscan friar, Domenico of Leonessa, who later became one of her many confessors. Domenico had ended his sermon by exhorting his hearers to shed one teardrop for Christ’s passion. This sermon made a deep impression on Varano. Later she vowed to God to shed a tear of love for Christ’s passion every Friday. Initially she found this troublesome, and she would try to squeeze out a tear, sometimes with no success, although after it had been squeezed she would quickly jump up to run away and play. Initially she had no stomach for the things that were affiliated with the spiritual life such as devotions, and she would make fun of friars and nuns.