Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini

Luigi was born in Catania in 1880 to Carlo and Francesca Beltrame Vita. The second surname was added when Luigi was raised and then adopted by his childless aunt and uncle, Stefania and Luigi Quattrocchi, but maintained a close relationship with his birth parents. He attended school at Ancona and then moved to Rome, where he lived in the area of Esquiline. He studied jurisprudence at Sapienza University of Rome and graduated in 1902 with a degree in law. After his graduation, Quattrocchi took a legal position with the Intendacy of Finances and later went on to hold a number of posts on the boards of a variety of banks, including the Bank of Italy. ==Maria Corsini==

Maria Luisa Corsini was born in Florence in 1884, a member of the noble Corsini family. Her father, Angeiolo Corsini, was a Royal Army captain of grenadiers. Her mother was Julia Salvi. Because of her father's frequent military transfers, the family lived in Pistoia, Arezzo and Rome. Corsini had an excellent education from a young age. Parish priests taught her literature classes, which gave her the background to write essays and books on education, religion, the family and the spiritual upbringing of children. She followed a strict religious life, which included religious counseling, attending mass, receiving daily Communion, and reciting prayers. Although she had been enrolled at a parish school in Rome run by nuns, when one of the nuns talked ill of the King, Corsini transferred to a state-run school. After her graduation, she became a professor of education and lecturer. ==Married life==

Corsini met Quattrocchi, the son of a family friend, at her family's home in Florence. Corsini attributed her faith in God to her and her baby's survival. Enrichetta (born 1914), along with two of her siblings, were present for their parents' beatification (in 2001). Maria worked for the Red Cross during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and served as a voluntary nurse in the Italian Red Cross during World War II. The couple's home was open for those in need during wartime. Corsini was active with women's causes in the St. Vitale Parish and the women's division of Catholic Action. ==Children==

The couple had four children: • Filippo (October 15, 1906–February 20, 2003), Benedictine priest, known as Don Tarcisio or Don Tar. • Stefania (March 9, 1908–March 1, 1993), Benedictine nun, known as Suor Cecilia. • Cesare (November 27, 1909–December 31, 2008), Trappist monk, known as Father Paolino. • Enrichetta (April 6, 1914–June 16, 2012), whose cause of beatification opened in 2018. Don Tarcisio and Father Paolino joined ASCI (Associazione Scouts Cattolici Italiani) as children, and after their ordinations, became scout chaplains. When it merged with AGI (Associazione Guide Italiane) to become AGESCI (Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani), both of them joined the new association. ==Organizations==

The couple were among the founders of many Catholic organizations: • ASCI (Associazione Scouts Cattolici Italiani), the Italian Catholic scout association; • Azione Cattolica, the biggest lay organization of Catholics in Italy; • UNITALSI, an organization which carries infirm people on pilgrimages to Lourdes and other sanctuaries. Corsini and her husband were associated with many religious institutions. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martin noted that "they made their family an authentic domestic church, open to life, prayer, witness of the Gospel, the social apostolate, solidarity with the poor, and friendship... Intimately united in love and Christian ideals, they walked together on the path of holiness." ==Death and burial==

Luigi died 9 November 1951 in Rome. Maria died on 26 August 1965 at her La Madonnina home in Serravalle di Bibbiena, which had been built by her husband. Both are buried in the crypt of the Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore in Rome. ==Legacy==

The Foundation Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrochi, established in their honour, has the objective of helping couples to marry and to advise them on cementing their marital life. ==Beatification==

The beatification process commenced on 18 October 1994 which would allow for the two to hold the title of Servant of God. A local process was held from 25 November 1994 to 4 December 1996 in order to collect documentation and testimonies. The process was validated on 20 June 1997 with the Positio submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1999. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, said that they "made a true domestic church of their family, which was open to life, to prayer, to the social apostolate, to solidarity with the poor and to friendship". Pope John Paul II approved their lives of heroic virtue and proclaimed them to be Venerable on 7 July 2001. In that same decree, he also recognized a miracle that had been attributed to their intercession. He beatified them both on 21 October 2001. The day of the beatification was special, as it marked the 20th anniversary since the publication of Familiaris consortio an Apostolic Exhortation. A second miracle needed for their canonization was investigated from 11 March 2014 to 17 December 2014. If declared verified, the two will be canonized as saints. Their relics are contained in a crypt at the Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore in Rome. ==Selected works by Corsini==

Corsini wrote several books about education: • (1912) La madre : nel problema educativo moderno • (1924) Voce di madre : lettere ai giovani • (1924?) ''Incontro al Re d'amore : raccolta di prediche'' • (1940) Il fucco à da ardere • (1950) Il libro della giovane • (1955) Mamma vera • (1968) Una testimonianza: M. Amabile Damiazzi ==See also==