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Francesca Bussa de’ Leoni was born sometime in 1384 in Rome, Papal States. Her parents, Paolo Busso and Iacobella dei Roffredeschi were wealthy aristicrats.
When she was eleven, Francesca told her parents that she wanted to become a religious sister one day, but when she was around twelve, her parents forced her to marry Lorenzo Ponziani, a commander of the papal Roman troops and son of a very wealthy family.
Francesca and Paolo were devoted to each other for forty years. But though they were devoted to each other, they still experienced plenty of drama and sorrow. Fortunately, they were able to rise to the challenges of their lives.
One of the blessings that came from the marriage of Frances and Lorenzo was that it allowed Frances to make friends with her sister-in-law, Vannozza. The two young women discovered that they shared a common desire to put their faith into action by serving those in need. Soon, the two began visiting the poor of the community and caring for the sick.
Fortunately, other wealthy women of the community became inspired by Frances and Vannozza, and soon they too joined in helping serve those in need.
When her mother-in-law died, Frances became the mistress of the household. So, when flood and famine hit the area, she turned part of the family’s estate into a hospital and donated clothes and food to those in need.
One of the challenges that Lorenzo and Frances faced in their lives was the Western, or Papal, Schism. During those days, there were two, and sometimes more, people claiming they were the true pope.
Because of Lorenzo’s political stand in the papal conflict, Lorenzo and Frances were forced into exile. While gone, much of the property and possessions were destroyed, and Lorenzo was wounded so severely, that he was an invalid for the rest of his life. Fortunately, Frances nursed him throughout the last seven years of his life.
Two of Frances and Lorenzo’s children died, and Rome was a city in ruins. Frances, ever ready to help, opened her home as a hospital and gathered healing herbs and firewood from the countryside in her wagon. During the canonization proceedings, more than 60 people attested they had been cured through the intervention of Frances.
On August 15, 1425, Frances founded the Olivetan Oblates of Mary, a group of women under the authority of the Olivetan Benedictine monks. This group took no formal vows, lived at home, and continued serving those most in need. In 1433, however, Frances founded a monastery for the women who desired to live communally. On July 4, 1433, Pope Eugene IV approved the group as a religious congregation. In time, the name of the group became the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome.
Frances lived at home, caring for her husband, until he died in 1436. After that, she went to live in the monastery she founded and became the superior. Frances died on March 9, 1440, and Pope Paul V canonized her on May 9, 1608. Saint Frances of Rome’s feast day is March 9. She is a patron saint of Benedictine oblates, automobile drivers, and widows.
