Blessed Zefirino Agostini was born in Verona, Italy on September 24, 1813. He was the oldest son of his parents; his father was a physician. His father died when Zefirino was very young. He was ordained on March 11, 1837. He was a youth minister and catechist for 8 years.
After that he was assigned to a very poor parish and established after-school programs for girls, religious education for mothers, and education for women. He began a devotion to Saint Angela Merici for the female parishioners and founded the Pious Union of Sisters Devoted to Saint Angela Merici whose rule was approved by Bishop Ricabona in 1856. On All Souls Day of that same year, he opened his first charitable school of poor girls. In 1860, local women who worked in the school chose community life and Father Agostini prepared the first rule for the community and on September 24, 1869, the first 12 Ursulines made their profession. On November 18, 1869, they founded the Congregation of Ursulines, Daughters of Mary Immaculate.
Father Agostini died on April 6, 1869 in Verona, Italy of natural causes. He was beatified on October 25, 1998 by Pope John Paul II.
"Do not be dismayed by toil or suffering, nor by the meager fruit of your labors. Remember that God rewards not according to results, but effort."
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