Imelda Lambertini

Blessed Imelda Lambertini (1322 – May 12, 1333) is the patroness of First Holy Communicants.
== Early life ==
Imelda was born in 1322 in Bologna, the only child of a noble family. Her parents were devout Catholics and known for their charity and generosity to the underprivileged of Bologna. As a very young girl, Imelda had a burning desire to receive Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist. On her fifth birthday, she requested this privilege. However, Church custom at the time was that a person did not receive their First Holy Communion until age 14. Imelda was sorely disappointed but accepted the Church's position and her parents' decision.
As time went by, her desire for the Blessed Sacrament grew. She thought that if she joined the convent, she would get to receive communion sooner. She joined a cloistered Dominican community at age nine. (It was unusual at the time for a girl her age to enter the convent.) However, she was still denied the opportunity to receive Holy Communion.
On the day of the vigil of the Ascension in 1333, she finally got her wish. As she knelt in prayer the "Light of the Host" was witnessed above her head by the Sacristan. Who then fetched the Priest so he could see. After seeing this alleged miracle, the Priest felt he had to give Blessed Imelda her Holy Communion. Apparently, the Blessed Imelda "fell into ecstasy upon receiving her Lord" through her Holy Communion. It is said that God took her home to be with Him immediately. 
Her remains are interred in Bologna, Italy.
== Beatification ==
Imelda was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1826.
== References ==
==External links==
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Category:1322 births
Category:1333 deaths
Category:Beatified people
Category:Child saints
Category:Italian children
Category:Italian Roman Catholics
Category:People from the Province of Bologna
Category:Women of medieval Italy
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