St. Veronica Guiliani (1660-1727) was a Poor Clare nun who is known for the rich mystical experiences she had throughout her life, including receiving the Stigmata. As Abbess, she governed her community of nuns for eleven years until her death.

The intensely spiritual aspect of her life in no way dimmed her mind when it came to the temporal needs of her daughters. Veronica was a very practical woman with advanced skills. And it was a clear mark of Providence that she was abbess of her particular convent, for it suffered from the lack of a proper water supply. This was more than an inconvenience, as water is essential for many daily needs.

By God’s grace, Veronica solved the problem by designing a system of pipes throughout the convent. When her design was actually implemented, the people of the town were amazed at how good and functional it was. And they had every reason to be impressed, for, at that place and time, such a plumbing system was not part of normal Italian life.

It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that people who grow close to God have little skill or care for earthly concerns. A ‘down to earth mystic’ seems a contradiction - but that phrase perfectly describes St. Veronica Guiliani and others. Many saints, including mystics, have been very competent at managing temporal affairs - and for large groups of people! This was necessary for establishing and maintaining religious orders, schools, hospitals, homes for the poor, and so on.

As humans, we are body and soul. As our loving Father, God looks out for us, and wants to be an intimate part our day-to-day lives. No detail is too small or unimportant to Him. If we focus on growing close to God, He will delight all the more in taking care of all of our needs, temporal as well as spiritual - including the ones we don’t notice or even know about. The Divine Father who blessed St. Veronica with many heavenly visions is the same One Who inspired her with a practical and excellent plumbing system for her needy convent; a commodity quite ahead of its time.