The Servant of God, Colomba of Jesus in the Host (Anna Antonietta Mezzacapo) was born in Marcianise (Caserta, Italy) on June 15, 1914. Raised in a Christian family environment and taking part in parish life, she began her spiritual life journey of under the guidance of the parish priest and, at the same time, after elementary school, she made herself available to help her parents with household chores and in their hardware and food stores. In 1932, she entered the cloistered monastery of the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Marcianise where, in the following years, two of her sisters followed her.
The Servant of God made her first profession on the 6th of June 1934 and her solemn profession on the 24th of November 1938. Appointed Mistress of Novices in 1945, she was elected Prioress in 1951 and confirmed for another four successive three-year terms. In this period she dedicated herself to the spiritual formation of the sisters and to carrying out renovations of the monastery.
In 1961, due to relational problems between a novice and some sisters, the Holy See proceeded to an apostolic visitation, made in 1962 by Fr. Agostino Rosati, O.S.S.T., and ended with the recognition of the full innocence of the Servant of God, who was confirmed in her office as Prioress. In 1965, another canonical visit was made by the Archbishop of Capua, Monsignor Tommaso Leonetti, caused by new accusations by some sisters. In all these trials, Mother Columba remained serene, with the ability to forgive everyone. The Servant of God continued to serve the community with great humility, carrying out her apostolate in the parlour.
In 1968 she was elected Prioress again but, falling ill at the end of the same year, she underwent a delicate surgical operation in January 1969.
She died in Marcianise (Italy) on August 13, 1969.
The decree on her heroic virtue was promulgated on May 22, 2021.
