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a passionate love

During their engagement, after a month apart Luigi and Maria
began to exchange numerous letters, which today tell us of «a
yearning, passionate love, revealed to the other without reserve, yet
not without a delicate modesty. Luigi wrote to Maria: “Your love has
redeemed [my soul] from a sterility that would have killed it”. Maria,
then, writes to Luigi: “Never as in this moment, do I need to have you
near me, to cling to you, strongly, to call you, to hear you speak.”». 3

tHe WeddinG

On November 25, 1905, Luigi and Maria were married in the
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The young couple settled
in the Corsini home, where Maria’s parents and grandparents already
lived. Living together was very respectful, even though Maria
probably suffered from the fact that she was still considered to be a
“young lady” and therefore had no official duties in the running of the
house. Luigi understood how to accept the situation and helped his ENGAGEMENT, MATRIMONY AND CHILDREN
wife to manage it in the best possible way.

tHe First preGnancy

Their first pregnancy came a few months later, and the birth
of Philip, on October 15, 1906, brought them great happiness.
Motherhood taught the young mother to inevitably forget about her
needs, as one of her daughters noted: «Of course, for her, accustomed
to remaining up-to-date with the latest theatrical, musical, and
literary news, it was no small sacrifice to reduce her reading to
almost nothing, and to eliminate shows and concerts». 4

3 Cf. Erminia Catapano, Vincenzo Angrisani, Mistica Coniugale, LEV, Città del Vaticano 2006, p. 13.
4 Cf. Lettera, op. cit.