Chiara Lubich the founder & perpetually smiling symbol of the Focolare movement has died on Friday in her room near the Focolare headquarters in Rocca di Papa, south of Rome.

Lubich had been extremely frail since November 2006 when she was treated at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for a lung infection. She was readmitted to the hospital in February after experiencing difficulty breathing, but decided to go home March 13 even though her condition had not improved.

Her Doctor said at the time that she had shown no signs of responding to treatment, which included medication & use of a ventilator to help her breathe. Lubich’s funeral will be on March 18 at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.