St. Maria Crocifissa Di Rosa, Virgin (1855 AD)
Full Name: St. Maria Crocifissa Di Rosa / Paula Frances Mary Di Rosa
Period: 1813 – 1855 AD (Died: December 15, 1855 AD)
Feast Day: December 15
Place of Birth: Brescia, Italy
Special Significance: Foundress of the Handmaids of Charity; patroness of nurses, the sick, and the destitute.
Early Life and Spirit of Service
Born into an influential noble family, she lost her mother at a young age and set aside worldly luxury to dedicate her life to God and the suffering.
She taught catechism and guided young women working in her father's silk mill.
Epidemic Relief and Founding of the Order
When a cholera epidemic struck Brescia in 1836 AD, she courageously nursed dangerous patients in hospitals.
Inspired by her example, other young women joined her, leading to the founding of the Handmaids of Charity in 1840 AD.
She took the religious name 'Maria Crocifissa' (Mary of the Crucified) out of devotion to Christ's Passion.
Wartime Service and Final Days
During the war in Northern Italy in 1848 AD, she tirelessly served wounded soldiers in military hospitals day and night.
Exhausted by intense labor and fasting, she passed away peacefully at age 42 on December 15, 1855 AD.
She was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954 AD.
Spiritual Lesson
Seeing Christ in the sick and suffering and serving them selflessly during crises is the lesson taught by St. Maria Crocifissa Di Rosa.