Maria Caterina Troiani (19 January 1813 – 6 May 1887) was an Italian Roman Catholic charitable worker who assumed the name of "Maria Caterina of Saint Rose" when she became a nun. Troiani established the Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She was a member of the

Third Order of Saint Francis The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi. The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many ma ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

beatified her on 14 April 1985 and the cause of canonization still continues pending another miracle needed – there is one now under investigation.

Life

Maria Caterina Troiani was born in

Giuliano di Roma Giuliano di Roma (Central-Northern Latian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about southwest of Frosinone. Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state o ...

in 1813 as the third of four children of Tommaso Troiani and Teresa Panici. She was born in the Napoleonic period. She was orphaned at the age of six when her mother died. She approached the Bishop of Ferentino and asked him if she could be received into a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

as a nun. She lived and learned the Franciscan path with

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

as a guide and dedicated herself – with her fellow noviates – to education and the care of girls. On 8 December 1829 she took the religious habit of the institute and changed her name to "Maria Teresa of Saint Rose" in honor of

Saint Rose of Viterbo Rose of Viterbo, T.O.S.F. ( it, Rosa da Viterbo; c. 1233 – 6 March 1251), was a young woman born in Viterbo, then a contested commune of the Papal States. She spent her brief life as a recluse, who was outspoken in her support of the papacy. O ...

. Troiani made it her mission to promote

the gospel The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefits ...

abroad. She indicated to North Africa for this mission. In 1852 the Apostolic Vicar of Egypt requested that a Franciscan institute be opened in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

with the aim of providing education and vocational training to girls. The emphasis was on the poor. She and four others left on 25 August 1859 and met

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

on 4 September who blessed them. The five embarked at

Civitavecchia Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...

and Giuseppe Modena accompanied them. The group arrived in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

to learn that the Apostolic Vicar of Egypt died suddenly. On 14 September the group entered Cairo. In 1868 various agreements between the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

and the

Congregation of Propaganda Fide A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

ensured that the institution she established in Cairo was named as the Third Order Franciscan Sisters of Cairo. It was renamed in 1868 the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Egypt, only to be changed in 1950 to its current name. She was its Mother Superior until her death. She died in 1887 and was buried in Cairo. Her remains were exhumed and moved to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 3 November 1967.

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

held her in high esteem.

Beatification

The process of beatification commenced in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

on 23 June 1944 despite the fact that there had been a local process from 1937 to 1939. This bestowed the title of

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

upon her. Another process commenced after the official opening and spanned from 1947 to 1950. Both the processes were ratified in 1954 and it resulted in the declaration of her being

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

on 12 July 1982 after

recognized her life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...

. A miracle attributed to her intercession was investigated in 1957 and ratified on 15 October 1982. John Paul II approved the miracle on 9 November 1984 and beatified her on 14 April 1985. Another miracle needed for her canonization was investigated and it closed on 2011. The process was ratified on 28 October 2011.

References

External links

Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troiani, Maria Caterina 1813 births 1887 deaths 19th-century venerated Christians Members of the Third Order of Saint Francis Franciscan nuns Beatifications by Pope John Paul II People from Lazio Founders of Catholic religious communities Italian Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Egypt Female Roman Catholic missionaries Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II Italian expatriates in Egypt