San Fior - Istituto Suore del Santo Volto - Foto di Paolo Steffan

The Sisters of the Holy Face (''Sororum a Sancto Vultu'') (also known as the "Institute of Sisters of the Holy Countenance") is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

religious organization for women.Vatican website: ''Beatification of Maria Pia Mastena'', 13 November 2005
/ref> The order was founded in

San Fior San Fior is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northeast of Treviso. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,357 and an area of .All demographics ...

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...

Italy in 1930 by Blessed

Maria Pia Mastena Blessed Maria Pia Mastena (7 December 1881 - 28 June 1951) - born Teresa Maria - was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Religious Sisters of the Holy Face. Mastena fostered a deep devotion to the Holy Face of Je ...

(1881-1951). The members of the order use the abbreviation SSV after their names.

Annuario Pontificio The ''Annuario Pontificio'' (Italian for ''Pontifical Yearbook'') is the annual directory of the Holy See of the Catholic Church. It lists the popes in chronological order and all officials of the Holy See's departments. It also provides names ...

2007,

Libreria Editrice Vaticana The Vatican Publishing House ( it, Libreria Editrice Vaticana; la, Officina libraria editoria Vaticana; LEV) is a publisher established by the Holy See in 1926. It is responsible for publishing official documents of the Roman Catholic Church, ...

, Vatican City, page 1723

History

Mastena joined the Sisters of Mercy of Verona and obtained her teaching license, but after World War I left to become a cloistered Cistercian nun. Shortly after, on advise of her spiritual director, she left the convent and resumed teaching. She opened a nursery school and soup kitchen. In 1930 she organized a small group called Pious Rescue which was aimed at assisting poor children and teaching them a trade. She was soon joined by other young women.Vatican website: ''Biography of Maria Pia Mastena'
/ref> Despite the opposition from some local priests, the congregation was initially approved by the

Bishop of Vittorio Veneto The Diocese of Vittorio Veneto ( la, Dioecesis Victoriensis Venetorum) is a Roman Catholic diocese in northern Italy, with capital in Vittorio Veneto. It was historically known as Diocese of Ceneda, the name being changed in 1939.

on December 8, 1936. During World War II the sisters participated in relief activities for soldiers and victims of the conflict, feeding them free of charge. They received the approval of the

Congregation of Pontifical Right In Catholicism "of pontifical right" is the term given to ecclesiastical institutions (religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by the Holy See, or approved by it with the formal decree known by the Latin nam ...

on 10 December 1947. The purpose of the order is to aid the sick in nursing homes as well as to help aspiring priests. In 1949 they established a clinic in Rome which the Sisters of the Holy Face run. The order has 22 houses, including some in Brazil. They first arrived in Indonesia in 1991."the Sisters of the Holy Face and their mission among the least", ''Agenzia Fides'', September 1991
/ref>

References

{{Authority control Catholic female orders and societies Pontifical organizations Catholic spirituality

History

See also

References