Maria Schininà

The work of Maria Schininà was gradually structured around helping the most destitute and spreading the faith. In 1874, she joined the Apostleship of Prayer to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1877, she was appointed the first director of the new association of the "Daughters of Mary" (Pia Unione delle Figlie di Maria) in Ragusa, where she gathered many young girls to teach catechism, prepare children for their first communion, and assist the poor in their homes.

After the death of her mother in 1884, Maria desired to retire to a cloistered convent. However, the Archbishop of Syracuse, Mgr Benedetto La Vecchia, urged her to abandon this plan to found a new active congregation in the city.

On May 9, 1889, Maria Schininà founded, with five companions, the Institute of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (initially called Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament). She then took the religious name of Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The congregation dedicated itself to multiple works of mercy: welcoming orphans and abandoned children, caring for the sick at home and in hospitals, assisting the elderly and disabled, single mothers, as well as prisoners and workers in the stone mines of Ragusa.

In 1890, she was received in a private audience in Rome by Pope Leo XIII, who encouraged and blessed her work. During the terrible earthquake in Messina in 1908, the congregation actively mobilized to welcome and assist the many refugees and victims.

After consolidating the foundations of her congregation and leaving behind her spiritual testament centered on fraternal love, Mother Maria of the Sacred Heart passed away in Ragusa on June 11, 1910, at the age of 66. Her final words addressed to her sisters were: "Amate, amatevi" (Love, love one another). The reputation for holiness that surrounded her during her lifetime continued to grow after her death. The cause for canonization was officially introduced on January 16, 1975, under the pontificate of Pope Paul VI. On May 13, 1989, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

To allow for her beatification, a miracle occurring through her intercession was examined and validated. It concerns the instantaneous, complete, and lasting healing of Mrs. Angelina Tarantino (wife of Veltri), originally from Scalea (Cosenza). Hospitalized at the Mariano Santo Hospital in Cosenza for severe asthmatic syndrome with obstructive emphysema and very serious respiratory failure, she was suddenly and inexplicably healed on January 22, 1977, after invoking the intercession of the foundress, on the advice of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart working in the establishment.

After the approval of this miracle by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the decree of validity was signed on April 9, 1990. Maria Schininà was solemnly proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II on November 4, 1990, during a celebration in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The spirituality of Blessed Maria Schininà is deeply rooted in the contemplation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and in the spirit of reparation. For her, the service of the poor and the marginalized is the direct extension of the love of Christ. She reminded that the love of God is indivisible from the love of neighbor: « L'amore di Dio è indivisibile dall'amore del prossimo, più si ama Dio e più si ama il prossimo ».

Today, the legacy of the Blessed is perpetuated through the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Ragusa. The institute obtained the decree of praise on November 27, 1936, and the definitive approval of its constitutions by the Holy See on March 11, 1946. Since 1950, the congregation has opened itself to international missions. The sisters are now present on several continents: in Europe (Italy, France, Poland, Romania), in America (Canada, United States, Panama), in Africa (Madagascar, Nigeria), and in Asia (India, Philippines), where they continue to bring "the Heart of God to men and men to the Heart of God."