Giuseppina Suriano

Catholic Action became the spiritual foundation and the driving force of Pina Suriano's apostolate. She was actively involved in parish and diocesan life under the guidance of her parish priest and spiritual director, Canon Antonio Cataldo. From 1939 to 1948, she served as the parish secretary for Catholic Action, and from 1945 to 1948, she presided over the Young Women's section of Catholic Action (Giovani di Azione Cattolica). In 1948, she founded the Association of the "Daughters of Mary" (Figlie di Maria) in her parish and served as its president until her death. Pina felt a deep call to religious life. In February 1940, after finally obtaining her parents' consent, she entered the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Anne (Figlie di Sant'Anna) in Palermo. However, after only eight days, a medical examination revealed a heart condition that forced her to leave the community and return to her family. Despite this disappointment and the fierce opposition of her mother Graziella—who wished to see her married and went so far as to physically mistreat her or lock her up to prevent her from going to church—Pina remained steadfast in her interior consecration. On April 29, 1932, with the authorization of her spiritual director, she made a private vow of chastity which she renewed each month, tactfully declining all marriage proposals. On March 30, 1948, with three companions, she solemnly offered herself as a victim of love for the sanctification of priests.

In March 1948, Pina began to suffer from a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis (artrite reumatoide). This chronic illness caused her intense physical suffering, which she endured with heroic patience and constant spiritual joy, offering it for the conversion of sinners and the support of the clergy. In May 1950, as she was preparing to go to Mass, she was struck down by a myocardial infarction, a direct consequence of her heart condition and arthritis. She died suddenly at the age of 35. Her funeral was celebrated in the parish of the Rosary (Maria SS. del Rosario) in Partinico, amidst a huge crowd that already considered her a saint. She was initially buried in the family tomb in the municipal cemetery. On May 18, 1969, her remains were transferred to the parish church of the Sacred Heart (Sacro Cuore) in Partinico, which has since become the Beata Pina Suriano Sanctuary. During this translation, her right arm and hand were found to be intact (incorrupt) and are now kept in a separate reliquary. The cause for beatification was officially opened in the Archdiocese of Monreale on March 6, 1968, by Archbishop Corrado Mingo, and the diocesan inquiry closed on June 26, 1975. On February 18, 1989, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The beatification of Pina Suriano was made possible thanks to the recognition of a miracle that occurred on June 14, 1992, in Marsala (province of Trapani, Sicily). An 18-year-old girl, Isabella Mannone, was the victim of a severe electrocution in her bathtub after a plugged-in hairdryer accidentally fell into the water. While the young girl lost consciousness and her mother, Maria Genna, suffered a shock herself while attempting to rescue her, the latter desperately invoked the Venerable Pina Suriano. Isabella was miraculously and instantly preserved from any fatal or serious consequences related to this strong electric discharge.

After the favorable opinion of the medical commission on May 15, 2003, Pope John Paul II signed the official decree recognizing this miracle on June 22, 2004.

Giuseppina Suriano was solemnly beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 5, 2004, on the esplanade of Montorso, near Loreto (Italy), during a large national gathering of the Italian Catholic Action. She was raised to the altars at the same time as Alberto Marvelli and the Spanish priest Pere Tarrés i Claret.

Pina Suriano's spirituality rests entirely on the triptych of Catholic Action: "Prayer, Action, Sacrifice." She knew how to transform her life as a single laywoman in the midst of the world into a true sanctuary of love and self-giving. Her daily Eucharistic devotion, her assiduous meditation on the Word of God, and her absolute fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church nourished her apostolate among the young girls of her parish.

Her offering as a victim for the sanctification of priests remains the pinnacle of her spiritual legacy. She wrote in her spiritual notes of her desire to live and die for Jesus, finding in accepted suffering a means to unite herself more intimately with the Passion of Christ. Today, she is venerated as a model of daily lay holiness, showing that Christian perfection is accessible to all through the ordinary duties of life.