Maria Consiglio dello Spirito Santo

Desirous of dedicating herself entirely to God, Emilia sought her path and made brief stays in several Neapolitan monasteries (notably with the Stigmatines, the Alcantarine Franciscans, the Perpetual Adorers, and the Sisters of Stella Matutina). However, none of these cloistered communities corresponded to the inner call she felt, which pushed her toward an active apostolic life in the service of the most destitute. In October 1866, she met Father Gabriele Maria Rinonapoli, who became her spiritual director and the co-founder of her work. In 1870, she enrolled in the Third Order of St. Francis of Alcantara. The decisive turning point occurred in 1872. Encouraged by Father Rinonapoli and invited by Msgr. Raffaele Ammirante, Bishop of Nocera de' Pagani, Emilia settled on July 13, 1872, with three companions in the village of Casolla (Nocera Inferiore) to found a work dedicated to the reception, education, and assistance of young orphans. This date marks the foundation of her religious family. The sisters opened a school there, taught catechism to adults (notably to women and prostitutes in the region), and trained the orphans in sewing work. In 1874, Msgr. Ammirante approved the first rules of the community, drafted by Emilia under the direction of Father Rinonapoli and revised by the Jesuit Emanuele Pasqua. The religious received the habit and first took the name of "Hermits of La Salette" (or "Hermits of the Addolorata"). In 1876, Emilia made her religious profession under the name of Sister Maria Consiglio dello Spirito Santo (Mary Counsel of the Holy Spirit). On October 25, 1880, the institute was officially aggregated to the Order of the Servants of Mary (Servi di Maria). In 1883, the community, having become too cramped in Casolla, moved with the orphans to the district of Portaromana in Nocera Superiore, which became the Mother House of the congregation.

Although almost illiterate and having had no formal education, Sister Maria Consiglio dello Spirito Santo possessed a mystical life of exceptional depth. She left behind a voluminous Diario (Spiritual Journal) of more than 800 pages, as well as two spiritual works dictated or written by her: Amore e Croce (1866) and Gesù e il Vangelo, in addition to a rich correspondence. At the end of her life, she was afflicted with cancer of the left breast (carcinoma). She endured long and intense physical suffering with heroic patience, offering her pains for the Church, the salvation of souls, and priestly and religious vocations. She passed away in Naples on January 11, 1900, at the age of 55. Initially buried in the Poggioreale cemetery, her remains were transferred in 1909 to the church of the Addolorata in Naples. On October 28, 1995, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth, her mortal remains were transferred to Portaromana (Nocera Superiore) and placed in a sanctuary adjacent to the chapel of the Mother House.

The process of beatification and canonization was opened in 1902 in the Archdiocese of Naples. The decree on her writings was approved on February 21, 1950, and the legal validity of the diocesan informative process was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on March 12, 2004. The Positio super virtutibus was submitted to Rome in 2012. Following the unanimous and positive opinion of the theological consultants and then of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation, Pope Francis authorized, on April 26, 2016, the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues. On that date, she was officially declared Venerable.

The spirituality of the Venerable Maria Consiglio dello Spirito Santo is centered on the mystery of the Cross and Compassion. Having herself suffered from abandonment and a lack of affection during her childhood, she was able to transform her own wound into a source of unconditional charity for abandoned children. Her life of prayer was deeply Eucharistic and Marian, finding in the contemplation of the Virgin of Sorrows at the foot of the Cross the perfect model of self-giving. Her legacy continues today through the congregation she founded, officially recognized under the name of the Servants of Mary of Sorrows of Nocera (Suore Serve di Maria Addolorata di Nocera), which received definitive pontifical approval in 1951. The sisters continue their mission of education, assistance, and evangelization in Italy (notably in Nocera Superiore, Rome, Naples, and Isernia) as well as internationally, particularly in Indonesia, Mexico, Argentina, and Canada.