Antonietta Giugliano

At the age of sixteen, Antonietta felt the call to religious life, despite the opposition of her wealthy family who wished for an advantageous marriage for her. To structure her spiritual life, she drafted a demanding "Rule of Christian Life" (Regolamento di vita cristiana) comprising 32 points, punctuating her days with prayers, meditations, and works of charity. Her confidante was her sister-in-law, Raffaelina Tuccillo.

Initially drawn to the missions, she consulted a cousin who was a priest, who advised her to contact Father Sosio Del Prete, a Franciscan priest (OFM) and vicar of the Saint Anthony of Padua convent in Afragola. From their meeting, a deep spiritual and charitable collaboration was born.

Together, they decided to found a religious institute to help abandoned elderly people, orphans, and the sick. On June 6, 1932, Father Sosio launched the pious association of the "Little Handmaids of Christ the King" (Piccole Ancelle di Cristo Re, also referred to as "Poor Handmaids of Christ the King" in certain Vatican decrees). Thanks to the inheritance from her father who died in 1930, Antonietta purchased a building adjacent to the Franciscan convent of Afragola, which became the motherhouse and the first hospice for elderly women living alone.

On October 20, 1935, she received the religious habit from the hands of Cardinal Alessio Ascalesi, Archbishop of Naples, and took the name Sister Antonietta of Jesus. She adopted the Rule of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis. She led the institute with wisdom and courage, facing numerous difficulties, deprivations, and slanders. Under her leadership, the institute developed rapidly in Campania, opening schools for poor children and assistance centers for the elderly. After the death of Father Sosio, she continued the work by also developing vocational training centers for young people.

Sister Antonietta of Jesus dedicated her entire life to the service of the most destitute, living in great personal poverty and deep union with God. In the spring of 1960, her health declined rapidly following a cancer diagnosis. She accepted the illness with heroic resignation, offering herself to the divine will. She died in Portici (Naples) on June 8, 1960. Her funeral was celebrated on June 10, 1960, at the Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua in Afragola. On June 4, 1993, her remains were transferred to the chapel of the Motherhouse in Afragola, where she rests alongside the co-founder, Father Sosio Del Prete.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Antonietta Giugliano was introduced in the Archdiocese of Naples. On July 3, 2006, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints granted the nihil obstat decree. The diocesan inquiry into her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness was solemnly opened on December 1, 2006, and closed on December 11, 2010, by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe. On December 21, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of Antonietta Giugliano is deeply Christocentric and Franciscan. She centered her life on the contemplation of the Passion of Jesus and on the Eucharistic presence, finding in the service of the poor and the elderly the face of Christ the King. Her legacy continues through the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King, which today pursues its charitable and educational mission in Italy (notably in Campania, Rome, and Assisi) as well as in mission countries such as Romania, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India.