Maria Elisa Andreoli

On July 12, 1900, in Vidor, Elisa Andreoli, her mother, and two companions made their profession in the Secular Third Order of the Servants of Mary, founding the Congregation of the Servants of Mary Reparators. Under her leadership, the community dedicated itself to the education of poor children and the assistance of the sick. The institute established itself in Adria, then in Rovigo. In 1911, the meeting with Maria Inglese integrated the "Work of Marian Reparation" into their identity. The congregation developed rapidly, sending its first missionaries to the Amazon (Brazil) in 1921, and received the pontifical decree of praise in 1931.

Mother Maria Elisa Andreoli governed her congregation with wisdom and charity. Afflicted with hemorrhagic nephritis, she endured the illness with patience and serenity, offering her sufferings for the Church. She passed away on December 1, 1935, in Rovigo. Her reputation for holiness led to the opening of an informative diocesan process in Rovigo between 1965 and 1971, which was validated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1987.

Following the examination of the Positio, Pope Benedict XVI authorized on December 10, 2010, the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God, conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Her mortal remains, initially deposited in Adria, were transferred on September 18, 2015, to the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine Addolorata in Rovigo.

The spirituality of Maria Elisa Andreoli is based on the love of God, devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and Marian reparation through service to the destitute. Her spiritual program was summarized as follows: "Path to heaven! God alone as witness, Jesus Christ as model, the Most Holy Virgin Mary for help; and then nothing! Nothing other than love and sacrifice!" Today, her sisters continue her mission in Europe, Africa, and Latin America.