Costanza Ricci Curbastro

On October 17, 1888, Costanza Ricci Curbastro co-founded with the Venerable Marco Morelli the congregation of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony (Ancelle del Sacro Cuore di Gesù Agonizzante), settling in a house on Via Garibaldi in Lugo. She took her religious vows on April 8, 1892, under the name Sister Margherita (Margaret).

The institute has a dual objective: 1. The contemplative and reparatory dimension: to console the Heart of Jesus in His agonies, in the image of the angel in the Garden of Olives, and to offer prayers of reparation for the offenses of sinners. 2. The active and social dimension: to welcome, instruct, and educate poor and abandoned young girls of the people, in order to safeguard their dignity and promote their social advancement through the learning of a trade (sewing, embroidery, etc.).

Elected the first superior of the community (primary superior), Mother Margherita led the institute with humility and devotion. In 1903, the work expanded with the creation of the "Little Work of the Daughters of Providence" (Piccola Opera delle Figlie della Provvidenza), intended for the reception of orphans. After the death of Father Morelli in 1912, she assumed sole direction of the congregation, ensuring its expansion (notably in Florence in 1902-1905) and fidelity to the original charism. She passed away on January 7, 1923, in Lugo.

After her death in the odor of sanctity, her reputation for virtue continued to grow. On September 16, 1939, her remains were transferred alongside those of the co-founder, Father Marco Morelli, in the institute's church in Lugo.

The cause for beatification was officially opened in the Diocese of Imola. On July 14, 1988, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the nihil obstat decree. The diocesan inquiry was subsequently validated in Rome on May 31, 1995.

On April 14, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her to be proclaimed Blessed, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required by the Church.

The spirituality of the Venerable Margherita Ricci Curbastro rests entirely on the mystery of reparation and compassion toward the agonizing Heart of Jesus. She conceived her life as an offering of love, offering herself for the salvation of sinners. Her spiritual legacy is summarized in her testament written on February 1, 1922: "I recommend once again charity, charity, charity for all."

Today, the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of the Agonizing Jesus continue their mission of education and social assistance in Italy, as well as internationally (notably in Brazil, the Philippines, Colombia, Indonesia, Benin, and Togo), managing schools, shelters for women in difficulty, and clinics.