Libera Italia Maria Inglese

In February 1899, during a deep meditation, Maria Inglese clearly perceived her vocation: to propagate "Marian reparation" to console the Sorrowful Heart of the Virgin Mary in the face of the offenses of men. She then founded the "Pia Opera Riparatrice" (Pious Reparatory Work, today known as the "Beata Vergine Addolorata" Association) and published a devotional booklet entitled Quanto è buona Maria! (How good Mary is!). In 1904, she met Pope Saint Pius X, who encouraged her initiative and granted an indulgence for the practice of Marian reparation communion.

After the death of her mother in 1911, Maria wished to fully dedicate her life to this work within a religious structure. On the advice of Bishop Mgr. Pio Tommaso Boggiani, she turned to the congregation of the Servite Sisters of Mary of Adria, founded by the Venerable Maria Elisa Andreoli, whose charism is centered on the contemplation of Mary at the foot of the Cross.

On December 29, 1911, Maria Inglese entered the institute as a postulant. She received the religious habit on May 24, 1912, taking the name Sister Maria Dolores of the Reparation (suor Maria Dolores della Riparazione), and made her first profession on May 26, 1913.

Under her impetus, the reparatory devotion was fully integrated into the spirituality of the congregation. On December 8, 1913, Mgr. Luigi Pelizzo, Bishop of Padua and Apostolic Administrator of Adria, officially approved the new constitutions and the change of name of the institute, which became the congregation of the Servants of Mary Reparators (Suore Serve di Maria Riparatrici).

Appointed prioress of the house of Rovigo in 1913, Sister Maria Dolores founded the periodical La Paginetta della Riparazione (today Riparazione Mariana) in 1916 to spread this message. In 1920, during the first general chapter of the congregation, she was elected vicar general. She actively supported the development of the institute, notably the sending of the first missionary sisters to Brazil in 1921, maintaining regular spiritual correspondence with them.

Sister Maria Dolores of the Reparation passed away piously on December 29, 1928, in Rovigo, surrounded by a solid reputation for holiness. On April 19, 1956, her mortal remains were solemnly transferred to the sanctuary of the Beata Vergine Addolorata in Rovigo, where they still rest. The cause for beatification was officially opened in the diocese of Adria-Rovigo on April 12, 1956, with the beginning of the diocesan informative process. This process concluded on February 2, 1965. After the examination of the writings of the Servant of God, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated the diocesan process on February 28, 1987. The Positio, a summary document on her life and virtues, was published in 2002 to be submitted for examination by the Roman Curia.

On April 2, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the virtues of Sister Maria Dolores Inglese, thus attributing to her the title of Venerable. The cause for her beatification is currently underway, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession.

The spirituality of the Venerable Maria Dolores Inglese is based on the contemplation of the Virgin Mary associated with the sufferings of Christ at the foot of the Cross. For her, Marian reparation is not only a devotional practice, but an active participation in the redemptive work of Jesus by offering prayers, sacrifices, and acts of charity to make reparation for the offenses committed against God and the Virgin.

Her spiritual legacy continues today through: * The Congregation of the Servants of Mary Reparator, which continues its mission of education, social assistance, and pastoral care in several countries, notably in Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Portugal, Albania, and Ivory Coast. * The "Beata Vergine Addolorata" Association (formerly Pia Opera Riparatrice), which brings together laypeople wishing to live this charism of reparation in the world. * The journal Riparazione Mariana, which continues to be published regularly to disseminate Marian theology and spirituality.