Life
Maria Giovanna Fasce was born on December 27,1881, into a bourgeois family in Torriglia, a village in the upper Trebbia Valley in the province of Genoa [3] . She grew up with seven siblings and received a strong Catholic upbringing. this influence was so profound that all her sisters considered religious vocations [4] . However, her family initially opposed tthese aspirations, and only Maria Teresa, perhaps due to her perseverance, succeeded in pursuring a religious life. She was devoted to Saint Rita of Cascia and she specifically wished to join the Augustinian monastery in Cascia, Umbria, where the saint had lived [3] . Despite her family’s wishes for her to join a closer monastery in Savona, Maria Teresa persisted, and went to Cascia. [3]
After finally convincing her family to let her go to Cascia, Maria Teresa was at first rejected by the nuns, who doubted that a young woman from Genoas upper class could adapt to the monastery’s simple, rural life [4] . Nevertheless, she was admitted on June 22, 1906, and took her vows in December 1907 [3] . Life in the monastery was challenging she faced spiritual trials and pressure from several sisters, which led her to temporarily leave in 1910. Returning to her family in Genoa, she resolved to go back in 1911 and managed to overcome the conflicts [1] .
Her leadership was soon recognized as she was named a novice mistress in 1914, vicar of the abbess in 1917, and elected abbess of the monastery in 1920, a post she held until her death in 1947. [4] She organized pilgrimages to Cascia and dedicated herself to building a sanctuary for pilgrims and worshippers [3] . Though construction of the new church (later named to a minor basilica) faced bureaucratic and financial obstacles, it was completed in May 1947 [3] , just four months after Maria Teresa’s death on January 18. Her body now lays in the lower basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia [4] .
Religious vocation
Fasce entered the Augustinian monastery in Cascia in 1906, adopting the name Maria Teresa. She made her final profession of vows in 1912 [3] . Her strong devotion to Saint Rita and her administrative skills quickly made her a key figure in the community.
She held various roles before, eventually becoming prioress and later abbess, positions through which she oversaw significant reforms and restoration projects. Her leadership was focused on simplicity, charity, and spiritual renewal. [3]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
