Saint’s Life Story

His Early Life 

On Saint Valentine‘s Day, Anna Maria was born in 1844 to Giovanni Rubatto and Catarina Pavesioa in a working-class family in Carmagnola, a northern Italian town situated 18 miles south of Turin. She was one of eight children and she lost her father at the age of four. She received a marriage offer while a teenager but turned the offer and remained true all her life to a personal vow of virginity made as a child. 

Moved as an Orphan

When her mother died in 1863, the newly orphaned Maria moved to Turin to stay with an older sister. There she entered the service of a local noblewoman, Marianna Scoffone, as a lady-in-waiting. The older woman took a great liking to Maria. She treated her like a daughter and enabled her to spend her days in charitable works: conducting catechism classes for the local children and visiting the sick and the poor. When Marianna Scoffone died in 1882, Anna Maria returned to her sister. But then, the following year, an event took place which changed the trajectory of her life.

Stone Fell 

Maria had gone to Loano, Italy where she spent some time every day praying in the Capuchin church. One day, on leaving the church, as she was passing by the construction site for a new convent, a stone fell, hitting one of the workmen on the head. Anna Maria, with her years of experience, tended to the man’s wound and gave him some money – two days’ pay – so he could take time to recover.

Maria Francesca di Gesù

Her act of charity did not go unnoticed. It so happened that the women who were to occupy the convent were looking for a spiritual leader, and now they felt that God had given them a sign. The sisters took it as a sign that Rubatto was the person the sisters needed.  So, in 1885, she took the name Maria Francesca di Gesù.

Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto

On the orders of Bishop Filippo Allegro, she became the superior of the group that is known as the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto.  Although she had been chosen initially for her show of spirituality in action, no doubt her experience of managing Marianna Scoffone’s estate over several years had given her the administrative capabilities and financial know-how so vital to the successful running of a worldwide religious community. 

Many Atlantic Crossings Starting Many Houses

Soon the community expanded beyond the bounds of Loano to other parts of northern Italy. Then, in 1892, Mother Rubatto sailed for Montevideo in Uruguay, one of seven trips, providing zealous support for her sisters on two sides of the Atlantic. In her nearly 20 years as superior, she established 18 houses in Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil. On another Atlantic crossing, Maria was asked to begin a mission in the rain forest with Capuchin friars from Italy. Maria and her sisters stayed at the mission for 3 months. In addition, the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto now also serve in Peru, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

In 1904, during one of her visits to Uruguay, Mother Rubatto fell ill. She died of cancer on August 6 and was buried among the poor, as she had requested. She was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1993 and considered the first blessed of Uruguay.

Born:                   February 14, 1844 in Carmagnola, Italy

Died:                   August 6, 1904 age 59 in Montevideo, Uruguay

Beatified:           October 10, 1993 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized:        May 15, 2022 by Pope Francis

Feast Day:          August 6

Patron Saint:    Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto; Uruguay

Source:

• Mother Maria Francesca Rubatto: Uruguay’s first canonized saint | Salt + Light Media (slmedia.org)
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints: Bunson, Matthew, Bunson, Margaret, Bunson, Stephen
• Anna Maria Rubatto – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

  The Ministering Angel of Uruguay Blessed Maria Francesca di Gesù (1844 – 1904) ​- YouTube (Shalom World)