Caterina Volpicelli

The central work of Caterina Volpicelli was the foundation, on July 1, 1874, in Naples, of the Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart (Ancelle del Sacro Cuore), which began as a pious union before becoming a religious congregation. The goal she assigned to her sisters was to "revive the love for Jesus Christ in hearts, in families, and in society," through the propagation of devotion to the Sacred Heart, Eucharistic adoration, and the apostolate of prayer. The institute received the approval of the Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Sisto Riario Sforza, and subsequently a Decree of Praise from Pope Leo XIII on June 13, 1890. In service to the poor, Caterina developed concrete charitable works: an orphanage known as the Margheritine, a lending library, the Association of the Daughters of Mary, as well as assistance to the sick, notably during the cholera epidemic that struck Naples in 1884. During the lifetime of the foundress, the congregation spread to several houses in Naples and its region, as well as in Rome.

The spirituality of Caterina Volpicelli was entirely centered on the Heart of Christ, which she sought to make the driving force of Christian life in souls, families, and society. The Eucharist held a central place in her interior life, nourished by adoration and by the spirit of the Apostleship of Prayer, of which she was a promoter. Her charity was exercised toward the marginalized and the sick, manifesting an apostolic generosity sustained by a constant fidelity to the Church. Marked by physical suffering throughout her existence, she lived her health trials in a spirit of offering. The reputation of holiness that surrounded her person and her work led the Church to examine her virtues: on March 25, 1945, Pope Pius XII declared her venerable, recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Caterina Volpicelli was introduced to the Congregation of Rites on January 11, 1911. On March 25, 1945, Pius XII proclaimed the heroic nature of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of venerable. After the recognition of a first miracle, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 29, 2001, in Saint Peter's Square. For her canonization, the Church recognized as miraculous the healing of Teresa Ruggiero, an octogenarian from Meta di Sorrento suffering from type 2 diabetes: in 2002, a necrotic ulcer on her heel, which was deemed to require amputation, disappeared in an unexplained manner after she invoked the blessed. On December 6, 2008, Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing this miracle. Caterina Volpicelli was canonized in Rome, in Saint Peter's Square, on April 26, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI, during the same celebration as several other saints. Her liturgical feast is set for December 28, the day of her birth into heaven.

The legacy of Caterina Volpicelli remains alive through the congregation she founded, today known as the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Saint Caterina Volpicelli (Ancelle del Sacro Cuore di Santa Caterina Volpicelli). Faithful to the charism of their founder, the sisters continue the propagation of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the education of youth, and various charitable works. The spiritual center of the institute is located in Naples, where the sanctuary of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart is attached, a place of memory and worship surrounding the saint. Her canonization in 2009 strengthened her influence, making her a prominent figure of 19th-century Neapolitan holiness, a witness to the love of the Heart of Christ in service to families and the poor.