Elena Aiello

After her recovery, Elena Aiello dedicated herself entirely to the work that God inspired in her. In January 1928 (the 17th or 28th depending on the sources), she founded in Cosenza, with her first companion Luigina (or Luigia) Mazza, the Congregation of the Minims of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Suore Minime della Passione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo). The institute is deeply rooted in the spirituality of the Passion of Christ and is also inspired by the charity of Saint Francis of Paola, the patron saint of Calabria, as well as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. The work began in absolute poverty, entirely abandoned to Divine Providence. The main mission of the Minims of the Passion is the service of the poorest, and in particular the reception, education, and care of orphaned or abandoned young girls. Under the leadership of Elena, who became its superior general, the community gradually became structured. Despite material difficulties and trials, the institute developed and received pontifical approval (decree of pontifical right) on January 2, 1948.

The life of Elena Aiello is marked by an intense mystical dimension that began to manifest itself in a spectacular way starting in November 1921. On Good Friday 1923, she received the stigmata of Christ for the first time. From that date until the end of her life, she relived the Passion of Christ every Friday of Lent, and more particularly on Good Friday. During these ecstasies, she suffered from sweating blood (hematidrosis) on her forehead, and painful wounds opened on her hands, feet, side, and chest.

Elena offered herself as a "victim soul" in union with the sufferings of Jesus for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. She also benefited from numerous visions of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Saint Francis of Paola, and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. These mystical phenomena attracted the attention of ecclesiastical authorities and were the subject of rigorous medical and theological investigations, conducted in particular by specialists and envoys of the Holy See. Despite initial suspicions and the humiliations she endured with profound obedience, her reputation for holiness grew among the people, who affectionately called her the "monaca santa" (the holy nun).

Elena Aiello passed away in Rome on June 19, 1961, after having announced her imminent end on several occasions. Her body was subsequently brought back to Calabria to rest in the chapel of the motherhouse of her congregation in Cosenza.

The beatification process officially opened on January 7, 1982, with the obtaining of the Nihil obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry took place in Cosenza from 1982 to 1987. On January 22, 1991, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus proclaiming her Venerable.

The miracle accepted for her beatification was the scientifically inexplicable healing of Francesca Bozzarello, a young woman from Marano Principato. On March 25, 2002, Francesca was the victim of a serious road accident in Cosenza. Extricated from the wreckage of her car, she was hospitalized in a deep coma deemed irreversible, suffering from a head injury with diffuse brain lesions, a chest injury, and a fractured tibia. Faced with the gravity of her condition, her family invoked the intercession of Elena Aiello. On April 23, 2002, the young woman regained consciousness and recovered in a total and sudden manner. The medical commission of the Holy See declared this healing scientifically inexplicable on February 1, 2007.

On April 2, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing this miracle. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on September 14, 2011 (the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) at the Stadio San Vito in Cosenza, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Benedict XVI.

Elena Aiello's spirituality is profoundly Eucharistic and reparatory. During her beatification, Pope Benedict XVI defined her as an "eminently Eucharistic soul," recalling her own words: "The Eucharist is the essential food of my life, the deep breath of my soul." Her entire life was shaped by the love of the suffering Christ and the desire to share in His Passion to alleviate the miseries of the world.

Today, Elena Aiello's legacy endures through the Minims of the Passion, who continue to work among abandoned children, the poor, and the elderly in Italy and throughout the world. Her liturgical memorial is celebrated on June 19, the day of her birth into Heaven.