Tommaso Reggio

The major work of Tommaso Reggio is the foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Martha (Suore di Santa Marta), which he established in Ventimiglia on October 15, 1878. Initially conceived to meet the immediate needs of the diocesan seminary, the congregation quickly expanded its scope under the impetus of its founder to embrace all the needs of evangelization and charity. Tommaso Reggio gave his religious sisters the model of Saint Martha of Bethany, calling them to devote themselves to the "humble work of the hands" to welcome and serve Jesus Christ in the person of the poor and the suffering. He personally oversaw their spiritual formation, which he based on Eucharistic adoration. The Sisters of Saint Martha quickly distinguished themselves by their dedication in the field: - In 1884, they became nurses to care for the sick during the cholera epidemic. - In 1887, after the terrible earthquake that devastated Liguria, they collaborated actively with the bishop to assist the victims and take care of orphans at the San Secondo orphanage, founded by Msgr. Reggio in Ventimiglia. Beyond the foundation of this institute, the work of Tommaso Reggio was characterized by a deep social fiber. In Genoa, he collaborated with Msgr. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini to organize assistance for the many Italian emigrants passing through the city's port. Sensitive to the living conditions of the working classes, he encouraged the creation of Catholic workers' mutual aid societies and supported then-innovative reforms, such as the limitation of daily working hours and the observance of Sunday rest.

The cause for the beatification of Tommaso Reggio was officially introduced in the Diocese of Genoa in 1983, following the granting of the nihil obstat by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 26, 1983. The diocesan inquiry took place from 1983 to 1984. After the examination of the Positio by historical and theological consultants, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues on December 18, 1997, thereby proclaiming him Venerable.

To pave the way for his beatification, a miracle occurring through his intercession was required. The case selected was the extraordinary healing of Paula Valdenegro Romero, a six-year-old Chilean girl, which occurred in Valparaíso (Chile) in November 1985. Suffering from a severe form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (ascending polyradiculoneuritis with paralysis and infectious pulmonary complications), the girl had suffered two cardiac arrests and was in a state of apparent clinical death (not breathing for more than ten minutes). Faced with the helplessness of the doctors, her mother and the Sisters of Saint Martha of Valparaíso fervently invoked the intercession of Tommaso Reggio. The girl recovered in a sudden, complete, and lasting manner, without any neurological sequelae.

The diocesan inquiry into this healing took place in Valparaíso in 1995-1996. On January 29, 1998, the Medical Board of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints unanimously recognized that this healing was scientifically inexplicable. The commission of theologians confirmed the causal link with the intercession of the Venerable on May 5, 1998. The official decree recognizing the miracle was signed by Pope John Paul II on December 21, 1998.

Tommaso Reggio was solemnly proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000. He was beatified during the same ceremony as Popes Pius IX and John XXIII, Father William Joseph Chaminade, and Dom Columba Marmion. His liturgical memorial is set for November 22, the anniversary of his birth into heaven (dies natalis).

The spirituality of Tommaso Reggio is based on an intimate union with God, lived out in daily action and the absolute acceptance of the divine will. Upon his priestly ordination in 1841, he formulated his life's resolution: "I want to become a saint at any cost, organizing my life around two sure pivots: prayer and asceticism."

His spiritual life was nourished by three great devotions that he transmitted to his spiritual daughters: the Eucharist, the Passion of the Lord, and the Most Holy Virgin Mary. He conceived of charity not as mere philanthropy, but as the extension of contemplation. For him, charitable action had to be prompt and joyful: "Charity has wings on its feet," he liked to repeat to exhort the sisters to fly to the aid of the most destitute.

On his deathbed in Triora, when asked if he desired anything, he uttered his final words which summarize his entire existence: "God, God, God alone suffices for me" ("Dio, Dio, solo Dio mi basta").

The legacy of Tommaso Reggio is alive today through the congregation of the Sisters of Saint Martha. Originally present in Liguria, the religious sisters have extended their mission of education, social assistance, and healthcare throughout the world, establishing themselves successively in Chile (1948), Lebanon (1966), Argentina (1972), Brazil (1986), India (1986), and Mexico (2008).