Maria Laura Baraggia

The major work of Maria Laura Baraggia is the foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Suore della Famiglia del Sacro Cuore di Gesù). Initially born within the spirituality of the Ursulines, the community took an autonomous direction to respond to the specific pastoral needs of the Lombardy countryside at the end of the 19th century. On January 4, 1883, Msgr. Luigi Nazari di Calabiana, Archbishop of Milan, approved the first constitutions of the house of Sulbiate, placed under the title of the Heart of Jesus. On February 2, 1887, the same archbishop signed the decree granting the institute its official name and its complete autonomy from the Ursulines. It was also by this decree that he authorized the foundress to add the name "Maria" to her baptismal name. The charism of the institute is based on a humble and active pastoral presence in the heart of parishes, alongside priests. The sisters are mainly dedicated to: - Teaching and Christian education of young girls (catechism, youth centers, and oratories). - Care of the sick and assistance to the poor in rural areas. - A life of intense prayer uniting contemplation, Eucharistic adoration, and reparatory love. The institute received the decree of praise from the Holy See on September 28, 1894, and its constitutions were definitively approved on February 27, 1923, a few months before the death of the foundress. The congregation subsequently developed in Lombardy, then in southern Italy starting in 1933. It founded its first house abroad in Switzerland in 1962, before opening up to international missions, notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Maria Laura Baraggia was introduced in the Archdiocese of Milan. Diocesan inquiry: It took place from June 18, 1992, to July 5, 1993, under the direction of the Milanese ecclesiastical curia. During this phase, 34 witnesses were heard and numerous documents were collected. Decree of validity: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints recognized the legal validity of the diocesan inquiry by a decree dated December 9, 1994. Examination of the Positio: The file was submitted for examination by theological consultants on December 12, 2013, who highlighted the solidity of her spiritual journey directed toward holiness since her youth.

On April 26, 2016, Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During this audience, the Sovereign Pontiff authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing that the Servant of God Maria Laura Baraggia had heroically exercised the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude). By this decree, Maria Laura Baraggia is officially declared Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession by the Holy See is required.

The spirituality of the Venerable Maria Laura Baraggia is deeply Eucharistic and reparatory. Her entire life was guided by the exclusive search for the divine will, summarized in her youthful motto: 'In all things God alone.' Her primary devotions were directed toward the tabernacle, the crucifix, the rosary, as well as the Sacred Heart, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Her spiritual legacy lies in a model of consecrated life inserted directly into the midst of the people, without intellectual pretension or elite perspective, but characterized by humble, discreet service close to the weakest. Today, the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus perpetuate this charism of charity and pastoral presence among parish populations and the sick in Italy and Africa.