Isabela de Rosis

On October 24, 1875, at the Villa Albano in Naples, Isabella de Rosis founded the Congregation of the Reparative Sisters of the Sacred Heart (initially called the Poor Reparative Sisters of the Most Holy Heart of Jesus). She began this community life with a companion, Marianna Ramauro, under the approval of the Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Sisto Riario Sforza. The institute was primarily dedicated to reparative Eucharistic adoration, the Christian education of youth, and the care of orphans and the elderly. In 1884, when a cholera epidemic struck Naples, Isabella contracted the disease. She then made a vow to build a sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Vomero hill in a spirit of reparation. After her recovery, she laid the first stone of this temple on April 28, 1889 (the work would subsequently be entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco). The congregation experienced rapid development, opening several houses in Italy, notably in Rossano in 1899. On July 12, 1906, the institute received the decree of praise (Decretum laudis) from the Holy See under the pontificate of Pius X. A few weeks later, on August 7, 1906, Mother Isabella and her first companions pronounced their perpetual vows. However, the work was soon crossed by painful trials. In 1909, following internal tensions and the hostility of certain members, the Holy See ordered an apostolic visitation, entrusted to the Redemptorist Father Carmine Cesarano. At the end of this investigation, Mother Isabella was removed from her office as Superior General and isolated from her community. She accepted this dismissal and exclusion with profound humility, living her final years in silence and the offering of herself. She passed away in Naples on August 11, 1911, at the age of 69.

After her death, Mother Isabella de Rosis's reputation for holiness continued to grow. Faced with the fervor of the faithful and the graces attributed to her intercession, Cardinal Alessio Ascalesi, Archbishop of Naples, decided to open her cause for beatification. On July 14, 1937, her mortal remains were solemnly transferred to the chapel of the Motherhouse of the Reparator Sisters of the Sacred Heart, located on Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Naples, where she still rests. The informative diocesan inquiry into her life and virtues was conducted in Naples in several stages between 1939 and 1954. The file was then transmitted to Rome, where the historical trial took place before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 1968 to 1975. The decree of validity for the historical documents was promulgated on May 25, 1993.

On December 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Isabella de Rosis, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. The journey toward her beatification reached a new milestone on January 2, 2026. During a solemn celebration in the Cathedral of Rossano, the Archbishop of Rossano-Cariati, Msgr. Maurizio Aloise, officially established the diocesan tribunal tasked with conducting the canonical investigation into an alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of the venerable founder.

The spirituality of Isabella de Rosis is entirely centered on the mystery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the notion of reparation. Inspired by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, she conceived of her life as that of a "victim of love," offering herself to console the Heart of Christ offended by the ingratitude of men. This reparatory dimension is expressed particularly through Eucharistic adoration and service to the poorest. Today, the Reparatory Sisters of the Sacred Heart perpetuate her charism throughout the world. They are present in Italy, but also in Venezuela, India, and the Philippines. They work primarily in the field of education (notably through schools such as the Isabella De Rosis Public School), assistance to orphans and the elderly, as well as in spiritual accompaniment.