Tecla Relucenti

The life of Tecla Relucenti is intimately linked to that of the Venerable Francesco Antonio Marcucci (1717-1798), future bishop and founder of the Congregation of the Pious Workers of the Immaculate Conception. Their respective families owned neighboring country residences in Ancarano, which facilitated their meeting. Although Tecla was thirteen years his senior, a deep spiritual friendship developed between them.

In 1737, while Francesco Antonio Marcucci, only 20 years old, was preparing to preach his first mission in Appignano, Tecla initially expressed reservations regarding his youth, but nevertheless agreed to let him don the missionary habit in her own home. Upon his return, it was also at her home that he came to lay aside his mission garments.

When Marcucci received the divine inspiration to found a new female congregation dedicated to the education of young girls, he immediately sought Tecla's collaboration. She was initially reluctant and firmly opposed the project, judging it too bold for the time. However, after a year and a half of spiritual discernment, she felt inspired to place herself under the spiritual direction of the young Marcucci, then a deacon.

On December 8, 1744, on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Congregation of the Pious Workers of the Immaculate Conception (commonly called the Conceptionist Sisters of Ascoli) was officially founded in Ascoli Piceno. Tecla and several other young women donned the white and blue religious habit, inspired by the Immaculate Conception. Appointed superior for life by Msgr. Marcucci, Mother Tecla assumed this role with a great sense of organization, balance, and wisdom.

Under her leadership, the congregation launched its first educational works. In 1745, she opened the first free school for girls in Ascoli Piceno, intended primarily for the poorest young girls. She also established a Sunday catechism for the women and young girls of the city, a mission entrusted to her on March 14, 1745. Convinced that instruction is an essential vector of emancipation and spiritual growth, she oversaw the intellectual and cultural formation of her sisters and students.

Mother Tecla Relucenti passed away on July 11, 1769, in Ascoli Piceno, assisted by Msgr. Marcucci and mourned by her community.

The reputation of holiness of Mother Tecla Relucenti has been maintained throughout the centuries, particularly within her congregation and in the Diocese of Ascoli Piceno. On July 11, 2020, on the occasion of the 251st anniversary of her death, Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole, Bishop of Ascoli Piceno, officially opened the diocesan inquiry into her life, virtues, reputation of holiness, and the signs of her intercession. The diocesan tribunal was then established under the direction of the postulator of the cause, Sister Maria Paola Giobbi, Superior General of the congregation. The diocesan phase of the inquiry was successfully concluded in 2021.

After the examination of the documents by historical and theological consultants, and the subsequent favorable vote of the cardinals and bishops of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the cause reached a decisive stage.

On January 22, 2026, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

On March 14, 2026, a solemn mass of thanksgiving was celebrated in the Cathedral of Ascoli Piceno to celebrate this recognition. Presided over by Bishop Mgr Gianpiero Palmieri, in the presence of numerous civil and religious authorities, this celebration allowed the local community to pay tribute to this historical figure of charity and education.

The spirituality of the Venerable Tecla Relucenti rests on a solid faith, a deep devotion to the Immaculate Virgin, and a fervent love for the Eucharist. Her hidden yet active life bears witness to a docile obedience to the designs of God and a constant humility in service.

Her legacy is perpetuated today through the educational and spiritual action of the Pious Workers of the Immaculate Conception (Conceptionist Sisters) in Italy and throughout the world. Several educational institutions bear her name, notably in Rome and Ascoli Piceno, perpetuating her vision of education as a means of human and Christian advancement. Furthermore, the national lay group "Amici del Marcucci e di Madre Tecla" draws inspiration from her spirituality to live the Gospel in daily life.