Vincenzina Cusmano

Vincenzina played a fundamental role in the spiritual awakening and vocation of her younger brother, Giacomo Cusmano. She was the first witness to his early charity, recounting how the family had to lock the pantry to prevent the young boy from giving all the provisions to the poor. After Giacomo completed his medical studies and was ordained a priest in 1860, she faithfully accompanied him in his charitable works. In 1867, Father Giacomo founded the association of the Boccone del Povero (the Morsel of the Poor) to feed the destitute of Palermo. Vincenzina herself sewed the first satchels used by her brother to beg for food from door to door. On May 23, 1880, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Father Giacomo officially founded the female branch of his work: the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Poor (Serve dei Poveri). Vincenzina, overcoming her initial hesitations thanks to a spiritual dream shared by her brother, was the first to pronounce her vows. She became the first Superior General of the institute. Under her leadership, the congregation grew rapidly. She actively participated in the founding of new houses throughout Sicily, notably in Monreale and Canicattì. In 1887, she moved to the house of Terre Rosse (Terrerosse) in Palermo, which became the Mother House of the congregation. Vincenzina distinguished herself by her heroic humility and spirit of sacrifice: she often slept on the floor or on straw to give up her bed to the poor and orphans welcomed into their establishments. She assumed the leadership of the order after her brother's death in 1888, maintaining the unity and original spirit of the work until her own death on February 2, 1894, in Palermo.

The reputation for holiness of Vincenzina Cusmano, already vivid during her lifetime, endured after her death. Her mortal remains, initially interred at the Rotoli cemetery, were transferred on April 30, 1996, to the chapel of the Terre Rosse house (today the church of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Palermo), resting alongside those of her brother, Blessed Giacomo Cusmano. The cause for beatification was officially opened at the end of the 1990s. The nihil obstat decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was issued on November 19, 1996, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. The diocesan inquiry into her life and virtues was opened in Palermo by Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi on January 27, 1997, and closed on December 12, 2001. The acts were validated in Rome on May 15, 2003. The Positio was published in 2005.

On May 4, 2017, Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the virtues of Vincenzina Cusmano. By this solemn act, she was declared Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required.

The spirituality of Vincenzina Cusmano is intimately linked to that of her brother and to the charism of the Cusmanian Family: 'boundless charity'. She saw in every poor and suffering person the very face of Jesus Christ, exhorting her sisters to walk in the footsteps of Jesus when they went begging in the city. Her spiritual life was centered on an immense love for Jesus-Eucharist. The tabernacle was the center of her daily prayer, and Eucharistic adoration her greatest joy. Her legacy is perpetuated today through the Sisters Servants of the Poor, who continue their mission of assistance to the most destitute, orphans, and the elderly in Italy and throughout the world (notably in Romania, where the congregation manages educational and social works). Several reception and care facilities bear her name in Palermo, perpetuating her memory as the 'mother of the poor'.