Giuseppina Operti

On July 24, 1893 (with the official inauguration taking place on July 6, 1894), Giuseppina founded the Institute of the Carmelites (known as the Saint Joseph Institute) in Marene, in the family palace adapted for this purpose, intended for the education and assistance of poor young girls. The Archbishop of Turin, Msgr. Davide Riccardi, approved the first constitutions drafted by the founder and named her "prioress for life." On March 16, 1895, Giuseppina donned the Carmelite habit and took the religious name of Sister Mary of the Angels (suor Maria degli Angeli). Her mother followed her on this path and took the name Sister Maria Giuseppina di S. Teresa. Three days later, on March 19, 1895, thanks to a special dispensation from the archbishop, they pronounced their perpetual vows together. On October 6, 1897, at the request of the founder, the congregation was officially aggregated to the Order of Discalced Carmelites. After her mother's death in 1905, Sister Mary of the Angels attempted to realize her deep aspiration for a purely contemplative life by entering the Carmelite monastery of Moncalieri. However, being seriously ill, she had to return to her original community after less than six months. Noting that several of her sisters also aspired to the cloister, she was re-elected superior general on May 21, 1907, and began a process of reorganizing the institute. She decided to divide it into two distinct and independent branches: one of active life (the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Teresa of Turin) and the other of contemplative life (cloistered). In 1909, while visiting the various communities, she was struck on March 4 by a severe attack of angina pectoris. Believing herself to be at the point of death, she received extreme unction and entrusted her spiritual testament to Father Giuseppe Giacobbe. Once recovered, she carried out the separation of the two branches. In August 1909, the sisters who had chosen the active life moved to the new house in Turin, while Sister Mary of the Angels remained in Marene with the contemplative nuns. On September 14, 1913, she made her religious profession in the contemplative life. Elected prioress on April 21, 1917, she obtained official recognition of the papal cloister according to the rule of Saint Teresa on March 16, 1920. In 1932, in order to offer a more suitable place for the contemplative community, she acquired land in Cascine Vica (Rivoli) with the help of the prioress Madre Geltrude Pia di Santa Teresa and the provincial, Father Elia di S. Ambrogio. The transfer of the monastery was approved by the archbishop, Msgr. Fossati, and took place in 1934.

Sister Mary of the Angels spent the final years of her life at the monastery of Cascine Vica, dedicating herself to prayer, writing the memoirs of the foundation, and manual labor. During the Second World War, she carried out a true ministry of consolation for those suffering from the conflict. Gravely ill with bronchopneumonia, she passed away holily on October 7, 1949, in Cascine Vica (Rivoli). Her mortal remains were transferred on September 17, 1995, to the parish church of Marene, where they now rest in the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The cause for the beatification of Sister Mary of the Angels began after obtaining the nihil obstat from the Roman Curia on November 17, 1990. The diocesan inquiry was officially opened in the Diocese of Turin on January 21, 1991, and concluded on October 6, 1995. The legal validity of this inquiry was recognized by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 8, 1996. On June 16, 2017, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of the Venerable Mary of the Angels is deeply Eucharistic and Carmelite. She lived in a constant search for the will of God, uniting an intense life of contemplation with an active and maternal charity towards the most destitute. Her love for Jesus in the Eucharist was the driving force behind all her actions. Her legacy continues today through: 1. The Carmelite Sisters of Saint Teresa of Turin (active branch), who received the decree of praise from the Holy See on June 17, 1941, and the definitive approval of their constitutions on June 17, 1941. They adopted their current name on March 14, 1970. 2. The contemplative branch of the Cascine Vica monastery, faithful to the papal enclosure and the rule of Saint Teresa of Avila.