Teresa Lanfranco

Upon entering the community, Annunziata became the most faithful collaborator, disciple, and confidante of the foundress, Elisa Martinez. In 1938, the community moved to Miggiano and took the name Pia Unione delle Suore dell'Immacolata (Pious Union of the Sisters of the Immaculate). On March 20, 1938, during her taking of the habit, Annunziata received the religious name of Sister Teresa, in homage to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, for whom she nurtured a great devotion.

On August 15, 1941, the Bishop of Ugento, Msgr. Giuseppe Ruotolo, established the community as an institute of diocesan right under the name Figlie di Santa Maria di Leuca (Daughters of Saint Mary of Leuca), in homage to the famous Marian sanctuary of the region. In 1943, the institute obtained the decree of erection of pontifical right.

During the Second World War, while the foundress traveled to northern Italy to found new houses, Sister Teresa, only 21 years old, was entrusted with the direction of the small group remaining in Miggiano as mistress of novices and vicar. At the end of the war, Elisa Martinez found with astonishment and joy a community increased in number and perfectly structured thanks to the dedication of her faithful vicar.

In 1946, Sister Teresa moved with the novitiate to Rome, first to Viale Gorizia, then in 1958 to Prima Porta, which became the definitive seat of the generalate house. Within the congregation, she successively assumed the roles of vicar general, bursar general, and mistress of novices. She played a crucial role of mediation and pacification during the serious internal crises that shook the institute between 1949 and 1953 (notably with sisters who left for the United States) and then in 1965.

In 1987, when Blessed Elisa Martinez had to abandon her position as superior general for health reasons, Sister Teresa was designated to succeed her. Out of humility and a desire to remain in the shadows, she refused this position, preferring to remain vicar general in the service of the newly elected superior.

Sister Teresa's life was marked by a profound union with God, but also by physical suffering. At the age of 36, she was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (diabete mellito), which caused her serious cardiac and visual complications. She endured these trials in heroic silence, never complaining, offering herself entirely for the Church, the sanctification of priests and sisters, and the expansion of her institute.

She passed away piously in Rome on June 8, 1989, surrounded by her community, after receiving the last sacraments. Her reputation for holiness has continued to grow since her death. On August 2, 2017, her remains were transferred to the chapel of the Generalate of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Leuca in Rome (Via Tiberina), where she now rests alongside the foundress, Blessed Elisa Martinez.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Sister Teresa Lanfranco was officially opened in the Diocese of Ugento-Santa Maria di Leuca on July 14, 2018. The diocesan inquiry was solemnly closed on July 20, 2019. The Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Causes of Saints legally validated the inquiry on December 6, 2019. After the examination of the Positio, the theological consultors rendered a favorable opinion on March 21, 2023, followed by the cardinals and bishops on April 9, 2024. On April 13, 2024, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her theological and cardinal virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of the Venerable Teresa Lanfranco is deeply rooted in humility, the hidden life, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. She devoted herself particularly to the Virgin Mary, through the incessant recitation of the rosary, which she described as "her entire strength," as well as to Saint Joseph, whom she considered the guardian of Providence. Inspirée by the "little way" of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, she strove to live charity in the smallest actions of daily life. Her legacy lies in her example of absolute faithfulness to the Church and to her foundress, as well as in her role as a spiritual pillar for the congregation of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Leuca, which continues her charitable work today among single mothers, abandoned children, and the marginalized throughout the world.