Maria Matilde Bucchi

Desirous of dedicating her life to God, Maria Matilde Bucchi initially considered entering the monastery of her friend Ancilla Ghezzi. However, the latter prophetically indicated to her that God had other plans for her and that she was called to found a work dedicated to teaching and education. In 1852, Maria Matilde agreed to collaborate with the Daughters of Charity (Canossians) in Monza to care for poor young girls. Soon, other companions joined her, forming a small community. The Canossians attempted to give this group a legal structure in the form of a Canossian Third Order. However, this configuration was not approved by the ecclesiastical authorities, as the canon law of the time did not admit the existence of an autonomous congregation within another. Faced with this impasse, and thanks to the support of the Barnabite father Giusto Pantalini and the Archbishop of Milan, Msgr. Luigi Nazari di Calabiana, the community separated from the Canossians in 1874. The sisters settled in the former convent of the Humiliati Benedictines in Monza, where they opened a college. On May 17, 1876, Msgr. Calabiana canonically erected the community as an autonomous congregation under the name of the Sisters of the Precious Blood (Suore del Preziosissimo Sangue). The institute is dedicated to the Christian education of youth, the support of the destitute, aid to the sick, and parochial collaboration.

After a life of total dedication to her work and profound union with the suffering Christ, Maria Matilde Bucchi passed away on March 1, 1882, in Monza, at the age of 69. Her reputation for holiness, already well established during her lifetime among the local population and her spiritual daughters, endured after her death. The cause for canonization was officially opened at the diocesan level in Milan on October 29, 1991, by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop of Milan. The diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of the foundress was closed on October 31, 1992. The decree of validity for this inquiry was issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on April 23, 1993.

The Positio on the heroic virtues of Maria Matilde Bucchi was published in Rome at the end of the 1990s. After the favorable examination by the theological consultants (March 4, 2005) and the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (November 8, 2005), Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues on April 28, 2006. Since that date, Maria Matilde Bucchi has been officially declared venerable by the Catholic Church. A diocesan inquiry into an alleged miracle attributed to her intercession was conducted, but the medical commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which met on May 16, 2008, did not validate the scientifically inexplicable nature of the healing presented. The cause is currently awaiting the recognition of a miracle to pave the way for her beatification.

The spirituality of the Venerable Maria Matilde Bucchi is deeply rooted in the Paschal mystery and the contemplation of the Blood of Christ shed on the Cross. For her, the Precious Blood is the supreme sign of God's redeeming love and the infinite dignity of every human being. She exhorted her sisters to combine an intense interior life with tireless charitable action, to suffer setbacks in silence, and to act solely for the glory of God. The institute she founded, recognized by pontifical right on July 10, 1934, continued its development throughout the 20th century. Among its most illustrious members is Blessed Alfonsa Clerici (1860-1930), beatified in 2010. Today, the Sisters of the Precious Blood (commonly called Preziosine) perpetuate the educational and charitable charism of their founder not only in Italy, but also internationally, notably in Brazil, Kenya, Myanmar, and East Timor.