If Saint Rita of Cascia is known throughout the world today, it is thanks to her, Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce, who loved Saint Rita dearly.
A woman of strong and tenacious character, a contemplative soul longing for silence and solitude, a practical and farsighted person, capable of accomplishing extraordinary works. This is Maria Teresa Fasce, an Augustinian nun and abbess who changed the face of Cascia.
Born in Torriglia (GE) on December 27, 1881, she encountered the figure of Saint Rita of Cascia at the age of 19. In fact, she attended a parish in Genoa run by Augustinian fathers, who made great efforts to spread knowledge of Saint Rita’s life on the occasion of her canonization in 1900. This encounter with the Saint of Cascia made a profound impression on Marietta, as she was affectionately called, to the point of shaping her entire future life: already nurturing within her the desire to become a nun, she chose Saint Rita as her model of life. She allowed her vocation to mature and, in 1906, entered the Augustinian monastery of Cascia.
From 1920 until her death in 1947, she served as abbess, carrying out her ministry with great love and wisdom, but also with a strong practical sense and pragmatism. Under her guidance, the monastery became a model of cloistered life and, thanks to her efforts, the fame of Saint Rita crossed the borders of Umbria and spread throughout the world.
Blessed Maria Teresa Fasce’s fame is closely linked to the works carried out in Cascia: if we can see Cascia as it is today, it is mainly thanks to her tireless work.
Although she had a contemplative soul and longed for silence and solitude, she carried out an impressive series of works that changed the face of the city.
First and foremost, the Basilica, followed by the Santa Rita Beehive, a project providing shelter for minors from families facing economic and social hardship. We should also mention the Pilgrim’s House (now the Hotel delle Rose), the Seminary of Saint Augustine (now a hospital), the House for Confessors, and the widening of the avenue leading to the Sanctuary.
Maria Teresa is not a saint because of all these works, however; we can say that the opposite is true: all these practical achievements are nothing other than the fruits of her holy life, lived by following the Gospel scrupulously and living in perfect harmony with God and others: “The soul has only one duty before God: its sanctification. And this depends on the perfect fulfillment of His most holy will,” she used to say.
Let us learn to know Blessed Fasce, to pray to her, and to love her; we will always find a listening ear and a warm welcome!
