Giuseppa Operti or Maria Angelov ( Italian: Maria degli Angeli , November 16, 1871 , Turin , Italy - October 7, 1949 , Rivoli , Italy ) - servant of God of the Roman Catholic Church , nun , founder of the Congregation Carmelite of St. Theresa (Turin) (it. Suore Carmelitane di Santa Teresa di Torino (ST).
| Maria Angelov | |
|---|---|
 Giuseppe Operti | |
| Date of Birth | November 16, 1871 |
| Place of Birth | Turin , Italy |
| Date of death | October 7, 1949 (aged 77) |
| Place of death | Rivoli , Italy |
| A country | |
| Occupation | nun, founder of the Congregation of Sisters Carmelite of St. Theresa (Turin) (ST) |
Biography
Giuseppa Margarita Operti was born in Turin on November 16, 1871 in the family of the ministerial official Giacomo Operti and Baroness Adelie Sinalia. Giuseppina (as her relatives called her) received her elementary education at home, then continued her studies in church schools in Turin. At age 14, she lost her brother and father, and took care of her mother, their house in Turin and the estate in Maren .
Then Giuseppina made a number of pilgrimages to the sanctuaries in Italy . During one of them, the miraculous image of the Mother of God of Oropia awakened in her the desire for a monastic vocation in the spirit of the Carmelites . In 1887, she entered the third Carmelite order . In July 1893, the confessor of the parish priest Giovanni Battista Rolle suggested that she establish a congregation in which a contemplative life would be combined with apostolic ministry. July 6, 1894 in Maren, she founded the Congregation of Sisters Carmelitok of St. Theresa (Turin) .
Giuseppina was more inclined to shutter in the monastery, but with the blessing of the hierarchy, she remained with her mother. In the leadership of the new congregation, she relied on the advice of the prelate George Gallin , who helped her in drafting the Charter , combining contemplative and apostolic features. This Charter was approved by the Archbishop of Turin, David Riccardi , and soon in Maren, she opened a shelter of St. Joseph and a boarding school for children from poor families.
On March 16, 1895, the founder accepted the vestments of Carmelites and the new name of Mary Angels, and three days later she brought monastic vows and was placed in the abbess of the new congregation. Together with her, she was tonsured by her mother, taking as a monk herself the new name of Mary Josephine of St. Theresa. On October 6, 1897, the Congregation of Sisters Carmelitok of St. Theresa (Turin) was officially accepted into the Carmelite family . In 1899, a second house was founded in Herasko , then another in Turin, which later became the main house of the congregation.
The following year, after her mother was laid to rest - on May 3, 1905, at the first general chapter of the new institution in Turin, Maria Angelov refused to be elected abbess. And on August 26 of that year, she entered the Monastery of Barefoot Carmelites in Moncalieri , founded by her compatriot - Blessed Mary of Angels (in the world, Maria Anna Fontanella). A few months later, she had to leave the cloister due to poor health and return to Maren.
Here Maria Angelov founded another monastery - this time of a contemplative order and on the general chapter of 1908, the congregation was finally divided into contemplative and contemplative-apostolic branches. Together with several sisters, the founder retired to the bolt. Such a dual congregation arrangement was recognized by the local bishop in 1914. At this time, Mary Angels was elected abbess of the Order of the Barefoot Carmelites and she served this ministry until 1941. The contemplative branch of the institute moved from Marena to a new monastery in Kashin Vika . The apostolic branch developed very widely, opening many new houses not only in Italy, but also beyond its borders.
Maria Angelov died in Rivoli on October 7, 1949 .
Honor
On October 6, 1995, the diocesan process for its canonization, which began on January 21, 1991, was closed.