María Josefa Rossello (1811–1880)

Biography

When she was a child, her father called her “The Little Captain” because she demonstrated leadership qualities and exerted a lot of influence among her peers. María Josefa felt great desire to dedicate herself to a life of solitude and prayer, but her confessor advised her that it was not the best for her entrepreneurial temperament. Then, knowing that the Bishop of Savona was looking for someone to educate so many girls who were abandoned on the streets, María Josefa offered to do so and with a group of friends founded the congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, in order to care for poor girls and young people. With some old furniture, a house almost in ruins, four straw mattresses, a crucifix and a painting of the Holy Virgin. Virgin, they started their new community. And God blessed it so much that during the life of the founder there were 66 houses in the community. Mother Josefa had total trust in Divine Providence and even in the most difficult circumstances, she did not doubt that God would intervene to help her, and so it happened. For 40 years she was superior general, but even so, in every house where she arrived, she dedicated herself to helping in the most humble jobs: washing, sweeping, cooking, etc. Also in America, their nuns founded hospitals, shelters and charities. In her last years she suffered very painful illnesses that reduced her to almost total stillness. He also suffered from serious scruples and false fears that he would be condemned. But he overcame these temptations with the help of prayer and great trust in the Lord and died saying: "Let us love Jesus. The only important thing is to love God and save our soul."