Teresa Manganiello, laywoman (1849–1876)

Biography

Italian peasant and Franciscan tertiary, Teresa Manganiello sanctified a short life through prayer, poverty, and service to those in need. The eleventh child of a large family, she worked since she was a child in the house and in the fields. Without academic education, he had notable spiritual maturity and wanted to dedicate himself entirely to God. She helped her spiritual director prepare a new religious family and cared for the poor and sick with remedies she cultivated herself. Affected by tuberculosis, she preserved a serene joy and delicate charity until her death.