Saint Mary Di Rosa (1813-1855)

Saint Mary Di Rosa was born in 1813, and began to take charge of situations from the time she was a young girl. She set up retreats and missions for her parish, arranged a women's guild, and supervised a workhouse for poor girls. She was never afraid of a challenge and embraced every opportunity that God sent her way. One such opportunity presented itself when she realized that the girls she was supervising in the workhouse had no place to stay at night. To solve the problem, Mary opened up a boarding house for the girls. Mary also took on the responsibility of being the superior of the Handmaids of Charity, a religious organization that dedicated all of its time to ministering to the ailing in hospitals. When war broke out in Europe, Mary and her Handmaids of Charity volunteered their time and talents in war hospitals as well as on the battlefield. The last challenge that Saint Mary Di Rosa faced was death, which she welcomed joyfully and without fear.