Venerable Maria Teresa Fasce

Maria Giovanna Fasce (27 December 1881 - 18 January 1947) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious of the Augustinian nuns in the religious name of "Maria Teresa". Fasce served in various leadership positions in her convent in Genoa and was noted for the establishment of an orphanage and spreading the charism of Saint Augustine and Saint Rita of Cascia. Fasce was beatified at Saint Peter's Square on 12 October 1997. Maria Giovanna Fasce was born on 27 December 1881 in Genoa to the middle-class Eugenio Fasce and his second wife Teresa Valente. She had seven siblings and her oldest sibling was Luigia. Her relations dubbed her as "Marietta". Her mother died in 1889 which prompted her oldest sister Luigia to take care of Fasce. Fasce taught catechism to children and grew to love the charism of Saint Augustine. She also met her confessor Father Mariano Ferriello in Genoa who encouraged her to learn of the Augustinian figures and pursue her vocation. She also became aware of the life of Rita of Cascia and travelled to Rome in 1900 when Pope Leo XIII canonized her - this was the most important event of her life thus far and solidified her desire to become a nun. She expressed this intention to her relations who took the news bad and her brothers in particular were negative about it. Her oldest sister Luigia accepted this but did not understand Fasce's reasoning for living in a primitive place like Cascia. Her family wanted her to go to a closer monastery in Savona, but she wished to go to the same Cascia monastery as Rita. She applied for admission to a Ligurian convent but was rejected much to her surprise. The Abbess Giuseppina Gattarelli said that she believed Fasce was unable to handle the rigors of the monastic life. Fasce reapplied and entered the convent of the Order of Saint Augustine on 22 June 1906.