Saint Paulina of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus

Life story

Amabile Lucia Visintainer was born on 16 December 1865 in Vigolo Vattaro in the Trentino region, then part of Austria-Hungary and today part of Italy. In 1875 her family was among the Trentino families who emigrated to Santa Catarina in Brazil and founded the settlement of Vigolo. She grew up in a poor farming household and early on took part in parish chores.

In 1890, with a friend, she began caring for a woman with cancer whom nobody else would take in. From that small group, in 1895, she and the Jesuit priest Luigi Rossi founded the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, approved by the bishop of Curitiba. The community moved to São Paulo and opened works for the sick, the elderly and orphans, among them many children of formerly enslaved people.

In her last years she suffered from diabetes, lost her sight and lived quietly in the community for many years. She died on 9 July 1942 in São Paulo, aged 76. Pope John Paul II beatified her on 18 October 1991 and canonised her on 19 May 2002; she is regarded as Brazil's first saint although she was born in Italy. Her feast day is 9 July.

Works and witness

• Emigrated with her family to Santa Catarina in 1875
• Began caring for a seriously ill woman in 1890
• Founded the congregation with Father Luigi Rossi in 1895
• Opened works for the sick, elderly and orphans in São Paulo
• Canonised on 19 May 2002

Saints from the same country

Saint Agnes, Saint Lawrence, Saint Cecilia, Saint Sebastian

References

• Martyrologium Romanum (9 July)
• Dicastery for the Causes of Saints: biography and canonisation records, 19 May 2002
• Biographical sources of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.