sr Teresa Valsè Pantellini
English language
Teresa was born in Milan on 10 October 1878. She was baptised in the Parish Church dedicaded to Saint Francesco of Paola. she. Belonged to a veriy rich family. Her Father, Giuseppe, still young, relocated to Egipth where he opened a chain of hotels which made him very rich, esteemed and appreciated even by high personalites and men of power. In Egipth he married Giuseppina Viglini, a borghes woman of Italien origin.
On the 1882, Giuseppe, foreseeing xenophobic air, that was being propagated in that country, relocated his family in Italy definitely, first time in Milan and then in Florence. In 1890, in his own “ Villa Riposo dei Vescovi” of Fiesole, Giuseppe died, leaving his wife and three sons: Italo, his firstborn, Teresa and Giuseppina.
It was a very great suffering for all, especially for Teresa, who loved him very much.
The mother offered to her sons the best education in the colleges of Florence. When Italo enrolled at Rome Univesity, all the family relocated in that city. Teresa, until much time, cultiveted a deep spiritual life, which offered to her a behavior style adeguated to her social position, but according to criterions decidedly evangelic: a preferential love for poor, for God who helped her to live for long times of prayer; a strong sensibility for poor, with which she was of great help and proximity and she had an educative sensibiliy.
She felt the call to the consacration life and, winning strong obstscles, after her mother’s death, she entered into the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. It’s February the 2 nd 1901, Teresa was 22 years old. When she decided for the religious life, she wrote to her brother Italo:”I have decided irrevocably”, attitude maintaind forever, along , together with the choise to go unnoticed her entire existence.
Revisore Responsabile Sacc. Dott. Antonio Suraci
Teresa spent most part of her religious life in Roma Trastevere, leaving from the period of the Novitiate. The houses of Bosco Parrasio and Via della Lungara housed, at the oratory the very poor girls of the neighborhood, littre washerwomen of the houses of rich men’s. Among the Sisters of her community, Teresa was the most loved by the young girls, who felt chiarm of her smiling and kind presence. She had got a precarious health when she began to work in this environment, but she did’nt pay no attention to sacrifices and she did’nt make her past weigh at all.
In the nuns’ house poverty made itself felt a lot that the request for help was necessary, even begging . Also, Teresa, wth a strong repugnance, didn’t shirk this commitment, that made her knocking a doos of those rich that she had once attended.Teresa was a strong woman, dedicated completely to the most poor. She was firmly determinated to defend their rights, especially when some inhabitans of the country opposed the work or complain about the presence of pretty rough girls and they din’t pay duly for their services.
Following the don Bosco’s example, she identifies herself cocretely in the difficult situation of the young people that were entrasted to her and she searched in every way and also to elevate their culture and refine their lifestyle. She gave music lessons, created theatrical performances, she made up those games that might interested girls already fatigued by a hard work.
In her cmmunity Teresa was an attentive and discreet presence; but an inexorable disease is lurkieng and in 1907 suddenly esplode.
In the mounth of April the Superiors sent Suor Teresa to Piemonte to care herself. She knew that her desease didn’t forgive.herself She, with an incredible sens of humor, said:”the Lord has helped me and now I am ready to three things: to die, to stay ill for a long time, to heal.” After, with a flash of smile, she addedi: “Ok, one of the three I would guess, wasn’t true?” In Torino, in the Maria Ausiliatrice house she died on September, 3 1907, as she herself had planned.
Teresa Valsè Pantellini: a young woman who had played all her life in a concrete daily availability, completely given to God and to the others, imitating the Vergin Mary, the Woman poor and free . She had dreamed big: she would like to leave as a missionay in China.Today, the Dautehers of Mary of Christians, to realize her apostolic desire, relay on her particularly for their missionary activity.
Teresa Valsè Pantellini has been declared Venerable, with a Decree of recognition of her heroic virtues, the 12 th July 1982.
Sr Teresa Valsé Pantellini - Salesian holiness
Father Pier Luigi Cameroni, SDB, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family draws the figure of Sr Teresa Valsè Pantellini.
sr Teresa Valsé Pantellini -
the video is available on the you tube channel also in