Blessed
Blessed Maria Teresa Casini
Foundress of the Suore Oblate del Sacro Cuore di Jesus, Frascati and Grottaferrata, 1864-1937
Early life
Maria Teresa Casini was born on 27 October 1864 at Frascati.[1] Orphaned of her father at only ten, she moved with her mother to Grottaferrata, and at her first communion she felt a strong desire to consecrate herself to God.[1] Her meeting with Padre Arsenio Pellegrini, abbot of the Greek monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, was providential for her: he directed her spiritually, and she made herself available to God's will, which called her to make reparation for the infidelities of priests who do not fully correspond to their vocation.[1]
Vocation
On 1 February 1885 she entered the Monastero delle Clarisse della SS. Concezione in Rome, but after two years, for reasons of health, she had to return to her family.[1] Obedient to her spiritual director, she then joined a new work, the 'Vere amanti del Cuore di Jesus', but on the early death of its foundress she once again had to return home.[1] She withdrew to a small apartment at Grottaferrata, given over to prayer, and soon some young women gathered around her, wishing to share her ideal.[1]
Foundation
Encouraged by the bishop of Frascati, Cardinal Serafino Vannutelli, she had a larger house built in which to celebrate the eucharist, and the sisters devoted themselves to a life of contemplation in reparation before Jesus in the sacrament, for the holiness of priests.[1] She exhorted her sisters: 'We are living hosts whose immolation is renewed every day'.[1] At the beginning of 1900, with the support of the new bishop of Frascati, Cardinal Francesco Satolli, she decided to open her work to pastoral activities in aid of priests and people: the first workshop for the education of young women, the Opera 'Piccoli Amici di Jesus', colleges and schools.[1]
Death and recognition
Visited by illness, she lived through a painful immobility, and died at dawn on 3 April 1937 in the house of the foundation at Grottaferrata.[1] She was beatified by Pope Francis on 31 October 2015.[1]
Follow the evidence
Sources and notes
- Maria Teresa Casini
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints · Italian
Accessed 2026-09-05
Editorial notes
Translated and condensed from the Dicastery's official Italian profile by an automated pass on 2026-09-09; identity matched on the death date and name; editorial review pending.
This is an AI-assisted draft prepared from the sources above. Its citations identify its evidence; they do not replace a historical review.
The inherited biography
The earlier biography for this record, kept unchanged while the sourced draft is reviewed.
Read the inherited biography
Blessed Maria Teresa Casini, also known as Sister Maria Serafina of the Heart of Jesus Pierced, was born on 27 October 1864 in Frascati, Italy. She was the eldest daughter of Tommaso Casini, an engineer, and Melania Rayner. At the age of two days, she was baptized at the cathedral of Frascati.
Teresa's father passed away when she was around ten years old, and she and her mother went to live with her maternal grandparents. In 1875, she began her studies at the school in Rome called Santa Rufina, which was run by the Society of the Sacred Heart nuns. It was during this time that Teresa felt a strong calling to religious life, despite facing setbacks due to health problems and family opposition.
On 2 February 1885, Teresa entered the Poor Clare Sepolte Vive monastery in Rome, taking the name Sister Maria Serafina of the Heart of Jesus Pierced. Unfortunately, her poor health forced her to leave the cloister on 2 December 1886. She returned to her family and devoted her time to prayer in the chapel of the Sacred Heart in the parish church of San Rocco in Frascati. Deeply concerned by the neglect the church and chapel had suffered, Sister Maria dedicated herself to restoring them.
Throughout this time, Sister Maria continued to hear an inner voice calling her to console the sufferings of the Heart of Jesus, particularly those caused by faithless or undisciplined priests. Acting on the advice of her spiritual director, she became part of a community known as the True Lovers of the Heart of Jesus. When the group's leader passed away, Sister Maria gathered several like-minded sisters and, using her inheritance, founded the Victims of the Sacred Heart on 2 February 1894 as a cloistered community. They obtained diocesan approval on 1 April 1896.
With the encouragement of their bishop, Cardinal Francesco Satolli, the Victims ultimately transitioned from a cloistered order to an active one in the early 20th century, focusing on helping priests in their parishes. They also established a school for girls in 1910. On 1 November 1916, the community changed its name to the Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to better reflect their status and mission. Later, in 1925, Sister Maria began working with the Little Friends of Jesus, an organization that educated boys and supported vocations. It later expanded to offer assistance to priests with health problems.
Despite facing deteriorating health, Sister Maria's determination never wavered. Over the last decade of her life, she was paralyzed but continued to run the Sisters from her bed. She met, taught, and consoled fellow sisters, priests, and seminarians until the very end. The Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart, in her memory, continue their valuable work today, supporting and assisting priests and vocations in Italy, the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Guinea-Bissau.
Blessed Maria Teresa Casini died around 5 am on 3 April 1937 at the Oblate monastery on the via del Casaletto in Grottaferrata, Rome, Italy from natural causes. She was buried initially in the chapel of the Zealots of the Sacred Heart in a nearby cemetery. However, on 20 May 1965, her remains were re-interred at the Generalate of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart in Grottaferrata.
Her venerated status was recognized by Pope John Paul II on 7 July 1997, with a decree of heroic virtues. Blessed Maria Teresa Casini was beatified on 31 October 2015 by Pope Francis. The beatification recognition ceremony took place at the Piazza San Pietro at the Frascati Cathedral in Frascati, Italy, presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato. The beatification miracle attributed to her involved the healing of Jacob "Jack" Ronald Sebest, a five-year-old drowning victim in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, who recovered from brain lesions and trauma between 25 and 27 June 2003.
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