St. Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (1865-1942)

Feast day: July 9
Canonized: May 19, 2002
Patron of Diabetics

"Trust always... in divine providence; never let yourselves be discouraged..."

Brazil’s first immigrant-citizen to be canonized, Amabile Lucia Visintainer was born in Italy to a poor, Catholic family. From an early age, she was known for her piety and charity, and desire to serve God.

In 1875, her family relocated to Brazil. At 15, she and a friend cared for a dying woman with no family, an early mark of her service in religious life.
She joined with two women to start the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, calling herself St. Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus. She was elected superior general in 1903 and dedicated her community to care for the destitute – orphans, elderly, and children of former slaves (slavery ended in Brazil in 1888).

The holiness of Mother Pauline’s order attracted numerous vocations, despite immense difficulties the sisters endured. Their work continues still in South America, Africa, and Europe.

Pauline suffered ill health in later life, including diabetes. Just before death, she wrote: “Be humble. Trust always and a great deal in Divine Providence; never let yourselves be discouraged, despite contrary winds.”