Maria De Mattias, foundress of the congregation of “The Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ” was born in Italy on February 4, 1805, to Ottavia De Angeles and Giovanni De Mattias.
Early Life:
Through the loving presence of her Father, at the age of eight, Maria’s heart was drawn to an ardent love of Jesus. Her father read the Scriptures to her when she was still very young, and she developed a great love for Jesus. Through dialog with her father, Maria learned and internalized not only the truths of the faith but also, and especially, episodes and Persons of the Sacred Scriptures.
Religious Life:
Under the guidance of one of St. Gaspar’s companions, (now Venerable) Fr. Giovanni Merlini, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ, in Acuto (Frosinone) on 4 March 1834, at the age of twenty-nine. She had been called by the Administrator of Anagni, Bishop Giuseppe Maria Lais, to teach the young girls—she had learned to read and write on her own.
Veneration:
Maria De Mattias died in Rome on 20 August 1866 and was canonized on May 3, 2003.
Global Presence:
Today, the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ is an international congregation with its presence in countries such as Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Brazil, Korea, Germany Peru, to name a few. The congregation is committed to sharing Christ's redeeming love to the wounded humanity. The Adorers live among people in a simple and hospitable lifestyle; traveling new roads of reconciliation and solidarity. They carry in their hearts the flavor of "new wine", the newness of hope, the wine of celebration, of fraternity, of justice and dignity that all may experience the fullness of life, of which Christ's Blood is a sign and pledge.