St Mary Mazzarello

Early Years

Born in 1837, Mary Mazzarello grew up in a hard-working peasant family in northern Italy. The eldest of seven children, she was intelligent, enterprising, hard working, fun-loving and in her teenage years liked to be fashionable in her small rural home town

Young Adulthood

As she grew into young adulthood, Mary was often impulsive but in the matter of discerning the direction for her life she sought advice from those whose judgement she trusted. Her father was a great source of homespun wisdom, and as the leader of the apostolic group she joined she was a woman of spiritual insight and intelligence. She confided, above all, in Fr. Pestarino, a priest in her parish, who guided her for several years and who knew her well. Slowly she came to distinguish the way ahead in the events of everyday life.
She weighed up her inclinations and physical strength, took stock of situations around her and considered what she might do to share Christ’s passion for the world.

A turning point

An event that had a particular bearing on her life and future mission came in the form of illness. When assisting some sick members of her family during the epidemic of typhoid fever that struck her village in 1860, Mary contracted the disease. After several months hovering between life and death she recovered but no longer had the strength to work in the fields and vineyards as she had formerly done.What was she to do? At twenty-three she had her life before her but lacked skills beyond those acquired in helping her father on the farm. Together with her closest friend, Petronilla, she set about learning dressmaking from the village tailor so as not to be a burden to her family and with the declared aim of setting up sewing classes for the village girls. Once their training was finished, they began their work for the good of the village girls, teaching them a useful skill while encouraging them to live their Christian life joyfully.

A new development

 God had a further plan for Mary. She met Don Bosco and they recognised in each other the same kind of passion for the good of the young. Mary was the perfect choice to become the founding member of his new religious congregation of the Salesian Sisters.