PANAJI
The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, popularly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, have rejoiced across Goa as Sr Maria Troncatti, a nun from their congregation, will be canonised by Pope Leo XIV in Rome on Sunday.
The congregation, which presently runs institutions in Caranzalem, Carona-Aldona, Benaulim, Velim, and Sulcorna, has described Sr Maria Troncatti as a shining witness of faith, service, and love.
Blessed Maria Troncatti (1883–1969) was born in Córteno Golgi, Italy, on February 16, 1883, and died in Sucúa, Ecuador, on August 25, 1969.
Deep within her, Troncatti knew that God was calling her for a special mission and she chose to be a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians. She made her first profession in 1908 at Nizza Monferrato. During World War I (1915–1918), Troncatti was trained in healthcare in Varazze and worked as a Red Cross nurse in a military hospital.
Sr Troncatti’s love for the Virgin Mary was very visible. After enduring a flood, Troncatti promised to the Virgin Mary that she would dedicate her life to missionary work if she was saved.
In 1922, the then Mother General Catherina Daghero sent her to the Ecuador. She spent three years in Chunchi before venturing into the Amazon rainforest alongside Bishop Mons. Comin and a small expedition.
She along with two sisters established their mission among the Shuar people in south-eastern Ecuador, initially settling in Macas, a village surrounded by Shuar settlements.
Her missionary life in Ecuador as a Salesian Sister was special. She was "Madrecita" (little mother) to the indigenous Shuar people. Her mission was a continuous expression of love and care in numerous forms, from nursing and evangelisation to midwifery and peacebuilding.
Multidimensional service
Sr Troncatti’s multifaceted service as a nurse, surgeon, orthopaedist, dentist, anaesthetist, and most importantly, as a catechist and evangeliser, provided her with ample opportunities to manifest her deep faith, patience, and sisterly love.
On August 25, 1969, at the age of 86, Sr Troncatti passed away in a plane crash near Sucúa.
Sr Troncatti was declared Venerable on November 12, 2008, and was beatified on November 24, 2012, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI in Macas (Apostolic Vicariate of Méndez, Ecuador).
She will be canonised in Rome by Pope Leo XIV on October 19, and will officially be recognised as a saint of the Church!
From the Diocese of Brescia which gave birth to the future saint to the Apostolic Vicariate of Méndez (Ecuador), where Troncatti lived to the full of her missionary life, her sanctity has engulfed the entire world.
The church has officially recognised her as saint and by outlining her life as a diffusion of holiness, the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco highlight the lasting impact she has had on the people she served.
