Life of St. Maria Giuseppa Rossello

Maria Giuseppa Rossello, the foundress of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy was born at Albisola Marina, Liguria, Italy, in 1811, and was baptized Benedetta.

She was the fourth of the ten children of Bartolomeo Rossello and Maria Dedone. As a child she assisted her parents with their work and took care of her siblings.

Benedetta would become the sole person of support for her household after the death of her mother and second brother as well as her sister Josephine and her father after this.

Rossello was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and followed her religious vocation. This led her to becoming a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis at the age of sixteen.

And in 1837, she and three companions, Pauline Barla, Angela, and Domenica Pessio, found a community in Savona. The congregation was devoted to charitable works, hospitals, and educating poor young women.

In 1840, Maria Giuseppe, also called Josepha, was made superior. By the time she died on December 7, 1888, she had made sixty-eight foundations. She was canonized in 1949.

Her feast day is on 7th December.