The Life of the Servant of God, Sr. Maria Alfonsa of the Child Jesus, 1937-1994
Sr. Maria Alfonsa of the Child Jesus (Elena Bruno) was born in Tarquinia, Italy, April 10th, 1937. As a child, Sr. Alfonsa was a vivacious girl who spent much time with her friends and lived a carefree life with her father, mother, and six siblings. Because of Elena’s outgoing, spirited nature, she attracted the attention of a young man whom she admired from a distance. Her father, seeing the young man to be unsuitable for Elena, intervened by sending her to live with her aunt in Messina, Sicily. Separated from her family and the young man, Elena questioned the meaning of suffering and love. With the help of her confessor, Elena began to live a devout life. Her focus turned towards God and His plan for her life.
On June 3, 1956, the city of Messina was celebrating the feast of the “Madonna of the Letter”. Elena prayed to our Lady saying, “If you really want me to give my life to your son, if the young man I love is not God’s will for me but religious life is, then you need to give me a clear and unmistakable sign of that by the time I finish this novena.” On the ninth day Our Lady spoke clearly to her as she approached the statue of Our Lady of the Harbor. She heard a woman’s voice whisper in her ear, “This is the sign. It’s not for you. Come and follow me.” When Elena announced to her family that she was entering religious life, their reaction was unanimous outrage. Her brother responded, “Better dead!” And her father refused her permission. Elena prayed fervently for her father to have a change of heart. One night, he had a dream of a huge, powerful man who told him, “Let her go. She does not belong to the world.” Her father then gave full consent to Elena’s call.
On November 30th, 1956, Elena entered the community of the Handmaids of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In her great zeal to serve Christ Elena asked the Lord for three graces: to suffer the same pain as Christ for love of Him, to attain holiness in order to save souls, and to be a missionary in the United States.
Elena received the habit of the Handmaids of Reparation on December 30, 1957 and was given the name: Sr. Maria Alfonsa of the Child Jesus. Sr. Alfonsa, reflecting on the meaning of her religious vocation wrote: “Reparation. This word I see written on the earth with blood, because blood was the price paid by the Son of Man, and blood must be the price paid by souls of reparation. Their life must pass through the difficulty of the cross…one might believe that this offering would occur in peace, in serenity; the scene of Gethsemane reminds us instead of the tragic anguish of this offer. But in heaven I see it written in gold letters; therefore, Reparation embraced, becomes gold. It is love that makes it acceptable, desirable. One cannot want the fruit of love without first having planted the tree of the cross in the center of one’s heart. We make reparation because Love is not loved.”
On January 2, 1960, Sr. Alfonsa made her first religious profession and offered herself as a victim for the sanctification of priests. Only a month later, she was sent to the United States as a missionary. In Steubenville, Ohio, Sr. Alfonsa helped with the humble chores around the house and in the pre-school run by the sisters. In 1961, Sr. Alfonsa began experiencing pain in the joints of her hands. However, though her health slowly deteriorated, she continued working joyfully for her community and the salvation of souls. On February 3, 1964, in St. Peter’s Catholic Church, in Steubenville, Ohio, Sr. Alfonsa made her perpetual vows.
Her health deteriorated to such an extent that in 1967 she was hospitalized and diagnosed with the serious chronic disease: rheumatoid arthritis. She and her sisters began a novena to the Founder of the Community, Monsignor Anthony Celona. On the ninth day of the novena, Monsignor Celona appeared to her over her bed. He told her, “You will be a saint.” Then he slowly waved his hand over her body. As he did so, a light began to radiate from her bones. She saw her own body as it would be in glory. Believing she had been cured, she fell asleep. However, the next morning she awoke in even more pain than before.
Her superiors decided the best way to help her was to have her return to Messina. Sr. Alfonsa, heartbroken at having to leave her mission but resigned to the will of God, knelt down and prayed, “Jesus, your will be done.” Jesus appeared to her and kissed her on the forehead. On June 7th, 1968, Sr. Alfonsa left the United States and returned to Italy.
Assigned to the Mother House in Messina, she would spend her life in a wheel chair offering up all her sufferings with a smile for her mission which she had left in Steubenville, for her community, and for the holiness of priests. She would spend all day before the Blessed Sacrament praying in the back corner of the church. She called herself the “Secretary of the Eucharistic King”. Visitors would come to her throughout the day and ask for her prayers and advice. Sr. Alfonsa was always available to anyone and everyone and never betrayed her own sufferings which were her constant companions. The motto for her life was “Jesus I Trust in You.”
Sr. Alfonsa had many mystical experiences as well, including the gift of bilocation. One such instance involved a priest who was in a crisis in his vocation. He lay in his bed paralyzed with the temptation to leave his priesthood. Suddenly, he heard the sound of rosary beads and the rustling of a habit. He heard a woman’s voice pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be over him. He felt holy water sprinkled on him and the temptation ceased. Some time later, this same priest came to visit the Mother House. He had told no one of his experience. He spoke for awhile with Sr. Alfonsa. In the middle of the conversation, she touched his hand with her little crippled one and said, “Father, the sister that night was me.” She proceeded to tell him what the Lord was calling him to do with his life. After her death, he recounted this incident to Sr. Alfonsa's superiors.
Each year her disease grew progressively worse. Her pain became so intense, and her disease so advanced, that doctors forbade her from leaving her room. She could only sit in her wheelchair and look out her window at the fruit market below, nothing more. Yet, Sr. Alfonsa remained faithful and joyful in her sufferings to the last moment of her life. Very few people could understand her pain and there was nothing that was really able to minimize the pain. Years earlier she had confided to her Spiritual Director the purpose of her life: “I intend with all my strength to make treasure from sufferings, until they are transformed into a luminous cross.”
Sr. Alfonsa died on August 23rd, 1994. On June 21st, 2002, the process for the beatification and canonization of Sr. Alfonsa was officially opened. After years of examination, the Servant of God, Sr. Maria Alfonsa’s life was declared heroic and virtuous. The next step in the process is beatification-a verified miracle through her intercession is needed in order for her to be called “Blessed”.
On June 3, 1956, the city of Messina was celebrating the feast of the “Madonna of the Letter”. Elena prayed to our Lady saying, “If you really want me to give my life to your son, if the young man I love is not God’s will for me but religious life is, then you need to give me a clear and unmistakable sign of that by the time I finish this novena.” On the ninth day Our Lady spoke clearly to her as she approached the statue of Our Lady of the Harbor. She heard a woman’s voice whisper in her ear, “This is the sign. It’s not for you. Come and follow me.” When Elena announced to her family that she was entering religious life, their reaction was unanimous outrage. Her brother responded, “Better dead!” And her father refused her permission. Elena prayed fervently for her father to have a change of heart. One night, he had a dream of a huge, powerful man who told him, “Let her go. She does not belong to the world.” Her father then gave full consent to Elena’s call.
On November 30th, 1956, Elena entered the community of the Handmaids of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In her great zeal to serve Christ Elena asked the Lord for three graces: to suffer the same pain as Christ for love of Him, to attain holiness in order to save souls, and to be a missionary in the United States.
Elena received the habit of the Handmaids of Reparation on December 30, 1957 and was given the name: Sr. Maria Alfonsa of the Child Jesus. Sr. Alfonsa, reflecting on the meaning of her religious vocation wrote: “Reparation. This word I see written on the earth with blood, because blood was the price paid by the Son of Man, and blood must be the price paid by souls of reparation. Their life must pass through the difficulty of the cross…one might believe that this offering would occur in peace, in serenity; the scene of Gethsemane reminds us instead of the tragic anguish of this offer. But in heaven I see it written in gold letters; therefore, Reparation embraced, becomes gold. It is love that makes it acceptable, desirable. One cannot want the fruit of love without first having planted the tree of the cross in the center of one’s heart. We make reparation because Love is not loved.”
On January 2, 1960, Sr. Alfonsa made her first religious profession and offered herself as a victim for the sanctification of priests. Only a month later, she was sent to the United States as a missionary. In Steubenville, Ohio, Sr. Alfonsa helped with the humble chores around the house and in the pre-school run by the sisters. In 1961, Sr. Alfonsa began experiencing pain in the joints of her hands. However, though her health slowly deteriorated, she continued working joyfully for her community and the salvation of souls. On February 3, 1964, in St. Peter’s Catholic Church, in Steubenville, Ohio, Sr. Alfonsa made her perpetual vows.
Her health deteriorated to such an extent that in 1967 she was hospitalized and diagnosed with the serious chronic disease: rheumatoid arthritis. She and her sisters began a novena to the Founder of the Community, Monsignor Anthony Celona. On the ninth day of the novena, Monsignor Celona appeared to her over her bed. He told her, “You will be a saint.” Then he slowly waved his hand over her body. As he did so, a light began to radiate from her bones. She saw her own body as it would be in glory. Believing she had been cured, she fell asleep. However, the next morning she awoke in even more pain than before.
Her superiors decided the best way to help her was to have her return to Messina. Sr. Alfonsa, heartbroken at having to leave her mission but resigned to the will of God, knelt down and prayed, “Jesus, your will be done.” Jesus appeared to her and kissed her on the forehead. On June 7th, 1968, Sr. Alfonsa left the United States and returned to Italy.
Assigned to the Mother House in Messina, she would spend her life in a wheel chair offering up all her sufferings with a smile for her mission which she had left in Steubenville, for her community, and for the holiness of priests. She would spend all day before the Blessed Sacrament praying in the back corner of the church. She called herself the “Secretary of the Eucharistic King”. Visitors would come to her throughout the day and ask for her prayers and advice. Sr. Alfonsa was always available to anyone and everyone and never betrayed her own sufferings which were her constant companions. The motto for her life was “Jesus I Trust in You.”
Sr. Alfonsa had many mystical experiences as well, including the gift of bilocation. One such instance involved a priest who was in a crisis in his vocation. He lay in his bed paralyzed with the temptation to leave his priesthood. Suddenly, he heard the sound of rosary beads and the rustling of a habit. He heard a woman’s voice pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be over him. He felt holy water sprinkled on him and the temptation ceased. Some time later, this same priest came to visit the Mother House. He had told no one of his experience. He spoke for awhile with Sr. Alfonsa. In the middle of the conversation, she touched his hand with her little crippled one and said, “Father, the sister that night was me.” She proceeded to tell him what the Lord was calling him to do with his life. After her death, he recounted this incident to Sr. Alfonsa's superiors.
Each year her disease grew progressively worse. Her pain became so intense, and her disease so advanced, that doctors forbade her from leaving her room. She could only sit in her wheelchair and look out her window at the fruit market below, nothing more. Yet, Sr. Alfonsa remained faithful and joyful in her sufferings to the last moment of her life. Very few people could understand her pain and there was nothing that was really able to minimize the pain. Years earlier she had confided to her Spiritual Director the purpose of her life: “I intend with all my strength to make treasure from sufferings, until they are transformed into a luminous cross.”
Sr. Alfonsa died on August 23rd, 1994. On June 21st, 2002, the process for the beatification and canonization of Sr. Alfonsa was officially opened. After years of examination, the Servant of God, Sr. Maria Alfonsa’s life was declared heroic and virtuous. The next step in the process is beatification-a verified miracle through her intercession is needed in order for her to be called “Blessed”.
