St. Maria Matilda De Mattias, A.S.C.

Maria Matilda De Mattias, A.S.C., is a saint from Italy in the Roman Catholic Church and was the founder of the religious congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ. Saint

Maria Matilda De Mattias, A.S.C., (February 4, 1805 – August 20, 1866) is a saint from Italy in the Roman Catholic Church and was the founder of the religious congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ. In 1822 Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, C.PP.S., founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, preached a mission in her town. De Mattias decided that she would devote her life to caring for the needy and spreading the word of God. Through the preaching of Gaspar del Bufalo on devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, Maria De Mattias was drawn to see this mystery of Christ's life as a model for self-sacrifice. On March 4, 1834, at the age of 29, under the guidance of del Bufalo's successor, the Venerable John Merlini, C.PP.S., she founded the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ to advance this service. 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. The religious order was founded as an apostolic order, an active teaching order, rather than a monastic order. In 1855 the young order received papal approval. Maria De Mattias made a public vow of chastity, receiving a gold heart imprinted with three drops of blood. The symbol was given to her by John Merlini, CPPS, her spiritual director who later served as superior general of the Precious Blood Missionaries. A silver heart is still worn by the sisters around the globe. Mother Matilda spent over 30 years travelling throughout Italy to help establish communities of her Sisters. This involved treks ranging from walking long distances to taking treacherous journeys on donkeys. She was so eager to proclaim the mystery of Jesus' redemptive love shown through his shedding of his Precious Blood that she would preach in towns wherever she went. Her communities were often very poor, sometimes not even having food in their cupboards, but they were always willing to share whatever they had with the poor among whom they lived. During her lifetime, the Congregation established over 70 communities throughout Europe. De Mattias died in Rome on August 20, 1866 and was buried in Rome’s Campo Verano Cemetery, in a tomb donated by Pope Pius IX.