St. Mary Mazzarello: The First Salesian Sister

Mary ran up the stone steps and pushed open the door to find a bedlam of crying children, soiled dishes, and her aunt and uncle lying helplessly on their straw mattresses. Typhoid took over the town of Mornese and relatives were not exempt. Quickly and efficiently, Mary cooked a hot meal, washed and put the children to bed, and fed the sick with her own hands, all the while uttering a thousand gentle phrases that brought comfort and hope to the stricken family. Then she began the impossible task of cleaning a week's accumulation of clutter.

Mary proved an angel of mercy to her aunt and uncle. Her soft words and the tender touch of her hand eased the burning brows of her feverish patients, promised assurance of health, and instilled a deep, comforting resignation to the Divine Will such as they never before experienced. The little ones took to her as to a mother and clustered about to hear her tell of the Lord that loved and cared for then. Day and night she would not spare herself, washing, cooking, and comforting. She would only grasp tiny moments of sleep between tasks.

Within a week her aunt and uncle were able to get on their feet again care for their family. Hearts bubbling over in gratitude, they could only show their thanks through eyes brimming with tears. Mary accepted it all with that humility and gentleness that characterized her entire life of mercy, and then she made up her bundle of clothing to return to her mother.

Did you ever have to get something repaired and just to have it checked entailed a hefty price? It's amazing how many reasons there are to pay a fee. The word "gratis" is certainly not a household word. Yet, Jesus shed every drop of his blood; gave his very life, freely.

Mary Mazzarello took Jesus' example to heart and allowed it to overflow into action. In return, she came to know the freedom that comes from the "empty pockets" of expecting no returns. We all have those empty pockets in our lives that challenge us to make a choice. We can look to fill them with the things of this world or leave them empty…gratis.

Mary Mazzarello's spiritual portrait was not formed over night. Like the rest of us, she had to deal with the opposite poles of human nature struggling to gain mastery over her. She was impulsive, self-willed, given to vanity, and anxious to shine. At the same time, she was also open, outgoing, generous, and drawn to a deeper way of life. Besides family and faith, she also had her share of societal influences. Mary Mazzarello had choices to make and different paths from which to choose.

What were the steps she took? How did she approach the difficulties of her humanity? How did she take the curves of daily life and finally reach her destination? We invite you to return to this page each month and make the journey with her. As you discover her secrets, you will find that what she was and what she eventually became reveals a woman to which you will find it easy to relate and at the same time learn innumerable lessons on how to allow God to work through all of you.

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