Elena Aiello

Elena Aiello (10 April 1895 – 19 June 1961) was an Italian religious sister and the founder of the Minim Sisters of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Aiello joined the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood but was forced to leave due to grave health that soon kept her confined to her home where she began experiencing visions of both Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as saints such as Francis of Paola. Her beatification was celebrated on 14 September 2011.

Life Elena Aiello was born on 10 April 1895 during Lent in Cosenza to Pasquale Aiello (22 February 1861 – 16 November 1955), a tailor, and Tereseina Paglilla (d. 1905) as the third of eight children, one died at one. She received her baptism from Father Francesco Benincasa on 15 April in the church of San Domenico as "Elena Emilia Santa Aiello", with her godmother being Maria Genise. During the Procession of Rogations, her mother said that if she had a daughter she would name her in honour of Saint Helena. She had her shoulder operated on without anesthetic while she held a small wooden cross and looking at a Marian image but the inept doctor cut nerves that caused her lockjaw and a vomiting spell for several weeks. Aiello could not partake in the vesting, for her superior saw her situation to be so bad she could not participate in it, which forced her departure. The doctor told her father to sue the order for her ailments (her shoulder now had gangrene setting in) but she convinced him not to do so.

On 22 April 1940, the Lord told her to deliver a message to Benito Mussolini to tell him not to join Adolf Hitler during World War II for such a joining would bring both terrible defeat and divine punishment upon the Italian people. A few days later on 6 May 1940 she forwarded this message to Mussolini in the form of a letter. Unfortunately the letter was ignored by Mussolini and never replied to. The postulator for this cause is Enzo Gabrieli.