Maria Pia Mastena

Blessed Maria Pia Mastena (7 December 1881 - 28 June 1951) - born Teresa Maria - was an Italian religious sister in the Roman Catholic Church. She was the founder of the Religious Sisters of the Holy Face. Mastena fostered a deep devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and tried to promote that devotion to others in her religious career as a nun. Mastena first desired the contemplative life, but she was denied this after she entered the convent, since it was not a cloister. Instead, she dedicated herself to teaching in several Italian cities after leaving another convent and another religious order when she deemed contemplative life was not what God wanted for her. Her labors were dedicated instead to consolidating a new religious congregation, which began to grow after World War II until Mastena's sudden death in 1951. Mastena was beatified on 13 November 2005.

Life Childhood and religious beginnings Teresa Maria Mastena was born in Bovolone on 7 December 1881 as the first of five children to Giulio Mastena and Maria Antonia Casarotti. Her father worked as a small businessman and grocer, and her mother served as a teacher. Benedict XVI stated in his remarks following the beatification Mass: Won over by the Face of Christ, she assumed the Son of God's sentiments of sweet concern for humanity disfigured by sin, put into practice his acts of compassion and subsequently planned an Institute whose aim was to "propagate, repair and restore Jesus' gentle image in souls."

She was beatified thanks to a miracle recognized by the Catholic Church to the daughter of Sandra Milo, Azzurra, who seemed dead at birth, but came back to life. The postulator for this cause is the Passionist priest Giovanni Zubiani.