Our Founders: St. Teresa Verzeri
St. Teresa verzeri was born of Antonio Verzeri and Helena Petrochi in a noble family at Bergamo in Italy on 31st July 1801. At a very tender age Teresa learned from her mother, to know ardently lone God. She was led in her spiritual journey by the Msgr. Giuseppe Benaglio, the vicar General of the Diocese of Bergamo, who already accompanied the family. With the intention of pleasing of God and doing only His will,she left the Monastery to start the ‘Congregation of the Daughters of the sacred heart of Jesus’ together with the Msgr. Giuseppe Benaglio on February 8th 1831 in Bergamo. On 17th May 1841 the Congregation approved by the Holy See. Teresa died in Brescia on 3rd March 1852. The Church recognizing Teresa’s heroic virtues, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her blessed on 27th October 1946 and as a crown to her life Pope Paul II on 10th June, 2001 proclaimed her a ‘Saint’.
Our Founders: Joseph Benaglio
Joseph Benaglio was born in Bergamo on 22 November 1767 and ordained a priest in September 1790 at age 22. He is the co-founder of the Institute of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus together with Saint Teresa Verzeri. He held several key roles in the Diocese of Bergamo, including Rector of the Seminary, Vicar General, canon of the theologians of the cathedral, jurist, director of monasteries, confessor and spiritual director. Alongside Canon Marco Celio Passi, he guided the mystic Maria Antonia Grumelli, reformer of the monastery of Santa Chiara in Bergamo and founder of the Apostolic College (since 1909 “priests of the Sacred Heart”), which played a decisive role on the level of the spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Inspired by the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and with deep desire to spread the fragrance of it, he became a co founder of the Institute of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His earthly life ended on 18th January 1836.
