Teresa Maria Manetti was an Italian Catholic nun born in Campi Bisenzio in 1846. After discovering her religious vocation at age eighteen, she organized a group of female teachers inspired by the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila. She eventually founded the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Teresa, a congregation dedicated to educating children, particularly orphans. Her religious order, which received official papal approval in 1904, expanded its educational mission beyond Italy to include locations in Syria and Palestine.
Life and work
Following her early religious formation, Manetti joined a group of Carmelite tertiaries in 1876. She focused her efforts on establishing schools in the region surrounding Florence. These institutions were staffed by Carmelite teachers who provided instruction to local youth. After suffering from a serious illness in 1908, she passed away in Florence in 1910.
Veneration
The process for her beatification began in Florence during the 1930s. After her spiritual writings were evaluated and her heroic virtue was recognized, she was declared Venerable by Pope Paul VI in 1975. In 1986, Pope John Paul II beatified her following the verification of a miracle attributed to her intercession. She is commemorated on April 23.