Blessed Elena Aiello (1895-1961) -Mystic, Stigmatic, Victim Soul, Prophet & Foundress of the Minim Tertiaries of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The information contained in this abbreviated biography was taken from the book "The Incredible Life Story of Sister Elena Aiello, The Calabrian Holy Nun (1895-1961)". It was written by Monsignor Francesco Spadafora in Italian and was translated into English by Monsignor Angelo R. Cioffi. Published in 1964 by Theo Gaus Sons. (Those interested in obtaining this book should email the webmaster) Fr. Spadafora was a renowned biblical scholar from the Pontifical University of the Lateran in Rome. He opposed modernism and while writing this book he was also battling the modernist approach to scripture that started to gain ground at the biblical institute.
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY ON THE LIFE OF SISTER ELENA AIELLO
Early life
Some saints live a heroic holy life in an ordinary way and some in an extraordinary way. Sister Elena Aiello, who was the Foundress of the Minim Tertiaries of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and a contemplative soul and a martyr to suffering, was called to live both and it is through her charity that her true greatness is achieved. She was well known in Italy and much of Europe and had many visitors comparable to the crowds that visited Theresa Neumann and St. (Padre) Pio.
Elena Aiello was born in Montalto Uffugo (Consenza), Italy on Holy Wednesday during Holy Week on April 10, 1895. Her parents were Pasquale Aiello and Teresa Paglilla. During the
Procession of Rogations her mother prayed for the grace of having a baby girl and if she did, she
would name her Elena and consecrate her to the Cross of Our Lord in memory of the Empress, St. Elena.
Elena lived in an exemplary Christian family. Her extremely devout family, never were given
over to the practice of any vanity or entertained anything of a worldly fashion. Her mother
unfortunately died at an early age and her father, now a widower and a tailor by trade was left
with the care of 8 children one of which also soon died at age one.
At a very young age, Elena lived a devout life and performed penances. An incident at the age of 9 illustrates her inclination to penance. After having received her first communion and attending a retreat, she and several other girls obtained permission to wear a penitential belt. On the way to getting the belt, she had an accident which caused her to lose her two front teeth. She put her bleeding teeth in a handkerchief and continued on in haste to get her penitential belt regardless of the blood and pain.
Another time she accidentally inhaled some water she was drinking from a glass while laughing.
As a result, she experienced a constant cough for a year and a half except at night and the volume of her voice became lowered. She was given some treatments by a doctor but this caused her more pain. Eventually she prayed to Our Lady of Pompei, promising her that she would become a nun if cured. And in fact, Our Lady of Pompei appeared to her during the night and assured her that she would be healed –which she was.
Her Extraordinary Charity
contagious illnesses. Thus began her journey on the road to a life of charity. She particularly often hurried to the bedside of the dying who refused the sacraments. One day she met a man named Alessandro, a freemason. She tried gently to persuade him to receive the Sacraments but he firmly said, “No.” She continued to plead with him and his response was to take a bottle and fling it at her. It struck her in the neck and while holding her bleeding neck with a cloth she told him that “his soul was hanging on the edge of a precipice” and that she would not leave the room until he called for a Priest to come in. Finally the freemason became so moved by her charity, that he promised her that he would receive the Sacraments on the one condition, that she herself would assist him every day. He repented, received the Sacraments from the Priest, and she cared for him for 3 months. He died a fervent Christian bearing his sufferings with patience and resignation.
Her reputation for her charitable activity became so well known that she was called to the bedside of another freemason dying of cancer who was in great fear for having betrayed God by
becoming a freemason in order to support his family. She helped him to prepare for the worthy
reception of the Sacraments such as Confession and Communion.
Her desire to become a religious sister
Her father gave his consent for her to be a religious on the condition - that she join the Sisters of
the Most Precious Blood. Before entering, she was prophetically told that she would not last in
this Order because God had other plans in store for her. While in the Order she was put in charge of sixteen postulants. But suffering took hold of her life almost immediately which was intestinal pain and a severe pain on the left shoulder. Eventually her shoulder became one solid black mass. She was eventually operated on without any anesthetic while holding a small wooden cross and looking at a picture of Our Lady of Sorrows. The physician, good intentioned but inept, in addition to cutting flesh also cut nerves that caused her lockjaw and a vomiting spell for 40 days.
Despite the pain, Elena’s intent was to take part in the upcoming religious clothing ceremony
through sheer will-power but when the Father Director saw her in such a deplorable state, he
couldn’t let her go through with it. What she feared would happen, did, she was asked to leave the convent and return home. However, Elena wrote in her notebook that Our Lord asked her on two occasions to accept His own designs with complete resignation and embrace His cross. Elena left in tears not realizing the great esteem in which she was held by everyone when they observed her good-nature and patience in suffering.
Elena’s shoulder was getting worse. In fact, the doctor told her that gangrene was already setting
in. The doctor advised her father to demand compensation from the Institute, in other words, sue them. But Elena pleaded with her father to do nothing of the kind especially since she also had hopes to return to it.
Her long period of suffering began and her dream of being a sister was fading away since now
she couldn’t even retain liquid food. The doctor diagnosed her with stomach cancer and told
her there was no cure and that she was going to die. Her characteristic frank response to him
was, “My dear doctor, it is you, who are going to die: I will not die from this disease, because St.
Rita is going to make me well”.
Called to suffer in reparation for the sins of the world
On the way home, Elena stopped in a church where St. Rita was venerated to beg her for a cure.
In her notebook she writes that she saw dazzling flames all around the statue and told her cousin
who was next to her. Her cousin didn’t see anything. Then that night she had a dream of St. Rita
who told her that she wanted devotional exercises to be held in Montalto in her honor in order to
rekindle the faith of the people. You see, the saints do not want honor for themselves but always
for the glory of God. Elena started a triduum and St. Rita told her to say a second one and that she would be cured but the pain in her shoulder would remain because she had to suffer for the sins of the world. Elena’s confessor and spiritual director carefully documented all of these facts.
In the process of trying to fulfill her promises to St. Rita, she experienced other spiritual
phenomena. She told her confessor that Our Lord frequently admonished her to accept a new
way of suffering and that He said “You are going to suffer. But fear not. Yours shall not be
a malady but only the symbol of charity. I shall permit you to experience My very sadness
and on Friday you will be more united to Me.” During that winter she attended a Passionist
retreat which appealed to her because she was drawn to the Passion of Our Lord. She disclosed
some of the instructions from Our Lord and St. Rita to the priest who gave the retreat and he
enlightened and encouraged her.
As more of the news of what was happening to Elena spread, people began to discuss differing
opinions about them. During this time, an extraordinary event took place which caused Elena
to be known to many people far and wide. This phenomenon was to occur every year until her
death.
Elena receives the Crown of Thorns and the Stigmata
On the First Friday in March about 3:00 pm in the afternoon, while lying in bed due to the cancerous pain in her left shoulder, and while reading the ninth Friday in honor of St. Francis of Paola, Our Lord appeared to her in a white garment and wearing a crown of thorns. On being assured of her consent, Our Lord removed the crown from His Head and placed it on Elena’s head. Then a large quantity of blood started to flow. Our Lord told her that He wished her to suffer for the conversion of sinners and for the many sins of impurity. He wanted her to be a victim in order to appease Divine Justice.
One day, a family servant named Rosaria was about to leave the house when she heard wailing
from Elena’s room. When she went into the room she saw Elena covered in blood and thought
that someone had killed Elena. She ran to tell the family. The family, on seeing so much blood
but Elena still alive, called the Doctors and several Priests. Upon arriving, the doctor tried to stop the blood, but it kept oozing out of her head. Then at last, after three hours it suddenly stopped.
Everyone was confused and badly shaken. The next Friday the doctor came again and saw the
exact same thing take place. Her Confessor thinking it might be religious obsession took her
Crucifix away from her and forbade her to read any books about the Passion of Jesus. Despite
this it occurred again. The mother, at the request of her son a doctor, came to visit Elena and
wiped some blood from her forehead with a handkerchief. She folded it because she thought
it was contagious and presented it to him so for examination. When the doctor opened it, the
handkerchief was completely clean and the doctor converted and was baptized as a result.
Elena complained to Our Lord on account of the bleeding but Our Lord told her in a vision that
it was He who wished her to suffer as a victim for the sins of the world. She shouldn’t resent the
fact that her crucifix was taken away from her because it was present in her heart. As a proof
of this, He would give her a visible sign by making the wounds of His Passion to appear in her
body. Elena, whose body became one mass of wounds, was told by Our Lord on another Friday,
“You too must be like Me, because you are to be the victim for many a sinner and you must
appease My Father’s Justice for their salvation.”
my blood for the world and yet everything goes to ruin. Nobody pays any attention to its
countless crimes. See how bitterly I suffer for the wrongs and contempt I receive from so
many wicked and immoral people.” Elena replied: “And what can I do, my Jesus? Unless You
come in person, no one will believe me.” Jesus replied: “There are so many sinners whose
obstinacy is the determinant cause for My Justice. But, my child, don’t feel discouraged,
because you will see Me again about one o’clock, and tell your Confessor I will give him a
sign on Friday at 2 o’clock.” Having said this, He disappeared. Her Confessor finally became
convinced that the mystical phenomena was from Our Lord.
On the following Friday, in addition to the other wounds on her hands and feet, the wound on her side appeared. On Good Friday at noon the phenomenon commenced and at six o’clock a procession of the Passion was passing under her balcony. Elena was able to perfectly get up from her bed and view the procession in the sight of her Confessor which was the sign Our Lord gave to him. When the statue of the Corpus of Jesus was being carried under the balcony, Elena became once again unconscious with tears of blood dripping from her eyes. Some of the blood fell on the head of her sister Ida who then complained to Jesus about the heavy cross He had given to her family on account of the large amount of people calling on them and upsetting the peace of their home. The next night Ida had a dream in which Our Lord told her not to complain further because Elena was bound to suffer for many sinners. Ida understood that this was Elena’s mission and obeyed Our Lord’s wishes.
All of the extraordinary activity didn’t interfere with her duties as the new Foundress and
Superior General of a new Religious Community. No one was permitted to view her Good Friday
agony out of curiosity and on Holy Saturday, she resumed her work and responsibilities as if
nothing happened to her.
In addition to her physical sufferings she endured the bitter experience of humiliation because
people kept calling on “the holy nun who sweats blood” to help them with their important
business decisions.
Several times Elena foretold that she was going to be cured of the painful wound on her shoulder.
She told her Confessor, “…Jesus appeared to me saying: “My beloved daughter, do you wish to
get well or to go on suffering?” “My Jesus,” I replied, “one feels so good when suffering with
You. However, do whatever You wish.” “Well,” Jesus went on, “You shall recover, but I want
you to know that every Friday I shall permit you to be in a state of depression, so that you
may stay closer to Me.” So saying, He disappeared.
One day she was being helped to pull out the worms from her shoulder wound with splinters.
She endured the torture with great faith in St. Rita who she believed, without a doubt, would
cure her. But few people could believe it with her; after all she suffered this for three long years.
That night, St. Rita told her in a dream that she would be cured the next day at 3:00 pm. The
next day she was much weakened and had to be helped to be seated on the sofa in front of St.
Rita’s statue along with some other people. The people began the Rosary in front of the statue
and Elena could be heard in a voice hardly audible: “From your sanctuary of mercy, oh saint of
the impossible, and patron of desperate cases, do turn your eyes of mercy on me, and behold the
anguish overwhelming me, the misfortune and misery gripping me: for there is no other one I
may turn to. Withered is the source of my tears; even prayer is dying on my poor lips. Hope is all
that is left to me. O Saint Rita, powerful and glorious, come to my aid, and, in this direst need,
grant me the grace I beg of you! You have promised it to me: You must grant it to me. You must
not permit that I be called a liar!”
All of a sudden, Elena cried out, “I am cured, I am cured.” She showed the astonished but skeptical people her shoulder and it was perfectly sealed with only a scar remaining. St. Rita had kept her promise that she would be cured but that the pain would remain for the salvation of souls.
Becomes a Foundress
Elena eventually would meet a woman named Gigia who had come to seek her advice about a
religious vocation. She too had been discharged from an order because of an illness. They talked
and become close and Elena realized that Gigia would be called to assist her in the charitable
work she was beginning. At first Gigia was doubtful that Elena, an invalid herself would even be
capable to help others.
The miraculous intercession of St Therese of Lisieux
One day Elena went on a bus and was pondering where she was going to find the house she need
for her work. She had beseeched her patron saints and particularly St. Therese of the Infant Jesus. A young Carmelite nun walked on the bus and the two struck up a conversation. The nun asked her if she was looking for a house. Elena, thinking it was one of the sisters in the area, kissed her hand and told her how hard it was to find one. The nun smiled sweetly and said, “Come, I will show you the house.”
When they got off the bus, the nun pointed to a balcony and said the woman has an offer of 260 lire but will take 250 from you. When Elena looked back at the nun, she noticed there was an unusual glow around her and then saw a bouquet of roses cascading from the crucifix in her hand. Suddenly the nun faded away and Elena recognized that she was speaking to St. Therese of Lisieux and full of excitement went to speak to the landlady. Everything was exactly as St. Therese had said. The landlady accepted the 250 lire. Elena told the Archbishop and he suggested that Elena name their first house in Cosenza after St. Therese.
It is not clear exactly when Elena officially became as religious sister but from this point on we
refer to Elena as Sister Elena. Sister Elena and Sister Gigia settled into their new house. They
began their apostolate which was to offer religious instruction to the children in their district who
had been neglected. Their zeal was great to extend their work everywhere and so one day Sister
Elena went into a protestant church assembly and in the presence of the minister exhorted the
people to return to the Catholic Church. They sisters’ zeal resulted in having sinful marriages
validated, children baptized and older people were helped to finally receive Holy Communion.
Together they succeeded in converting a 14--old rascal who was reputed to be known as “Ciccio the Thief” to become converted, live a fervent life and to die a holy death at a young age.
Their work was developing so rapidly that they were forced to look for a new home. The sufferings of Sister Elena continued and Sister Gigia had no choice but to lock Sister Elena in the attic at times to keep her away from the attention of the people who knew about her extraordinary happenings. Even the police, after pleading with the Archbishop, were not permitted entry.
It was suggested to the nuns that it might be to their advantage to move to another larger house. The house was poor and only had one piece of furniture.
Sister Elena fulfilled her duties calmly and with great faith, supernatural charity and complete
trust in God’s providence. Sister trained the ladies who were to join her community and selected,
as the distinguishing mark, the charity of St. Francis of Paola, with the emblem of the Passion of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and named her Institute “Sister Minims of the Passion of Our Lord.”
The number of little orphans climbed to 26 and two more aspirants came to the order. A woman
doctor demanded that an investigation be made of the “woman with TB who was boarding old
people and little abandoned girls”. Upon examination of the situation, the accusations were found
to be without warrant and completely false.
St Therese makes more appearences
One time St. Therese of the Infant Jesus appeared to several of the little ones who were praying
while sewing in the work room. Sister Elena rushed downstairs to the shouts, “We have seen the
Carmelite Saint!” Upon arriving, Sister Elena too saw the saint smiling at her.
Sister Elena was at the time reciting the Office of the Blessed Virgin from the second page of her prayer book. Suddenly she spotted a 50 lire bill between the prayer card of Our Lady of Sorrows and that of St. Teresa. She was positive that nothing of the kind had previously been in her prayer book as she had recited the very same prayer, on that very same page, on the previous evening.
Anyway, after Mass and after handing the 50 lire bill for the day's needs, Sister Elena with all the girls went back to the Chapel, and there within earshot, she prayed to God to let her find another 50 lire in her prayer book at the same place as an unquestionable proof that the first 50 lire had not been forgotten by someone, but that they were actually the gift of Divine Providence. During the day, some of the bigger girls and even one or two of the Sisters went searching through that prayer book which had been left at its place. In the evening, when the Community assembled in the Chapel for the evening prayers, while the "Confiteor" was being recited, the same kind of a fragrance as in the morning was felt. Elena got greatly excited. She didn't dare open her prayer book, but passed it on to Sister Teresa to do so. Sister obeyed and there were the additional 50 lire between the two prayer cards, at the same place. In the white circle there was a green handwriting, 50 + 50 = 100 with some letters of the Greek alphabet.
The following morning Elena related the incident to her Confessor, Canon Mazzuca, who insisted on looking at the 50 lire banknotes-No. 01670 and 0039. However, the inscription on the white circle had completely disappeared. Father Benjamin Mazza, who wished to retain those banknotes, exchanged them with one for 100 lire, which is now in the possession of Blessed Elena’s Community.
God protects His children
and forced her to go begging through the town. One day this scoundrel was just about to sell his
own daughter for 30 lire when Sister Elena overheard them bargaining and notified the Counselor across the street to ask for his help. The two bargaining men suddenly vanished leaving the little girl alone. Sister Elena promptly took her home and was ordered by the district attorney to keep the girl despite any possible protest from her father which in fact did happen when he tried to forcibly abduct the little girl. Sister Elena however was successful in wresting her from his hands.
The sisters endured many trials which is the lot of all saints-in-the-making. Once again Sister
Elena dreamed of her house being quarantined during an epidemic and it happened. However,
everyone was eventually able to return to the house and resume their routine work.
Sister Elena’s order admitted more aspirants and after having gone to Rome she obtained the
necessary approvals for her Order according to the steps required for the process. Her sufferings
increased with greater intensity. During that time people succeeded in getting into Elena’s room
to uncover her “occult powers”, “diabolical plots”, and “fake events”. People, the kind you
never find inside a church or never praying before the altar, often met in the sacristies for the
sole purpose of spreading gossip and detraction to try and belittle her Institute and to connect her to some sad incidents that had caused pain to the Monsignor and Archbishop. The Archbishop advised Sister Elena to file a lawsuit against the lead defamer. But the defamer made a full confession to the Archbishop and asked for Sister Elena’s forgiveness who withdrew the lawsuit.
However, afterward another Shepherd was confronted with more grievances and accusations
against that “encroaching Nun who loved to pass as a saint and preyed on the people’s good
faith to the harm of other Institutes as well as by her phenomena by the distribution of St.
Rita’s concoctions and by her subterfuge of so-called girls’ welfare”. The Archbishop listened
benevolently to Sister Elena and decisively put an end to the stealthy maneuvers and upheld the
rights of truth and justice.
The Graces of God -Miracles of Divine Providence
Divine Providence always came to the aid of Sister Elena who often did not have the money to
pay for things. She humbled herself and sought help from benevolent persons and begged of
her creditors to be patient and understanding. One time the electricity was cut off due to lack
of employment. Elena went to the company’s office and asked for understanding and the director
ordered the current to be restored with an order that Sister Elena “was not to be disturbed”
anymore due to lack of payment.
Sister Elena used the money for the day’s needs and then went back into the chapel and prayed aloud in front of everyone for another 50 lire as a sign that it was indeed from Divine Providence and not left by someone else and it happened again in the same book.
Another time they prayed to the great saint St. Joseph for assistance; for a payment was due
for some oil. The exact amount arrived needed to pay for the oil. On another day bread was
needed for the Institute. It was suggested to sister to buy it on credit. Sister already had credit
on the books for a long time and didn’t have the courage to do it. She came home empty handed.
At mealtime there was no bread and so she prayed. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. A
municipal guard delivered 36 kilograms of bread to them that had been picked up as a result of a
violation that morning.
On another occasion the little orphans told her that pasta was the only food in the kitchen. Sister
Elena caressed them and led them to the chapel saying, “Just pray and you will see that God
will provide.” Within a few minutes Sister Elena was sent for because the City Questor had just
brought in 18 kilograms of fish. On the way back to the Institute, Sister Elena told the officer the
story who was amazed and even more so when he saw the little orphans in the chapel still praying for the same intention.
All through the years the Institute continued to experience a mingling of setbacks, hardships, triumphs, uncertainty, growth and trials of all kinds that besets the life of any new community but it was all sustained by God and the leadership of that “extraordinarily suffering but dynamic woman.” Finally after interminable waiting, Sister Elena received the joyful news from
Rome that her Institute of Sister Minims of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ was now a Congregation of Pontifical Right. But the trials still didn’t end here. There was an attempt to undermine Sister Elena’s authority as Mother General and to get her into early retirement and replace her with an inexperienced nun. The sisters were deeply hurt by manifold indignities heaped upon Sister Elena. Despite Sister Elena’s own hurt, she continued to maintain her virtue and the discipline and harmony of the community.
There was also an attempt to deny that their official recognition had any importance. The greatly distressed, bedridden Mother General arose with difficulty and on behalf of her community strenuously fought back against the constant barrage of absurd defamations campaigning against the community. She expressed her desire to journey to Rome to inform the Holy Father himself of what was happening. She was able to meet with Cardinal Montini, the Vatican Secretariat of State who was to become Pope Paul VI. He graciously listened to her appeal at her bedside in Rome and he promised to present her petition to the Holy Father himself and encouraged her “to trust in God and patiently endure whatever He disposes for her sanctification and the performance of His Work”. It was determined that the Institute was far more than a simple congregation of diocese right.
To be Continued...
NEXT: Prophecies & Revelations
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