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Photo by
Sr. Jean Raspolich, mpf
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History
 Beginnings
 he Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini was founded by Lucy Filippini and Mark Anthony Barbarigo, who had much in common - both were of noble families; both were interested not only in education, but also in the social apostolate. Mark Anthony Barbarigo lived during a period of cultural decadence, a period when false doctrines and practices, such as Jansenism and Quietism, flourished. The social, religious, and moral conditions were extremely sad. Chief among the causes for these conditions were the paganizing influence of the Italian Renaissance; the lack of necessary formation for the clergy; the scandalous conduct of the ruling princely families; the ignorance and worldliness of priests and religious. Poverty was foremost among the many cultural and socio-economic problems existing in Italy in 1692. This was a heritage from an italy dominated and divided, having meager resources. It was a period of regression, of epidemics, of wars and calamities. A new era was rushing in, overcoming the old, and a robust Christian-catholic culture would come forth and face the illuministic innovations of both religious and social life.
With ecumenical and prophetic discernment, Cardinal Barbarigo and Lucy Filippini looked ahead to fulfilling their generous, ardent and profound mission of faith and charity. The schools they founded were intended to promote the dignity of womanhood and help influence a healthy family life. Mark Anthony Barbarigo lived during a period of cultural decadence, a period when false doctrines and practices, such as Jansenism and Quietism, flourished. The social, religious, and moral conditions were extremely sad. Chief among the causes for these conditions were the paganizing influence of the Italian Renaissance; the lack of necessary formation for the clergy; the scandalous conduct of the ruling princely families; the ignorance and worldliness of priests and religious.
Poverty was foremost among the many cultural and socio-economic problems existing in Italy in 1692. This was a heritage from an italy dominated and divided, having meager resources. It was a period of regression, of epidemics, of wars and calamities. A new era was rushing in, overcoming the old, and a robust Christian-catholic culture would come forth and face the illuministic innovations of both religious and social life. With ecumenical and prophetic discernment, Cardinal Barbarigo and Lucy Filippini looked ahead to fulfilling their generous, ardent and profound mission of faith and charity. The schools they founded were intended to promote the dignity of womanhood and help influence a healthy family life.
Cardinal Barbarigo's vision was superior to that of his contemporaries. He saw the ever-growing need for Catholic education and knew that women would be the instrument to transmit culture and tradition. He placed Lucy in charge of the education of young women. Besides teaching them Christian doctrine, she embarked on a revolutionary Innovation - reading and writing for the poor! She impressed her own style and methodology on the schools and, with the Cardinal, prepared the first nucleus of Teachers. To complement the work of the schools, they conducted classes of conferences for women in order to strengthen their faith, to encourage them to pray, to meditate, and to perform good works. Teachers were also prepared to minister to the needs of the poor and the sick, bringing them physical relief and spiritual strength. The social apostolate was an extension of the classroom. History records the dynamic response a rebirth of Christian living and value-centered education. Among the characteristics of the Catholic Church in the United States in the twentieth century have been the extraordinary development of the Catholic school system and the increasing place of prominence of the Italian-American community in American Catholic life. In examining the roots and causes of this growth, one cannot ignore the work of education begun by Lucy Filippini under the guidance of Cardinal Barbarigo in Montefiascone, a small, seventeenth century town in Italy. Two hundred years later, Ninetta Ionata, under the direction of Archbishop Walsh, was responsible for much of the impressive contribution of Italian-American Catholics to the life of the Church in New Jersey.
Through their role of evangelization, the zealous efforts of the Religious Teachers Filippini helped preserve Catholic values among the Italian immigrants. This website is dedicated to the founders of the Religious Teachers Filippini. In schools throughout the world, one still finds their methods at the basis of education - that same imprint of goodness, meekness, fervor, and relationship to the times. They are accomplishments that will live on through a spiritual dimension in the mystical Body of the Church.
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Life of St. Lucy Filippini
  ucy Filippini was born on January 13, 1672 in Corneto-Tarquinia - a city that existed centuries before Rome was built. She had not yet reached her first birthday when her mother died and was buried in the Church of San Marco. Her father, whom she loved dearly, also died six years later and was buried in the Church of Santa Margherita in Corneto. Now orphaned, Lucy went to live with her aunt and uncle. As a child Lucy would prepare small altars and pray devoutly. It was soon clear that she possessed a precocious intelligence, an inclination toward the spiritual life, and a modesty that was truly angelic. Her vision was set on God. Notwithstanding her aristocratic upbringing, she always conducted herself with modesty and its practice.
At times Lucy would seek for a serene atmosphere in the nearby Benedictine Nuns' Monastery of Santa Lucia where the daughters of the nobility were educated. Lucy visited frequently, drawn there by her desire to be among those whose lives and goodness she admired. It was here that she received her First Communion. Here, too, Lucy received the spiritual nourishment of which she never had enough and listened attentively to the explanations of the divine mysteries. The grace she felt can be understood from the joy and enthusiasm expressed later as she led and instructed others. Desirous of penetrating the innermost meaning of the truths brought by Christ to mankind, she showed in her speech and her understanding a wisdom beyond her years. She spoke with much fervor, and her words of compassion and love brought tears to the eyes of her companions. They were a prelude to Lucy's future mission.
When Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo made his first pastoral visit to Corneto, he made a lasting impression on Lucy and she followed him to Montefiascone. Entrusting herself to the Cardinal's guidance, Lucy was eager to leave behind all worldly things. Lucy had a special devotion to Our Lady, her spiritual mother, and throughout her life her deep love for Mary and her faith sustained her when Cardinal Barbarigo's plans were to be implemented in his dioceses. He had envisioned her as a key factor to bring about a rebirth of Christian living. He had already begun by establishing a seminary where young priests might study and train for the ministry of the Word.
The next step was to develop a Christian conscience and encourage the practice of virtue in the home; this he resolved to do by opening schools for young ladies, particularly the children of the poor, in whom he saw hope for the future. Lucy would head the schools they founded to promote the dignity of womanhood and help influence a healthy family life. Together they looked ahead to fulfilling their generous, ardent and profound mission of faith and charity. In 1692, teachers were trained to staff the rapidly expanding schools.
The young ladies of Montefuscione were taught domestic arts, weaving, embroidering, reading, and Christian doctrine. Twelve years later the Cardinal devised a set of rules to guide Lucy and her followers in the religious life. Fifty-two schools were established during Lucy's lifetime. As the Community grew, it attracted the attention of Pope Clement XI who, in 1707, called Lucy to Rome to start schools, which he placed under his special protection. Here she completed the work of founding the schools.
To complement the work of the schools, Lucy and her Teachers conducted classes and conferences for women, who were strengthened in their faith as they took part in prayer, meditation, and good works. Her focus for the social apostolate was to encourage her Teachers to minister to the needs of the poor and the sick. Her method of teaching attracted widespread attention.
History records that Saint Paul of the Cross was 'pleased to discover, even in the most humble villages, small and fervent centers of spiritual renewal where...the Religious Teachers kept alive the flame of faith, a wholesome fear of God, and an appreciation of educated life.' Lucy's spiritual and educational adventure resulted in countless conversions through the gift of grace. The social apostolate was an extension of the classroom. She testified that the young ladies were the coordinating element that underlies family life: 'Having learned in school those things that were necessary, they repeat them to parents and relatives at home and thus become so many young teachers.'
Lucy died at sixty years of age, March 25, 1732, on Feast of the Annunciation For three centuries the example of Christian womanhood that marked the lives of her Teachers and students was recognized by Holy Mother Church. In 1930, Lucy Filippini's saintly life was adequately acknowledged. Not only was she officially declared a Saint of the Church, but she was given the last available niche in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. The Institute, which bears the name of Lucy Filippini, owes its birth to the solicitous good shepherd who loved schools and to the holy teacher who committed her entire life to the educative-apostolic mission.
This mission initiated by the Cardinal and Lucy 300 years ago, continues today through the schools and the Religious Family to which they gave life. Its mission has spread beyond Italy into Europe, the United States of American Brazil, Ethiopia and India.
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Cardinal Barbarigo
hroughout his life, Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo was consumed by the love of Christ. He literally despoiled himself of his own belongings to take care of the poor. He lavished his attention on the elderly, the incapacitated, and the sick. In times of disasters - the earthquake of 1695 and the epidemic that devastated the Venetian fleet - Cardinal Barbarigo's gentleness and charity reached heroic proportions when he opened his residence to the victims, providing beds, doctors, medicine, and becoming their pastor, nurse, and loving father. Barbarigo's strength was drawn from his regimen of intense prayer and recollection. In the solitude of retreat, he wrote, "Being a bishop consists in serving people, helping the poor, weeding out vice, implanting virtue and wiping away scandal at the cost of personal suffering and persecutions, at the cost even of one's life."
 He was the good and watchful shepherd of his flock - the saintly shepherd who spent himself for his flock. When advised to moderate his activities, he would invariably reply, "A bishop who does not die with crozier in hand is not a good bishop." While he was generous with others, Cardinal Barbarigo was thrifty and disciplined, and he resolved that 'not a cent be spent for his comfort.' Detached from his relatives, he would often say that his 'income was the property of the Church' and could not be distributed except to the poor. With utter disregard for his own needs, he used his entire patrimony to provide for the Seminary, for the poor, and for the Religious Teachers, He used to say that "it is a Bishop's glory to die with nothing to his name."
Love of God and love of neighbor were so powerful, so singular and outstanding in Cardinal Barbarigo as to set him apart as an extraordinary man in a critical and decadent age. He taught that age how to practice the commandment of love. Cardinal Barbarigo believed, as did Lucy Filippini in the educational merits of the school, and he shared her labors, concerns, and successes. In the corrupt society of those times, the schools assumed a role that was uplifting as well as educational. Young ladies and women were renewed in spirit and became a leaven of Christian life among their contemporaries. He made his Teachers increasingly aware of their mission as educators in the Faith, instructing them and encouraging them to persevere. He was their spiritual father and guide. With the example and the stimulus of this saintly shepherd, Lucy's schools became light to the intellect and fare to the will.
Word of Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo's saintly death on May 26, 1706, spread far and wide. People hastened to Montefiascone to offer homage and extend tributes of affection as they prayed to their saintly leader and father. Excitement filled the air. People spoke of miracles which were recorded. The consensus was that they had lost their protector and friend. Cardinal Barbarigo was a great citizen, an ingenious organizer, a seventeenth century apostle who belongs in the company of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Charles Borromeo.
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Expanding the Mission
 aint Lucy expressed her great desire for the work of evangelization: 'As for me, I long to be present in every corner of the earth to be present everywhere and plead with all peoples of every sex, age, and condition: Love God! Love God!'
Regarding missionary activities on an international level, the Religious Teachers Filippini of the Province of Saint Lucy not only have representation at the Generalate in Rome, but also help staff the foreign missions, where the work of evangelization and human promotion continues. On February 20, 1921, Pope Benedict XV addressed a group of Religious Teachers Filippini before their departure for the United States: '...like the Apostles, you will be able to sow seeds of evangelical truth, of culture and of Christian education.'
In 1954, Pope John XXIII asked them to help him keep his promise to dialogue and collaborate with the poor in Brazil, to train catechists, to assist them spiritually and materially. The Religious Teachers Filippini responded to the Holy Father's plea. They went to Brazil, exchanged ideas and experiences and cared for the spiritual and physical needs of the poor, thanks to the generosity of so many mission-minded individuals. Saint Lucy responded with generosity to the Lord, who called her to be a missionary. Today her daughters bring the Gospel to many lands and witness with their lives to God's all-embracing love. Their missionary labor extends to Brazil, Ethiopia, and India, where they serve God's poor with dedication through varied apostolic activities. Numerous have been their works both educationally and socially.
In the newest mission in India, they conduct a literacy program, teach Christian doctrine to children and adults, visit families, distribute food and clothing, assist the aged and abandoned, visit lepers and perform basic tasks of charity helping the poor spiritually, materially, and financially. They are totally involved and concerned with spreading Christianity. The record shows that the establishment of the American foundation of the Religious Teachers Filippini in the United States must be attributed to the combined efforts of Archbishop Walsh and Mother Ninetta. Little did the founders dream, when they started schools in 1692, that their followers would soon spread from Europe to South America, Africa and Asia.
In the United States, there are two Provinces: Queen of Apostles and Saint Lucy Filippini, with schools in Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The Sisters in the Province of Saint Lucy minister in ten Dioceses and two Archdioceses. A woman of vision and great faith, Mother Ninetta was a born leader. She drew many priestly and religious vocations to the Church; she shouldered enormous responsibilities with courage and strength of spirit. As spiritual mother and leader, Mother Ninetta never failed to exhort the Religious Teachers to holiness; she never tired of speaking of God, of the marvels of His glory, of love for one another. In the face of suffering, she proved to be a true spouse of Christ and a passionate lover of the Pontifical institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini.
 Under the guidance of Archbishop Thomas Joseph Walsh, the Religious Teachers flourished in New Jersey. Not only did he see the great gifts of education which they would share with his diocesan family, but he saw also that vast numbers of immigrants from Italy needed to feel at home here so that they would continue to identify with the Catholic Church. Archbishop Walsh was aware that women have always been good missionaries. Indeed, ltalian-American religious personnel were essential to work with the hundreds of thousands of Italians arriving on our shores. Archbishop Walsh was the new Cardinal Barbarigo, His love for the Sisters and his dedication to their welfare is truly one of the great stories of episcopal vision in the history of the Catholic Church in America.
Many thousands of people have been touched by the Religious Teachers Filippini. They have fulfilled the vision of Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo who, in October of 1704, summarized the motto and vision of his life when he said to the Religious Teachers: 'The Church of God is not a restful garden but a working vineyard.' Lucy Filippini lived by those words and so have her daughters. We thank God for the hundreds of Religious Teachers whose lives and loving service have graced the world. We pray that Lucy's vision will grow stronger and more vivid in the years ahead. For three centuries, the Popes have blessed the Religious Teachers in a special way. Pope John Paul II our present Pontiff, congratulated them 'for the educational and evangelical work that has been accomplished, and continues to be performed. ' In 1910, Saint Pius X invoked the Archangel Raphael to accompany them in their service to the Church in America, May he continue to grant them the consolations of a blessed apostolate!
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American Pioneers
 t the command of Pope Saint Pius X, the first five Religious Teachers arrived in the United States on August 17, 1910. Their destination was Saint Joachim Parish, Trenton, New Jersey and their mission was to serve the neglected Italian immigrants. When they arrived in Trenton, they were greeted with the jubilant sounds of a marching band accompanied by over 1000 parishioners! However, conditions in the scantily furnished convent were unbearable, and they struggled to provide food for themselves. Yet, they registered children in the kindergarten and first grade, and the doors of the school opened, on September 5, 1910. Later, when the immigrants' needs lessened, the Religious Teachers continued to staff schools for all children, regardless of race, nationality, or creed.
Sister Ninetta Ionata was the youngest of the five missionaries who spoke their language, understood their customs, and cherished their traditions. And she was undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable characters of the twentieth century! Born and raised among the Abruzzi mountains in Guglionesi, Campobasso, Italy, Ninetta had an inclination to consecrate her life to God, Not knowing any religious congregations, she wrote to various communities with the intention of entering the first one to respond. The Pontifical Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini was the first to answer her request. Soon after, with- out any hesitation, she entered the Motherhouse in Rome.
Two years later Pope Pius X sent her to the United States of America.  On the 8th of December 1908, Ninetta received the habit of the daughters of Saint Lucy. When asked if she would be ready to go to America, Ninetta answered with the words that were to characterize her life: '…if I am sent, I will do God's Will.' And God willed that she should leave her native land to forge a path for the work of Saint Lucy in the United States. Marked by daily sufferings, deprivations, and even rejection, and despite the discouragement of her companions, Ninetta's spirit proved undaunted. She was determined to carry out the mandate of the Holy Father to evangelize the Italian immigrants in the environs of Trenton. She had complete trust in Divine Providence. Her vision and her faith in the goodness of every person led her to work with new impetus. She taught in the classroom and directed Saint Joachim School, visited families, cared for the poor, and brought solace to the sick. She is recalled with fondness and reverence by those who were fortunate to be her students and those who were privileged to know her.
 Upon the return of the Superior to Rome in 1916 Sister Ninetta was appointed to replace her. Endowed with the necessary qualities for leadership - persistence, good will, and hard work - she willingly accepted the challenge. She urged the Sisters to seek out the destitute and the sick and to assist them during the 1917-18 Spanish influenza epidemic. They served as nurses for the afflicted and provided hot meals for them. Under her administration, the Sisters extended their apostolate by giving catechetical instruction to the young and old in nearby centers.
Within a period of 50 years, through her efforts, the small band of five Religious Teachers numbered 500 and the children of Italian immigrants whom they taught were over 50,000. For the American Province of Saint Lucy Filippini, the year 1954 was a memorable one. Sister Ninetta was elected Superior General with residence in Rome. She soon realized that it was time to spread her missionary spirit elsewhere, so she established a foundation in England. Several years later, on the Golden Jubilee of her Oblation, December 8, 1958, a chronicle of her staunch faith in God and her accomplishments was published, with the title Five Decades: Epoch of an Apostle.
The 1960's witnessed the consolidation and expansion of the entire Institute: a mission center, in answer to the appeal of Pope John XXIII, was opened in ltaberaba on the outskirts of Sâo Paulo, Brazil (1961); a nursery in Basel, Switzerland, for the children of Italian workers was established (1962); a 'pensione' to assist visitors on pilgrim- age to Rome was renovated (1962). In fact, it was Mother Ninetta who implemented Lucy's desire to be in every corner of the earth. It was she who began foundations in England, Ireland, and Switzerland. She willingly fulfilled Pope John XIII's request to bring the Good News to the poor of Brazil. There she revived hope and brought relief to the poverty-stricken areas and founded a flourishing, spiritual and educational center and it was there that she spent the final ten years of her life, working among the underprivileged.
The General Chapter of 1966 bestowed on her the title of Mother General Emerita. She joined the Brazilian mission, which she had recently established, and continued her role of leadership. Mother Ninetta Ionata died in Brazil, September 29, 1976. She is buried there in Sâo Paulo, Most appropriately, Monsignor John Abbo, in praise of her accomplishments, wrote in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, 'we must not forget or underestimate what burned within her and gave content and form, impetus and color to her ideas, her words, her actions: a clear, staunch faith that 'moved mountains' and let her pass untangled 'per ignem et acquam', an unshakable conference in God - and indirectly, in the potential goodness of every human being - which alone can explain such daring and resolution in a woman absolutely indifferent to earthly ambitions and greed.'
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Archbishop Walsh
ister Ninetta's dream of a successful mission came true when she met Bishop Thomas Joseph Walsh. Born is Parker's Landing, Pennsylvania, he was ordained a priest in 1900, and soon became Chancellor of the Diocese of Buffalo. On May 10, 1918, Pope Benedict XV appointed him Bishop of Trenton. Aware of his interest in the Italian immigrants in Buffalo, Sister Ninetta sought his help for the struggling Religious Community in Trenton. Within three days of his installation, Sister Ninetta and her companions arrived at the residence of the Bishop to request an appointment.
While waiting for the secretary, they saw the young Bishop in ecclesiastical robes descending the staircase. He noticed the two Sisters and went directly toward them, speaking in Italian: "Siete voi le Maestre Pie Filippini, le Suore Italiane?" (Are you the Religious Teachers Filippini, the Italian Sisters?) Bishop Walsh took pride in recalling that the first congratulatory telegram he received was from them, and graciously led them to the reception room where they conversed for several hours. Sister Ninetta had prepared a memorandum on their rules, their foundress, and the history of the Institute.
Toward the end of the discussion, Bishop Walsh asked them about their living conditions. When he heard that they had to carry their chairs from one room to another, he immediately handed Sister Ninetta a bill and said: 'Buy a few chairs as soon as possible.' The bill was folded in such a way that she could see only a zero. She recalled having seen a zero on a ten-dollar bill, but this one was different. As the Bishop continued speaking, she fumbled with the bill, curious to know the meaning of that zero.
The suspense was unbearable! After receiving the Bishop's blessing, and bidding him good- bye, she unfolded the bill. When they left the residence, she looked. Yes, she had guessed, It was not a ten-dollar bill -it was a one-hundred dollar bill which she had never before seen! Instead of walking that day, the Sisters celebrated by taking the trolley car home! Deeply impressed by her enthusiasm, Bishop Walsh found in Ninetta the providential solution to his own dream of spiritual and educational assistance for the Italian immigrants of his diocese. Just as Saint Lucy collaborated with Cardinal Barbarigo in the inception of a new work in the Church of Montefiascone, Mother Ninetta, together with Bishop Walsh, labored to build the City of God in the New World.
  ishop Walsh pledged himself to found a Motherhouse for the Sisters. On September 15, 1920, feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, he set out for an appointment with James Cox Brady, a prominent New York financier who, at that time, was not a Roman Catholic. The Bishop explained his earls and hopes for the advancement of the Religious Teachers Filippini. Mr. Brady responded with unequaled generosity - the sum of $50,000 for The immediate purchase of the beautiful Fiske estate, which was named Villa Victoria in memory of his wife, Victoria Mary Perry Brady. Located seven miles northwest of Trenton on the banks of the Delaware, the property is considered an historic landmark because it includes the original home of John Scudder, in whose honor Scudder's Falls was named. The house was built before 1770, and has been occupied since pre-Revolutionary days. Today it is a Spiritual Center surrounded by beautiful shrubbery and inspirational shrines where the Religious Teachers Filippini conduct retreats and seminars for the general public.
Bishop Walsh's transfer in 1928 from Trenton to Newark brought both joy and sorrow to the Religious Teachers. However, he soon undertook to transfer the Motherhouse to his diocese. He acquired Tower Hill, the picturesque Gillespie estate on the outskirts of Morristown for $125,000 and named it 'Villa Lucia.' On February 16, 1930, Villa Lucia became the center for all activities, while Villa Victoria continued to serve for the training of young ladies aspiring to the sisterhood. Spiritual development and scholastic achievement joined forces in the gradual growth of the Religious Community.
On January 27, 1940, at the end of a concert in honor of Archbishop Walsh's 40th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Sister Ninetta announced that 'Villa Lucia' would henceforth be called 'ViIla Walsh.' When Archbishop Walsh died on June 6, 1952, the diocesan newspaper of the Newark Archdiocese, the Advocate, called him 'an apostle of Catholic education and of charity, who saw the need for Italian Sisters to educate the growing Italian population. He sponsored the Religious Teachers Filippini and has been proudly recognized as their American founder. He was a man of strong faith, broad vision, keen intellect, generous heart, and inflexible will.
Archbishop Thomas Joseph Walsh lived his motto, "Funda Nos in Pace." The story of the collaboration of Archbishop Walsh, first archbishop and metropolitan of the Province of Newark, with Mother Ninetta recalls their tremendous achievement and profound humility. Today their efforts have spread to other missions and other lands.
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