Sister Maria Costanza Panas is Beatified

“She gave herself to God and for Him to all, always believing in His love.”

In the Catholic church, Beatification is the process that precedes canonization as a Saint and occurs when the pope declares someone Blessed.  Last fall, Sister Maria Costanza Panas, a Capuchin Poor Clare, was declared Blessed by Pope Francis.

Many Capuchin nuns, friars, and priests attended the ceremony that took place in the Cathedral Basilica in Fabriano, Italy. The celebration just happened to take place on the very first anniversary of Mother Maria Lorenza Longo’s beatification. Mother Lorenza Longo was integral in the formation of the Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters and was venerated on October 9, 2017. Blessed Maria Panas was elected to the Capuchin Poor Clare Federation for the central provinces in the 1950s.

Her life was truly defined by her faith. At a young age,  Maria had made a unique “vow of the pen” where she proclaimed that she would not write anything unless it was for Christ. She leaves behind an abundance of letters, meditations, treatises on her spiritual life, as well as commentaries on the Psalms and the Gospels and the pen she used is a relic. Her writings are already being used as inspiration for her sisters and will allow her story to live on for years to come.

Blessed Maria Costanza was born Agnese Pacifica Panas on January 15, 1896. She passed on May 28, 1963, after a prolonged illness. She lived in the monastery in Fabriano from 1917 to 1963. She is said to have welcomed anyone who came to the monastery doors.

“May Blessed Maria Costanza help us to always be trustful in God and welcoming toward our neighbor, ” said Pope Francis.

Her tombstone was inscribed with the words “She gave herself to God and for Him to all, always believing in His love.”

Although he had never met her, Padre Pio described Panas as a “beloved creature of God” whose holiness would “shine like a star”.