Saint Maria Troncatti – Salesian Missionary of the Amazon & Saint of Service

ST. MARIA TRONCATTI

Maria Troncatti was an Italian Salesian religious sister who served for decades among the Shuar indigenous people in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest. Known as “Madrecita,” she worked as nurse, catechist and missionary, and died in a plane crash in 1969; she was canonised on 19 October 2025.

Maria Troncatti was born on 16 February 1883 in Corteno Golgi, in the Province of Brescia, Italy, into a large farming family. Growing up in the alpine environment, she received her First Communion at the age of six and attended catechism regularly. Reading the Salesian Bulletin inspired in her a desire for mission work. In 1908 she made her first religious profession as a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) During the First World War she trained in healthcare and served wounded soldiers with the Italian Red Cross. In November 1922 she was sent to Ecuador, to the Amazon region among the Shuar people, where she lived for over 40 years. There she not only provided medical care, including surgery, dentistry and nursing in remote jungle areas, but also evangelised, taught literacy, supported women’s dignity, opposed forced marriages, and built strong relationships with the indigenous community. She earned the affectionate name “Madrecita” from the Shuar. On 25 August 1969, while traveling by plane in Ecuador to attend a retreat, she died in a crash near Sucúa. Her body rests in the mission territory. The Church recognised her heroic virtues (declared Venerable 12 November 2008) and beatified her on 24 November 2012 in Macas, Ecuador. A second miracle attributed to her intercession was approved in 2024, paving the way for her canonisation on 19 October 2025.Her life stands as witness to missionary zeal, cultural respect, medical‑care in poverty settings, and the radical call to bring the Gospel into frontier regions.

Feast Day

25-8-

Birth Date

16-2-1883

Died Date

25-8-1969

Canonised Date

19-10-2025

Sucúa, Morona‑Santiago, Ecuador

“Lord Jesus Christ, grant me a missionary heart like Saint Maria Troncatti, ready to serve the poorest and bring your love in the most remote places.”
ST. MARIA TRONCATTI

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ST. MARIA TRONCATTI

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Anudina Visudhar (Malayalam) – Life of Saints for Everyday
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Saint Companions for Each Day
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