Sr. Maria Barbagallo, MSC, lived through some of the most turbulent times of the 20th century. Born in Italy during World War II and the reign of Mussolini, she became a Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus shortly before the Vatican II Council changed the focus of the Church and the orientation of its religious orders.

Sr. Maria spent the 1970s in Central America. It was a time of religious, political and tectonic upheaval. The Medellin Conference shifted Catholic work toward helping the poor and downtrodden. Earthquakes destroyed Guatemala City and Managua. Revolutions and dictatorships were tearing apart Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Clerics helping the poor were seen as communist sympathizers and were often arrested or murdered. When the Sandinistas overthrew the government of Nicaragua, the MSCs found themselves in a conflict between the Sandinistas, the Contra counter-revolutionaries and the virulently anti-communist papacy of John Paul II.

Sr. Maria went on to become the General Superior of her Congregation. In that capacity, she reinforced the option for the poor and guided the acceptance of Cabrini Lay Missionaries into the Congregation.

This is Sr. Maria’s story, in her own words. It’s a story of world history, personal discovery, and faith, a story that could be told by none other than this remarkable woman.