Enrica Rosanna

Sister
Enrica Rosanna
F. M. A.
Personal life
Born (1938-07-03) July 3, 1938 (age 86)
Busto Arsizio, Italy
NationalityItalian
Religious life
ReligionRoman Catholic
OrderDaughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of St. Don Bosco)

Enrica Rosanna F. M. A. (born 1938) is an Italian nun of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of St. Don Bosco), and a sociologist and author. She is the first woman and first nun in Catholic church history to hold a senior post in the Vatican, although others have followed.[1] She retired in 2011.[2]

Early life and education

She was born in 1938 in Busto Arsizio, Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese and archdiocese of Milan.[3] She took first vows in the Salesian Sisters of St. Don Bosco in 1964. In 1966 she received a degree in religious science in Turin at the l’Istituto Internazionale di Pedagogia e Scienze Religiose di Torino.[4] In 1970 she received a doctorate in sociology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Jesuits' university in Rome.[4]

Career

She became a professor of sociology and religion at the Pontifical Faculty of Education ("Auxilium") in Rome, run by the Salesian sisters, which is also the only pontifical institution dedicated to women's education.[5] She was president of the Auxilium from 1980 to 1998, and she is now professor emerita.[6] From 1970 to 1972 she was a guest lecturer at her undergraduate university in Turin. From 1973 on she became a visiting, associate, and full professor at three universities in Rome conducting research on religion in the service of pastoral care, including (besides the Auxilium), the Salesian Pontifical University, and the Pontifical Lateran University.[4]

In 1996 she became a member of the so-called "commission of sages" set up by Luigi Berlinguer, then Italy's minister of public education.[7][8] She was named an expert participant in three Rome synods in 1994 (synod for consecrated life), 1999 (synod for Europe), and 2001 (synod for bishops), and she came to know Pope John Paul II well because of this.[3] She formally received John Paul II when he conducted a papal visit of the Auxilium in 2000.[9] Before her appointment to high Vatican office, she served as rector of the papal faculty of education.[10] On April 24, 2024, John Paul II appointed her as undersecretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL).[11]

Publications

With Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, OSB she co-authored The Art of Leadership, a book its authors describe as focusing on "common mistakes that most people make and explain what it truly takes to become an effective leader in business, politics, school, and family life."[10] Originally published in Italian, it was translated into English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Polish.[12] She is also a well-published scholar of both articles and book chapters in her field of sociology.[13]

References

  1. ^ Capuzzi, Lucia (November 4, 2023). "Then the Women Came to the Curia". L'Osservatore Romano.
  2. ^ "The Art of Leadership". Benedictine Nuns of Jamberoo Abbey, Australia.
  3. ^ a b Cardinale, Gianni (October 1, 2007). "The Contribution of the Female Genius: An Interview with the Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life, the Highest Post in the Vatican Held by a Woman". 30 Days in the Church and the World (30Giorni).
  4. ^ a b c "Le Sfide della Vita Consecrata in Europa: Suor Enrica Rosanna FMA" (PDF).
  5. ^ Kaczynski, Edward (1978). "Review of Spiritualità dell'azione. Contributo per un approfondimento". Angelicum. 55 (3): 461. ISSN 1123-5772 – via JSTOR.
  6. ^ "Enrica Rosanna, Professor". Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences ("Auxilium"). Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Bonavoglia, Andrea (August 13, 1999). "Teaching and Multimedia, Work Diary". BTA: Telematic Bulletin of Art (192). ISSN 1127-4883.
  8. ^ "Curia Confermata L'unica Suora in Servizio". il Giornale (in Italian). May 11, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "To the teachers and students of the Pontifical Faculty of the Education Auxilium (May 19, 2000) | John Paul II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Wolf, Notker; Rosanna, Enrica (2013). Bollans, Sue (ed.). The Art of Leadership. Translated by BüchingerSchmid, Gerlinde. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-3810-1.
  11. ^ Allen, Jr., John L. (April 26, 2004). "Interview with Sr. Enrica Rosanna". National Catholic Reporter.
  12. ^ Plow, Gregory M. (2023). Leadership of 'Two Francises' for Our Current Age. Dissertations and Theses. Catholic University of America. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America. p. 13.
  13. ^ Rosanna, Enrica. "Google Scholar citations". Google Scholar. Retrieved December 25, 2024.