Sister Tiziana

I am Sister Tiziana, born in Villarosa on 12 December 1948, daughter of Angelo and Santina, and sister to four brothers.
My childhood was rather peaceful, surrounded by my family and relatives.

At the age of 14, I left my hometown to attend upper secondary school at the “Signore della Città” Institute, where I obtained my Teacher Training Diploma in 1969 and… I decided what to do with my life!

I remained at the Institute as a postulant, convinced that if I had returned home, I would have encountered serious difficulties in obtaining my father’s consent.

I remember the day I entered the novitiate, it was the first of June, when one of the postulants was reading the life of St Philip Neri, and a phrase has stayed with me ever since, engraved in my mind and heart:

"Lord, hold on to Philip by the hair, or else he will run away!"

Unconsciously, I repeated the same words: "Lord, hold on to Anna by the hair, or she will run away!"

I began my teaching mission in 1972 and remained at the Institute for nine years. I was then transferred to Rome, to Via Nomentana, where I still reside today.

I owe my early human, moral, and spiritual formation to my parents, and above all, to one aunt in particular (like a second mother), who allowed me the freedom to follow my decision, even though it caused her pain.

From them I learned honesty, sincerity, love and respect for others, a sense of personal freedom, and the dignity that no one can take away.

Over the years, I have been graced and blessed to encounter special people who accompanied my spiritual journey with their example and wise counsel, helping me grow into the maturity needed to interiorise prayer, not merely prayers.

These experiences have deepened my capacity to draw closer to the Lord through others—loving them as brothers and sisters.
In short, they have helped me become who I am today.