Daughters of the Crucified of Saint Mary Magdalene

DAUGHTERS OF THE CRUCIFIED OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE. - In 1836 the priest Giovanni Quilici, parish priest of Livorno, gathered several women into a pious association to give shelter to endangered and abandoned young girls, to offer a retreat to penitents, and also to perform charitable work for girls of every class through Christian and civil education. Meanwhile, with the support and financial help of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the College of St. Mary Magdalen had arisen for the education of young girls. The first associates of Quilici went to this Institute.

The administration and direction of the work were held by a representative of the civil government, called the "operato." It was the increasingly progressive interference of these operai in the internal affairs of the association that gave rise to other branches of the F. del C. In fact, some associates, having gone to Florence to the Institute of St. Francis and St. Mary Magdalen, declared themselves independent in 1853, and so did others who had gone in 1880 to Fauglie, in the diocese of S. Miniato. This branch, free from all civil interference, had greater development and obtained pontifical approval on 28 Sept. 1882 and 2 March 1906. On 14 Dec. 1922 the Sacred Congregation of Religious decreed the union of the branches of Livorno and Florence; and on 12 July 1927 it approved the union of all three branches. Thus united, the Institute obtained in 1839 the temporary approval of its constitutions, which were definitively approved on 2 Jan. 1946.

Today it has a little more than 20 houses with about 200 nuns.

Giulio Mandelli