TROIANI, COSTANZA DOMENICA. — In religion Mother Maria Caterina of St. Rose of Viterbo, foundress of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, formerly of Egypt, was born at Giuliano di Roma (diocese of Ferentino) on 19 January 1813 and died at Cairo in Egypt on 6 May 1877.
Educated in the monastery of St. Clare of Charity at Ferentino under the care of the Franciscan Sisters, she entered their Institute on 8 December 1829. Her ardent desire to go on mission led her to respond to the invitation of the Apostolic Vicar of Cairo, who sought religious for the education of girls. In 1854 she departed with a group of sisters, who, upon arriving in Cairo, settled at Clot-Bey and devoted themselves to schooling with universal satisfaction, so much so that further schools had to be opened. They were entrusted with the care of the Pious Work for the Redemption of Negro Girls, established by the priests G. B. Olivieri and B. Verri, and with that for abandoned infants. When the monastery at Ferentino no longer wished to send additional sisters and indeed had obtained full separation from the Egyptian mission, the Cairo group became independent and was erected as a community of the Regular Third Order of St. Francis. Maria Caterina devoted all her efforts to the new foundation, to drafting the rules and adapting them to local needs; for this reason she is regarded as the foundress of the new religious family. In 1885 she was able to open a house in Jerusalem as well. The universal sorrow at her death, the holiness of her life and the heavenly favours received led to the introduction of her cause for beatification on 23 June 1944.