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 Photo of venerable blessed Maria Tuci. | |
| Martyr, Venerable | |
| Born | (1928-03-12)March 12, 1928 Ndorfushaz, near Rreshen, Albania |
| Died | October 24, 1950(1950-10-24) (aged 22) Shkodra Prison Hospital |
| Cause of death | Subjected to prolonged torture. |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | November 5th 2016, Cathedral of Shën Shjeftenit, Shkodër by Pope Francis |
| Feast | 24th October |
Maria Tuci was an Albanian laywoman and one of the 38 martyrs of Albania. She was tortured and killed by the communist regime of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha.
Life
Maria was born in the village of Ndorfushaz, near Rrëshen in Albania and was born into a devout Roman catholic family. Maria received her education at Stigmatine school and always had the desire of becoming a great servant of God. She loved her faith and considered being a nun.
After completing her education, she became an elementary school teacher and a catechist who tought her knowledge of the Catholic Christian faith to young children.
Arrest and martyrdom
On 10 August 1949, she was arrested by the sigurimi, an Albanian secret police force, and sent to a prison in Shkodër. She refused to comply with any of the demands and orders the officers had given to her and she was subjected to prolonged torture.
From all her brutal wounds and torture, she died on the 24th October 1950 at the age of 22 in the prison hospital she was placed in in Shkodra. She died with a rosary in her hand. Before she died, she said:
“I thank God because he gave me the strength to die free.”
Legacy
On the 26th April 2016, Pope Francis had recognised her heroic act and awarded her with the Roman Catholic title venerable. On the 5th of November 2016, she was beatified by Pope Francis in a ceremony held at the Square of the Cathedral of Shën Shtjeftenit in Shkodër, Albania. The mass was conducted by Cardinal Angelo Amato. Her feast day is on the 24th of October, on the anniversary day of her death. She is nicknamed “the modern Saint Agnes”
References
- ^ "Blessed Maria Tuci". saintforaminute.com.
- ^ McMillan, Nadine (April 1, 2018). "Saint of the Month for April is Blessed Maria Tuci".
- ^ "Blessed Maria Tuci honored and first-class relic venerated in USA – Dielli | The Sun". October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Albanian martyr a classic example of 'genius of women'". Crux. July 19, 2016.