VaticanNews portal reports on Sister Maria Atília Collet, a Brazilian member of the International Consolata Family, who at 81 years of age welcomes pilgrims in Roccaporena, Italy—the birthplace of Saint Rita of Cascia (1381-1457). The article, written by Andressa Collet, a relative of the nun, describes the sister’s daily life of prayer, her work of evangelization in Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Mozambique, and her devotion to Saint Rita, the “Saint of Impossible Causes.” While the article presents elements of genuine Catholic spirituality—prayer, forgiveness, sacrifice, and missionary zeal—it simultaneously operates within the framework of the post-conciliar Church, raising questions about the theological integrity of the structures to which this nun belongs and the spiritual fruits of a mission conducted under the authority of antipopes and modernist hierarchs.
The Authentic Catholic Elements: Saint Rita and the Life of Prayer
Before proceeding to a critique of the conciliar context, it must be acknowledged that the article contains elements that resonate with authentic Catholic spirituality. Saint Rita of Cascia is a genuine saint of the Church, canonized long before the modernist revolution. Her life of prayer, forgiveness, and suffering is a testament to the power of grace. The description of her climbing the mountain to pray for the conversion of her criminal husband, her perseverance in the face of familial bloodshed, and her charity towards the sick—all these are acts of heroic virtue that the true Church has always recognized.
Sister Maria Atília’s daily practice of opening the church at 5:30 in the morning to pray for the deceased mother of the journalist is a work of mercy, rooted in the doctrine of purgatory and the communion of saints. The article states: “This is where I pray for your mother… From the day I arrived here, I open the door at 5:30 in the morning, and praying for your mother comes naturally.” This is a practice consonant with the faith of our fathers, who understood that the living can assist the dead through prayer, sacrifice, and the offering of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Furthermore, the emphasis on Saint Rita’s life as one lived “close to the crucifix” points to the centrality of the Cross in the Christian life. The saint’s prayer for her husband’s conversion, her forgiveness of those who killed him, and her endurance of suffering are all fruits of union with Christ Crucified. These are not novelties of the post-conciliar era but perennial truths of the Catholic faith.
The Post-Conciliar Framework: The “International Consolata Family” and Mission Under Antipapal Authority
However, the authenticity of these spiritual practices does not exist in a vacuum. Sister Maria Atília is identified as a member of the “International Consolata Family.” The Consolata Missionaries, like virtually all religious orders operating under the authority of the conciliar structures, have been profoundly affected by the modernist revolution following the Second Vatican Council. The question that must be asked is: Under whose authority does this nun operate? What is the theological and spiritual framework of her mission?
The article states that Sister Maria Atília has worked in Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Mozambique, spending over 15 years in the latter. It notes: “They asked me if I was available to come here. I have never chosen my destinations.” This obedience to superiors is, in itself, a virtue—but obedience to whom? If her superiors are members of the conciliar sect, then her mission is conducted under the authority of antipopes, beginning with John XXIII and continuing through Leo XIV (Robert Prevost). The entire apparatus of the post-conciliar Church—its religious orders, its missionary societies, its pilgrimages—has been reoriented towards the goals of the modernist revolution: ecumenism, religious liberty, the cult of man, and the democratization of the Church.
The article makes no mention of the true state of the Church after 1958. There is no reference to the apostasy of the conciliar “popes,” the invalidity of the new “Mass,” the heresies of Vatican II, or the duty of Catholics to resist the modernist takeover. The nun’s mission, however personally edifying, is embedded in structures that have systematically undermined the integral Catholic faith. As Pius XI declared in Quas Primas, the reign of Christ the King extends over all nations and all aspects of society, and the Church demands full freedom and independence from secular authority. Yet the conciliar Church has surrendered this freedom, aligning itself with the spirit of the world and the errors condemned by Saint Pius X in Lamentabili sane exitu and Pascendi Dominici gregis.
The Devotion to Saint Rita: A Genuine Saint in a Corrupted Church
The article’s focus on Saint Rita of Cascia is commendable inasmuch as it directs the faithful to a canonized saint whose life exemplifies the virtues of prayer, forgiveness, and perseverance. However, the post-conciliar Church has a long history of instrumentalizing the saints to promote its modernist agenda. The question is whether the devotion to Saint Rita, as practiced within the conciliar structures, retains its authentic Catholic character or has been diluted by the spirit of the age.
The article describes Saint Rita as “a truly great woman, a very special saint,” and emphasizes her role as a model for young couples: “The interesting thing is that even today, this house welcomes young people who come to spend nights in prayer on the eve of their wedding.” This is admirable, but it must be asked: what is the content of the catechesis these young couples receive? Is it the unchanging teaching of the Church on marriage as a sacrament, indissoluble and ordered towards the procreation and education of children? Or is it the post-conciliar relativism that has led to the admission of divorced and “remarried” persons to “Communion,” as endorsed by the apostate Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Amoris Laetitia?
The article also mentions the “Augustinian Sanctuary of Saint Rita” as Roccaporena’s “spiritual hub.” But what is the state of the Augustinian order today? Like all religious orders, it has been infiltrated by modernism. The liturgy celebrated in such sanctuaries is almost certainly the Novus Ordo Missae, the “Mass” promulgated by the heretic Paul VI, which the conciar sect itself admits is a departure from the theology of the Traditional Latin Mass. The pilgrimages organized under the auspices of the conciar Church are, at best, exercises in religious tourism; at worst, they are occasions for sacrilege, as the faithful are led to receive “Communion” in a rite that lacks the proper form, matter, and intention of the true sacrament.
The Silence on the True State of the Church: The Gravest Omission
The most serious deficiency of the article is what it does not say. There is no mention of the true state of the Catholic Church after 1958. There is no warning that the conciliar structures are in the grip of apostasy, that the “popes” who have occupied the Vatican since John XXIII are manifest heretics, and that the faithful have a duty to seek the true sacraments from priests who operate outside the conciliar framework.
The article presents Sister Maria Atília’s mission as unproblematic, as if the Church were still the unchanging pillar and ground of truth. It quotes her as saying: “I feel truly happy. People who meet me tell me that I radiate happiness, so I must thank God.” But happiness in the service of a heretical system is not a virtue—it is a danger. As Saint Robert Bellarmine teaches, a manifest heretic ceases to be Pope and head of the Church, and those who knowingly remain in communion with him participate in his rebellion against Christ. The nun’s personal holiness, however genuine, does not sanctify the structures she serves.
The article also fails to address the question of the validity of the sacraments administered by priests ordained under the new rites. The 1968 ordination rite, introduced by the conciliar sect, is gravely suspect, and many theologians have argued that it is invalid. If this is the case, then the “Masses” celebrated by Sister Maria Atília’s confreres, the “Confessions” she hears, and the “Anointings” she administers are null and void. The faithful who place their trust in these pseudo-sacraments are, in effect, practicing a form of idolatry, mistaking human rites for divine mysteries.
The Missionary Zeal of the Past vs. the Missionary Confusion of the Present
The article contrasts Sister Maria Atília’s missionary work with the great missionaries of the past, who went forth to convert pagans and heretics to the one true faith. Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Isaac Jogues, and countless others suffered and died to bring souls to Christ and His Church. Their missions were conducted under the authority of true Popes, with the true Mass, and with the unchanging doctrine of the faith.
Sister Maria Atília’s mission, by contrast, is conducted under the authority of antipopes, with the new “Mass,” and with the confused doctrine of Vatican II. The article states that she has worked in Mozambique for over 15 years, but it does not specify the content of her evangelization. Did she preach the necessity of baptism for salvation? Did she teach the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Did she condemn the errors of Protestantism and Islam? Or did she promote the post-conciliar gospel of “dialogue,” “ecumenism,” and “religious liberty”—the very errors condemned by Pius IX in the Syllabus of Errors?
The article’s silence on these questions is deafening. It presents the nun’s work as a simple matter of “welcoming pilgrims” and “listening to their prayers and gratitude.” But the Church was not founded to make people feel comfortable; it was founded to save souls. As Our Lord declared: “I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). The true missionary does not merely listen; he teaches, corrects, and commands repentance. The conciliar missionary, by contrast, has been reduced to a social worker, a therapist, a facilitator of “encounter”—all in service of the modernist agenda.
The Duty of Catholics: Reject the Conciliar Sect, Seek the True Church
The article, while containing elements of genuine Catholic spirituality, ultimately serves as a window into the post-conciliar Church’s strategy of presenting a façade of holiness while systematically undermining the faith. Sister Maria Atília may be a woman of prayer and goodwill, but her mission is conducted within structures that are in rebellion against Christ the King.
Catholics who desire to follow the example of Saint Rita of Cascia must do so within the true Church—the Church that has preserved the Traditional Latin Mass, the unchanging doctrine of the faith, and the authority of the true Popes. They must seek out priests who have not been corrupted by the conciliar revolution, who celebrate the true Mass, and who teach the integral Catholic faith. They must reject the false ecumenism, the religious liberty, the cult of man, and all the other errors of the modernist Church.
As Pius IX declared in Quas Primas, the reign of Christ the King is not optional; it is a duty. States, societies, and individuals must publicly recognize and obey Him. The conciliar Church has refused to do this, and in so doing, it has forfeited its claim to be the true Church of Christ. Catholics must not be deceived by the outward appearance of holiness in the conciar structures. They must seek the truth, wherever it may be found, and cling to it with all their strength.
The life of Saint Rita of Cascia is a testament to the power of prayer, forgiveness, and union with Christ Crucified. Let us honor her memory by living the faith she professed—the faith of all ages, unchanging and eternal—and by rejecting the modernist counterfeit that has usurped her Church.
Source:
In the footsteps of St. Rita: A Brazilian woman on mission in Italy (vaticannews.va)
Date: 26.05.2026