April 25, 2025, marks a momentous tricentennial anniversary—300 years since Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa received the divine inspiration to begin a new women religious order in the Church. On this day in 1725, following the reception of Holy Communion, Sr. Celeste experienced a profound spiritual revelation: she was entrusted with a new Rule, divinely inspired, which she faithfully began to write over the course of a month.
This Rule was not merely a document—it was the spiritual blueprint for a new religious family in the Church, one that would come to live and witness the mystery of Christ in a unique and powerful way. Sr. Celeste, moved by the Spirit and with unwavering faith, composed the Rule with clarity and vision, anchoring it in prayer, discernment, and obedience to God’s call.
After several years of discernment, amid trials and perseverance, the Rule officially came into force on May 13, 1731. The Convent of the Visitation, a monastery in Scala near Amalfi, which had long been a place of silence and contemplation, was transformed into the home of the Redemptorist family, with the foundation of what we now know as the Redemptoristine Nuns (OSSR).
This 300-year journey is not only a celebration of a historical moment, but also a reminder of how a single soul’s openness to grace can radiate through centuries. Today, we give thanks for the legacy of Blessed Celeste—her courage, her obedience, and her burning desire to reflect the love and mercy of Christ.
Happy Anniversary to the entire Redemptorist family and all who walk in the spirit of Sr. Celeste’s Rule! May her legacy continue to inspire us to live the redeeming love of Christ in our time.
Fr. Sanjay Tirkey, CSsR.
Scala News
