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Mother Pia cherished the life of prayer that had formed her early years…most especially the Prayer of the Church.
The Eucharist and Prayer of the Church were her soul food. She believed in the power of that prayer to shape our hearts and enable us to grow into the call to live and serve in Jesus Christ. She knew if we were not rooted in God, if what we did, did not flow from God’s love and spirit, it would not be sustained…and it would not bear fruit.
Mother Pia was a woman with no illusions of grandeur. She was neither a charismatic woman, nor a rebel or a mystic. From early on she was fragile of health, prone to homesickness and bouts of depression. Yet she had a profound impact on our world through her commitment to education, evangelization, and promoting peace and justice.
Mother Pia missioned Sisters to Germany in 1901 and sent Sisters to study in Europe to assure a strong foundation for the congregation. She traveled to Mexico in 1909 to establish the first Catholic school in Mexico City. She wrote about sending Sisters to the Philippines and China to continue her dream of establishing sound, excellent educational institutions wherever they were most needed.