Interview with Sr. Maria Donata Reboldi, Abbess of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception in Albano

Unceasing prayer for the Pope

At the heart of the Church, immersed in unceasing prayer for the Successor of Peter, following the way of life traced by Saint Clare of Assisi. This is the mission of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception in Albano, a cenobitic community located in the splendid setting of the Papal Villas. On July 15, the community had the joy of welcoming Pope Leo XIV, who visited the monastery. In this interview for the website www.vaticanstate.va, Abbess Sr. Maria Donata Reboldi speaks to us about this encounter.

What struck you most about Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit?

The Pope’s coming to our monastery was a great gift for us.
What struck us most was his paternal tenderness, his simplicity and humility, with such a kind and human attitude. In him, one perceives very strongly the mystery of God’s presence. It is clear that he is a man who has found peace and conveys great peace. He is a man of great human depth, shown in his attentiveness to each sister, from the eldest to the youngest; he did so with a smile, with his gaze, with an attitude of attentiveness and listening.
He also told us that, as an Augustinian, he has always felt the importance and beauty of contemplative life. We were overjoyed when he explained why he had come to visit the monastery. He said that it is important for the Church to know about our vocation. Without contemplative life, he added, the Church cannot move forward; it needs us, our prayer, our witness — from the youngest to the most experienced. He also stressed how important it is to know about our life and to be able to pray with us, since our participation in the mission of the Church is very significant. For us, this was truly encouraging.

Your monastery is closely linked to the Popes. Do you feel you have a particular mission of service to the Successors of Peter?

Yes. First of all, because our monastery, founded in 1631 by the Venerable Sr. Francesca Farnese, came into being at the same time as the Popes began using Castel Gandolfo as their summer residence. Thus, the fact that we live within the Papal Villas situates us within the broader reality of the Vatican. We feel, as the Popes themselves — especially Paul VI — used to say, that we are “at the heart of the Church.” For us, this is a privilege, a great gift, and also a strong commitment of prayer and offering, particularly for the Pope, who today is Leo XIV.

What memories do you have of previous papal visits to your community?

Every sister would have her own story to tell. Throughout history, we have welcomed many papal visits — from the recent one of Pope Leo back to his predecessors.
Of Pope Francis, what impressed us was his attentiveness to fraternity. I recall that the first time he came to us, he arrived with his entourage. He stood at the door of the chapter hall, let the sisters enter, and then said extra omnes — literally — closed the door and remained alone with us. It was a truly beautiful and extraordinary meeting!
Pope Benedict XVI visited the monastery, though not during his pontificate - he invited us instead to the Apostolic Palace of the Papal Villas on September 15, 2007. He came to us after his resignation from the Petrine ministry. The first time was on Holy Thursday evening, March 28, 2013, when we celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper together. In that moment, I understood that he was offering his life to the Church, just like Jesus. It was a very powerful sign! He later visited us twice more: on July 10, 2015, for First Vespers of St. Benedict, and on March 19, 2017, on his Saint’s name day. These were figures of great human and spiritual depth, combined with profound humility.
Regarding John Paul II’s visits, we can say that they were moments of profound spirituality, with many joyful and unique memories…
We can affirm that we have not only received visits from Popes, but from “holy Popes.” Even Giovanni Battista Montini [later Pope Paul VI], then Substitute of the Secretariat of State, was sent by Pope Pius XII to visit the monastery after the bombing of February 1, 1944, which killed 18 sisters. On that occasion he made a prophecy that was fully fulfilled: when he would return among us, he would see the community renewed with new and numerous vocations. And so it was, because he returned in 1971 as Pope, and the community had indeed been renewed. His prophecy came true.

You mentioned the tragic bombing of February 1, 1944, which destroyed much of the monastery and killed 18 nuns…

At that time, the community numbered about 30 sisters. In that bombing, 18 sisters lost their lives — the youngest among them. That day, the abbess sensed that something terrible was about to happen and gathered the entire community in the choir to pray the Divine Office. When they heard the air-raid siren, they began to flee to take shelter in an inner cave that served as their refuge. The younger sisters ran faster, and when the plane dropped the bomb, it struck precisely those who were ahead of the others. The sisters who died were between 24 and 30 years old. The surviving community consisted only of the older sisters.
This tragedy must be read at its origin. It arose from an offering of life the sisters had made. Indeed, when Pius XII, on October 31, 1942, consecrated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he asked all consecrated persons to offer their lives for peace, in union with the Eucharistic sacrifice. The sisters accepted his invitation and, at the end of their retreat on December 8 of that same year, they made a vow to become victims for world peace.

How do you commemorate the sacrifice of your Sisters each year?

Every year we celebrate Mass on the anniversary, during which we remember by name the 18 sisters who died. Some were pulled alive from the rubble, among them Sr. Maria Chiara Damato, who continued to offer her life and later died of tuberculosis in 1948. Hers was not the only offering. The monastery was reborn in the sign of this gift of life.

You mentioned Sr. Maria Chiara Damato. What legacy did she leave you?

First of all, her holiness was born in the ordinariness of daily life, where she found the right opportunities to live the Gospel faithfully, making her life a gift of love for the life of the Church. In particular, she prayed for vocations and for priests. She was a reflection of the luminous spiritual atmosphere that the community always sought to live. Hers was not an isolated act, but the tip of the iceberg of a whole reality surrounding her. In the monastery chronicles, we find notes on the lives of various sisters, often ending with the remark: “died in the odor of sanctity.” Sr. Maria Chiara Damato is the figure who stands out from this dimension of holiness that the community lived then and still strives to live today.

What is your connection with the Papal Villas?

There is a beautiful relationship and collaboration, which is not limited to the Papal Villas themselves but extends to the Governorate of Vatican City State.
With the officials, directors, and employees we share moments of prayer and fraternity. We are deeply grateful to the various Presidents of the Governorate who have succeeded one another over the past decades — most recently Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and, in particular, the current President, Sr. Raffaella Petrini. One of the most important bonds with the Vatican reality is our prayer, which becomes a daily offering for the mission of all those working in the Papal Villas and the Governorate in service of the Holy Father and the Church.

You produce handcrafted olive-wood items. How did this passion begin, and how do you practice it daily?

Working with olive wood is something beautiful that we are passionate about, and we do it to support the community. But not only that — it also becomes an opportunity to share with the poor the fruit of this work. In fact, besides offering our prayers for missionaries, we share with them what we have. The beautiful thing, as St. Clare teaches us, is that the work of our hands is a grace that allows us to participate in creation itself — to feel that the hands of human beings and the hands of God intertwine in a single gesture of creation.
Recently, we also had the joy of donating San Damiano crucifixes and various artworks for the new nursery that the Governorate opened for employees’ children. Besides being dedicated to St. Francis and St. Clare, it is meaningful for us that some of our objects are present there as a concrete contribution and as a sign of our prayer for the little ones who attend the nursery and for their families. It is an opportunity for us to express affection and prayer for the Governorate, by which we feel protected.

What type of wood do you use?

All our craftwork is in olive wood. We sell these items, which can be seen on our website and also in the display at the monastery’s porter’s lodge.
On this note, during our recent meeting with Pope Leo, we gave him an icon of Christ Pantocrator created for him and crafted on olive wood.