In 1882, the Archbishop of Camerino, Mons. Felicissimo Salvini, invited the Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden to establish a community in Serra San Quirico. The proposal was warmly welcomed by Mother General Caterina Podestà, also because the new mission would be located along the road leading to Loreto, the place chosen by Mary as her dwelling and deeply venerated by the surrounding communities. Local tradition recalled this bond with great devotion: every year, on December 10th at midnight, the bells of the villages rang to greet the Virgin who had chosen to “take up residence” in those lands.
On October 18th, 1882, the Sisters arrived in Serra San Quirico and, on November 12th of the same year, opened a Kindergarten class, also beginning to welcome young boarders. Over the decades, the mission developed through various educational and social activities: the Kindergarten, the girls’ boarding school, and later the Nursing Home, created to respond to the evolving needs of the population. For many years, the Sisters offered attentive and generous service, deeply rooted in the Gianellian charism: dwelling within human need, becoming a response, and generating humanity through vigilant evangelical charity.
The parish community has always recognized the value of this presence. In his farewell message to the Sisters, Gianni Mazzoni expressed, on behalf of the entire population, heartfelt gratitude and affection for the work carried out over 144 years: the educational commitment, social activities such as the summer Grest, community celebrations, popular traditions, and the Sisters’ closeness to the elderly of the Nursing Home. These moments fostered a fruitful encounter among the population, the children, the residents, and the Sisters, creating deep and lasting bonds.
Along this long path of service, we wish to express special gratitude to Sister Clara and Sister Josefina, the last Sisters who made our charism present in Serra San Quirico. With discreet dedication, daily fidelity, and a constant attentiveness to the needs of the elderly, they safeguarded the spirit of the mission until today, becoming for the local community a reference point of kindness, closeness, and evangelical witness. The people expressed to them an affectionate and grateful farewell, recognizing the good sown through their simple and generous presence.
Today, the decline in vocations, together with the challenges related to age and health, has obliged us to withdraw the Community from this significant mission. The Nursing Home will not close: its management will be entrusted to the Medihospes Cooperative, chosen for the values that characterize it and for its attentive care of the person, both physically and spiritually. The Consortium will ensure, according to its Statute, the Catholic orientation of the mission, preserving the spirit that has animated it since its beginnings.
With deep gratitude, we remember all the Sisters who, since 1882, have served here, giving themselves “for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls,” never sparing effort in their ministry. We carry in our hearts the residents of today and those who have gone before us, confident that affection and prayer will continue to unite us.
We extend a warm greeting to the members of the Cooperative, with the hope that they may continue this mission—blessed by God and by Mary—for the good of the elderly and the serenity of their families.
