In 2026, the great Gianelli family celebrates with profound gratitude the 75th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli, our Founder. This anniversary is not only a historical commemoration, but also an opportunity to return to the heart of our identity and renew our desire to live our original vocation to holiness with greater fidelity.

Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli, born in the humble village of Cerreta, transformed his daily life into a path of dedication, service, and absolute trust in God. His canonization, celebrated in 1951, officially recognized the holiness of a man who dedicated his life to education, charity, and evangelization, especially among the youngest and most vulnerable. Today, seventy-five years later, his witness continues to illuminate our path and encourage us to live authentically the charism he sowed.

This anniversary invites us to pause, reflect on our history, and ask ourselves how we are living the call to holiness today. Gianelli reminds us that holiness does not consist of grand gestures or extraordinary actions, but rather in humble and persevering fidelity to God’s will. Therefore, his teaching resonates powerfully, as relevant as ever: “Holiness consists in doing the Will of God… The Lord looks at the heart, not at the words.” (Sermon on Holiness)

These words help us understand that holiness is a path possible for everyone, a path traveled in the everyday, in fraternal life, in simple service, in attentive listening, in silent prayer, and in the willingness to love. God looks at the heart: He looks at the intention, the commitment, the sincerity with which we seek to respond to his call.

Celebrating this 75th anniversary also means recognizing the richness of the charism that Gianelli bequeathed to us. His passion for education, his sensitivity toward the poor, his love for the Church, and his ability to understand the needs of his time continue to inspire our communities throughout the world. Wherever a Gianellina Sister serves, teaches, accompanies, or consoles, the spirit of Gianelli lives on.

This Jubilee Year is, therefore, an invitation to renew our mission. It impels us to live our personal vocation more deeply, to discern God’s will in every circumstance, and to make our lives a space where his grace can flourish. It calls us to be a presence of mercy, hope, and light in a world that so often experiences loneliness, fragmentation, and indifference.

May this anniversary be for all members of the Gianellina Family a time of grateful remembrance, inner renewal, and missionary boldness. May the example of Saint Anthony Mary Gianelli inspire us to live with an open and humble heart, knowing that holiness is built day by day, in the small, the simple, the quiet.

Cerreta: Silent Blossom of Grace

Cerreta, small and silent beauty,

Walking softly through the garden of life,

Where peace rises like the first breath of dawn

And every leaf whispers God’s gentle promise.

Cerreta loves the stillness of early morning,

When the sky is pale with newborn light.

She lifts her heart in prayer,

And the birds become her choir,

The rising sun her single, glowing candle.

In a quiet valley where the chestnut trees

Once placed humble food upon the family table,

A gentle Antony Gianelli looked to the heavens

A faithful soul, a heart of service,

Choosing each day to love, to hope, to give.

Along humble paths shaped by struggle, prayer, and grace,

He carried God’s compassion from this valley

To the forgotten and the small.

Antony Gianelli prayed through the darkest nights,

Holding a hope that never dimmed.

Cerreta carries in her soul

That same quiet seed of peace and trust.

He never sought the world’s loud praise,

Nor crowns of gold or earthly honor.

His strength was simple, pure, and deep

A heart poured out in humble service and faithful love.

Cerreta stands in holy stillness,

A living echo of Antony Gianelli’s trust,

A small, bright flame in God’s vast garden,

A flower of peace blooming in silence.

Years may pass, the world may change,

Yet grace endures like an eternal spring.

Antony Gianelli reminds our hearts

To walk gently, humbly, along God’s way.

Seventy-five years of shining light

A path of faith, a beacon bright.

From humble soil to heaven’s call,

His life has touched us all,

And the seeds he planted

Continue to blossom with radiant love.

Today, Antony Gianelli is remembered

As a man who transformed a simple village life

Into a journey of service, compassion, and hope.

He sowed mercy in the garden of the world,

And from those seeds a mission blossomed—

Unfurling like a banner of charity and hope.

That mission still lives, still breathes,

Carried through the passing days and years

By the sisters who walk in his footsteps,

Serving all with hearts wide open.

And at the center of it all stands Cerreta—

Silent cradle of a saint,

A tender valley where grace first took root,

And where the world learned

How quietly holiness can bloom.