Montaldo Torinese (Italy). On 5 December 2025, the Municipality of Montaldo Torinese, in Piedmont, approved the establishment of scholarships for deserving female students residing in Montaldo Torinese, in memory of Blessed Maddalena Morano.
Born in Chieri, Turin, on 15 November 1847, Maddalena Morano taught as a laywoman in the town’s elementary school for twelve years. In 1866, she arrived in Montaldo Torinese as an elementary school teacher, initially in girls’ schools and then in boys’ schools, considered more demanding on a disciplinary level. In a short time, with authority and dialogue, she wins the esteem and trust of the students and the town. In 1878, she responded to the call to religious life and was welcomed in Mornese by Mother Mazzarello. In 1879, she made her First Religious Profession in the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
“The great work of evangelization of Blessed Sister Maddalena Morano took place mainly in Sicily. Here in Piedmont in Montaldo Torinese, she left a great memory but was “just passing through”. From when, with the Sisters of Mary Help of Christians and the Municipality of Ali Terme, we signed a Friendship Path in the name of this extraordinary Sister, every year on the anniversary of her Beatification, we remember her works together.”
These are the words of the Mayor of Montaldo Torinese, Sergio Gaiotti, a Salesian Past Pupil, who explained the choice of naming the scholarships as follows:
“For us, it is more difficult – given the assumptions indicated above – to get her message of attention to the younger generations, particularly the one she had towards poor, fragile girls. For this reason, we wanted to make a call for applications for a scholarship in her name for a deserving university student from our Municipality.”
The Minutes of the Municipal Council read:
“By supporting the best talent, scholarships not only foster individual growth but also invest in collective progress, creating a generation of conscious professionals, researchers, and citizens ready to contribute to the well-being of the community and the advancement of the disciplines in which they specialize. In this way, scholarships are not only an economic aid, but a long-term investment in the future of society itself. The figure of Sister Blessed Maddalena Morano represents for the local community an example of educational dedication, social commitment, and Christian testimony of great civic value.”
The Minutes also express the Municipal Administration’s desire to: support and encourage the right to education of deserving students and/or family members experiencing financial hardship, and to promote, through cultural and educational initiatives, the principles and moral legacy that Blessed Sister Maddalena Morano has passed on to the Montaldese area.
The recognition for the 2026 scholarship award will be presented on the occasion of the commemoration of the anniversary of the beatification of Blessed Sister Maddalena Morano, in November 2026.
