Fr. Bob Kus 
Paulina was born Amabile Lucia Visintainer on December 16, 1865 in Italy to a poor Catholic family. When she was almost ten years old, Amabile’s family moved to Brazil with many other people from their village.
After she received her First Holy Communion at the age of twelve, Amabile devoted much of her time in her parish serving as a catechist, visiting the sick, and cleaning the chapel. These things she did in addition to working hard in the fields to help her poor parents.
When she was almost 25-years old, Jesuit missionaries in the area encouraged Amabile to consider Religious life. With this encouragement, Amabile and her friend left home to live in a small cottage. There, they cared for a woman who had cancer and began a new life dedicated to helping the sick and the poor. This turned out to be the beginning of a new Congregation of Religious Sisters called the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1895, Amabile received the approval of the Church for her new Congregation and took her vows as a Sister. She took the name Paulina of the Suffering Heart of Jesus.
In 1903, Sr. Paulina moved to Sao Paolo when her Jesuit spiritual director moved there. Her Congregation flourished and grew so much that many houses of the Order had to be established. As the Founder of the Order, Sr. Paulina was the superior until 1909. In 1909, however, there was some problem that developed between the local archbishop and the Congregation. As a result, Sister Paulina was ordered to step down from being the Superior of the Order she had founded and become a simple Sister. Though this must have been very hard for her, Sr. Paulina did so with obedience and great humility. From 1909 until her death in 1942, Sr. Paulina served by caring for poor elderly people.
By the time Sr. Paulina died on July 9, 1942, her Congregation had 45 houses throughout Brazil, and by 1980, it had 105 houses with over 600 members.
In 1938, Sr. Pauline’s health began to fade from diabetes. In two operations, she lost a finger and then lost her entire right arm. She lived the last months of her life totally blind. On July 9, 1942, she died saying, “God’s will be done.”
Paulina was canonized on May 19, 2002. St. Paulina’s feast day is July 9.
