Our History

The Apostolate of the Suffering has been serving the Church for over 78 years. It was founded in 1947 by a young Italian priest, Luigi Novarese, who lived and worked in Rome.

As a child of nine, Luigi suffered a devastating fall that left him gravely ill and completely immobile. Doctors diagnosed him with tubercular bone disease and placed him in a full body cast in an attempt to keep his legs straight. He was moved from hospital to hospital, yet his condition showed no improvement.

Despite his suffering, Luigi never lost hope.

From an early age, he had a tender and filial devotion to the Blessed Mother. This deep Marian spirituality would later become a defining element of his life’s mission. Though confined and in great pain, he prayed quietly and confidently, trusting completely in God and seeking the intercession of the Mother of God for healing.

At seventeen, after asking prayers from Fr.Filippo Rinaldi, of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, he experienced a sudden and complete healing on May 17, 1931. This profound grace shaped the rest of his life.

This profound experience of suffering, faith, and healing shaped the heart of his future priesthood and led to the founding of the Apostolate of the Suffering — a mission rooted in hope, dignity, and the redemptive value of human suffering.

Growth of the Apostolate

Following God’s call, Luigi Novarese was ordained to the priesthood. In God’s providence, he later met Sister Elvira Psorulla, who shared the same profound vocation to serve the sick and suffering. Together, they founded a new Apostolate — one that would invite those who suffer to live with courage and perseverance, to discover their dignity and purpose, and to accomplish something great for the Kingdom of God through their trials.

Msgr. Novarese opened a new horizon of hope for suffering souls. Through the Apostolate, the sick were invited to respond to the call of Our Lady at Lourdes and Fatima by offering their sufferings to God for the salvation of souls.

This beautiful message — that suffering has redemptive value and profound spiritual purpose — spread rapidly throughout Italy.

As the Apostolate grew, it became necessary to form a structured community to guide and support its lay members. In 1950, Msgr. Novarese founded the Silent Workers of the Cross (Silenziosi Operai della Croce – SODC), a religious family composed of priests, brothers, and sisters dedicated to serving the sick.

Over the past 78 years, the Apostolate of the Suffering has expanded beyond Italy to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Today, it offers spiritual assistance to suffering individuals in Italy, Portugal, Poland, Israel, Colombia, Cameroon, and the United States.

Missionary priests of the Silent Workers of the Cross continue to travel throughout the world, spreading devotion to Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother.

In the early 1980s, an Italian bishop, Constantino Luna, who had joined the Silent Workers of the Cross, brought the Apostolate of the Suffering to the United States, helping to establish its presence and mission there.

Msgr. Luigi Novarese entered eternal life on July 20, 1984. On May 11, 2013, he was beatified by Pope Francis, affirming the holiness of his life and the enduring spiritual fruit of the Apostolate he founded.

For more information, please visit the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Novarese

https://www.luiginovarese.org  (Top, under Italiano, chose Inglese)

Silent Workers of the Cross:

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/zenit-daily-dispatch-1938

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