‘From despair to serenity’: The Italian nun saving women from human trafficking
Sister Carla Venditti of the Sacred Heart of Jesus helps women and girls who are victims of human trafficking. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Giulio Gargiullo CNA Staff, Dec 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). Some women, forced into prostitution by violence, desperation, or false promises, line the streets of Rome and Abruzzo at night — until they see a nun, dressed in a habit, offering them a way out. “Ten years ago, I felt a calling within a calling,” Sister Carla Venditti told CNA. “I felt that God was calling me to something beautiful. I had to go out onto the streets because he was waiting for me there in the faces of the least among us.” Venditti, of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , lives in Avezzano, Italy, and is known as the “anti-trafficking nun.” She goes out into the streets, ministering to women and girls who are being trafficked. Along with her fellow sisters and other volunteers, Venditti helps victims rebuild their lives. Starting anew with love “I look forward to Friday evenings so I can enter the world of nightlife,” said Sister Lucia Soccio, another Italian nun from the same order who has worked with Venditti on the streets for about 10 years. “Bringing light, love, and hope to places where it is difficult to talk about these things is a very profound mission that changes you from within,” Soccio said. Together, along with other nuns and volunteers, Venditti and Soccio offer a home for women in need. Wearing a habit helps, they said, but it takes time to build trust — and escaping human trafficking is difficult as exploiters manipulate, threaten, blackmail, and harm victims, even taking away their passports and documents. The women who are ready to accept support are brought to a shelter in Abruzzo, the “Oasi Madre Clelia,” or the Oasis of Mother Clelia. “The invitation to change one’s life comes only after many encounters where friendship and trust are formed,” Soccio said. The sisters commit to taking care of victims throughout their day-to-day lives as they heal and rehabilitate. “We have chosen to be a family to the people who come to us, and so everything is more demanding,” Venditti said. “Let’s start anew with love — this is the driving force behind our mission.” We give our simple lives “What drives me to do everything is the awareness that human beings need to feel God’s mercy in their lives through our humanity and sensitivity and, above all, the need to not be judged,” Venditti said. By night Venditti reaches out to trafficked women; by day, she helps those in the oasis readjust. Somehow, she still finds the time to sell handmade items at marketplaces to help fund their work. “We have formed an association: Friends of the Oasis of Mother Clelia. We have a bank account where we receive donations,” Venditti said. “We entrust ourselves to providence and, with our work — markets, linens, and calendars — we strive to make a living out of it.” Venditti has even written a book — “The Rebellious Narcissus” (“ Il narciso ribelle ” in Italian) — for young people. “What gives meaning to our mission is knowing that we do it for God,” Venditti said. “Every day we give our simple lives to give strength to those who do not have it.” Since her calling 10 years ago, Venditti’s work has grown. The sisters have expanded their reach, working with many different kinds of people in need. “Ten years have passed, and today we welcome anyone who wants to be welcomed and accompanied: from abused young women to trans people to the poor,” Venditti said. “On the street we have met several people who are transgender and have become friends with them,” Soccio added. The sisters help people in a variety of ways. “Often they have asked me for practical help, such as taking them to the hospital, the police station, etc., because they have no one else to help them,” Soccio said. “We help them in whatever way we can, but above all we have formed a relationship of friendship and trust that brings us joy and inspiration every time we meet,” Soccio continued. God does not forsake his children The violence, humiliation, and suffering that the people they work with have experienced “breaks my heart,” Soccio said. “It is very painful to hear about these experiences and realize how we human beings can become evil and malicious if we have not experienced God’s mercy,” Soccio said. To women who are suffering, Venditti says: “God does not forsake his children.” “We must have the strength and courage to trust and to know that the sky is not always cloudy, but that there is sunshine for everyone,” Venditti said. “Life is wonderful, and we must embrace the new possibilities that God gives us.” “There are many stories that accompany our mission, but what strikes me most about these girls is the transformation of their faces, of their lives: from despair to serenity,” Venditti continued. Working with the women has helped strengthen Venditti’s faith. “My faith has grown stronger ever since I have been close to them,” Venditti said. “They help me to live it because, after all, how can we live the Gospel if we do not confront ourselves with others — with the weaknesses and fragility of our brothers and sisters?”
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