About
The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts, operate Villa Divino Amore Preschool as an integral part of a Catholic educational program and also as a service to the general community, regardless of race, nationality, sex, or creed.
Villa Divino Amore Preschool and the sister school, Our Lady of Grace Preschool and Kindergarten School, fully comply with the educational regulations of the Diocese of Bridgeport. In addition, both facilities fully meet the legal and operational requirements of a Child Day Care Center of the State of Connecticut and are, therefore, licensed by the state. Both facilities maintain membership in the Southern Fairfield County Association for the Education of Young Children (SFAEYC), the Child Care Association of Stamford, and the United Way of Stamford.
In general, our school strives to provide a program and environment that educates the whole person. The program is designed to prepare, in every possible way, children from the ages of 3 to 5 for their years in elementary school. The program is conceived to make young children feel loved, secure, and self-confident and to be respectful to others.
The EMBLEM was designed by founder Father F. M. Greco. In the center of the crown of thorns is the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, one transfixed and mounted by a cross, the other pierced by a sword, both of them surrounded by flames.
Our History
Monsignor Francesco Maria Greco was the pastor of a poor but expanding parish in Acri, a town located in Calabria, Italy. In 1894, he petitioned several religious congregations to send Sisters to provide secular and religious education to the children of the town.
When every religious community refused his request, Monsignor Greco approached a devout catechist named Raffaella DeVincenti and asked her assistance in starting a new religious congregation. Together, Monsignor Greco and Sister Maria Teresa Devincenti founded the religious community known as Le Piccole Operaie dei Sacri Cuori – The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
From its humble beginnings in Acri, the work of the congregation spread rapidly throughout Calabria to Rome and northern Italy. Founded in charity and with a particular devotion to the poor, the congregation became actively involved in several apostolates – education (nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, high school), (university, and catechists); the staffing of orphanages and parish ministries; social work; and the care of the aged and the infirmed in hospitals and nursing homes.
In October 1948, nine Sisters left Calabria to begin a new apostolic mission in the United States. They came specifically to Stamford to expand their catechetical work… namely the formal education and spiritual development of young children and adolescents. Upon their arrival, the Sisters staffed Basil's Preparatory School as well as the bishop's chancery.
With God's help, the Sisters eventually established two educational institutions in Stamford – Our Lady Of Grace Preschool and Kindergarten in 1962 and Villa Divino Amore Preschool in 1989. Both of these facilities have provided a much-needed service to the local community that has particularly benefited the children of working parents. For close to 40 years, over 4,500 children have been educated in this loving and nurturing environment.
In addition to the efforts in our own schools, several of the Sisters are involved in religious education programs in local parishes in Stamford – Saint Benedict/Our Lady of Montserrat, Saint Maurice, and Saint John the Evangelist.
The Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts, have gone on to establish preschools and nursery schools in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Riverdale, Maryland. Internationally, they have opened convents across Italy and established missionary houses and novitiates in Argentina, Albania, and India.
In 2000, the Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts established a Formation House in Stamford – a residence dedicated to the spiritual development of candidates wishing to join the congregation. This facility also serves as a gathering place for special religious educational programs for area teens.
Our Founders
Venerable Monsignor Francesco Maria Greco
Francesco Maria Greco was born in Acri (Cosenza), Italy on July 26, 1857. While praying at the sanctuary of the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii, he sensed that he might have a calling to the priesthood, and from that moment, he offered his life to the Divine Providence, saying: "Lord of my life, I put all things in Your hands, my present and my future." These words became his motto throughout his life. With faith and courage, Francesco Maria Greco entered the Theological Seminary of Naples, and was ordained a priest on December 17, 1881.
Father Greco spent his life in Acri working among the poor and needy of Calabria and was always acutely aware of the social and economic difficulties endured by his people. He was particularly dedicated to ministering to the young. Recognizing the obligation both to nurture their faith and to provide for their human needs, he soon established a Catechetical School. This led to many activities that helped lift the hope and spirits of the poor, including the religious and secular education of the young and the care of the elderly and the sick. To address their human needs, Father Greco established Caritas Hospital, which offered assistance to the sick and gave a voice to the voiceless. On November 21, 1894, with the help of his sister, a dedicated young catechist, Raffaella De Vincenti, Father Greco founded a congregation of religious Sisters – "The Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts."
Consecrating his own life to Jesus and Mary, he always encouraged others to develop a love of and devotion to the Sacred Hearts. On April 11, 1924, Father Greco was awarded papal honors and was given the title, Monsignor, in recognition of his outstanding pastoral ministry. Monsignor Greco died on January 13, 1931, and his body is reposed in the Mother House of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts in Acri.
On July 7, 1940, Pope Pius XII granted pontifical approval to the Sisters, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts, allowing them to continue the charism of their founder and to expand their missions in Italy, America, Albania, Argentina and India. Recognizing his heroic virtues and example of Christian life, the Church started the process of canonization of Monsignor Greco on December 8, 1957. On April 19, 2004, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the name of Francesco Maria Greco as one of the Venerable of the Catholic Church.
Monsignor Greco left us the beauty of a simple and authentic life, lived in its intensity in Christ. He continues to intercede for us from above. We pray for his beatification and ultimate canonization.
Sister Maria Teresa (Raffaella) De Vincenti
Raffaella De Vincenti was born in Acri (Cosenza), Italy on May 1, 1872. She was the most dedicated catechist and later became the faithful collaborator of Msgr. F. M. Greco, at the Institute’s foundation, on November 21, 1894. Through her profession of the vows, of chastity, poverty, and obedience, Raffaella De Vincenti received the religious name of Sister Maria Teresa of the Sacred Hearts. She was the foundress, (1872-1936) of the very first Little Worker of the Sacred Hearts. Others soon followed as young women from Acri and nearby towns heard of the catechetical work to which she and Fr. Francesco had devoted all their energies. The Institute “…founded out of a spirit of charity, namely the love of God”, has as “its principal purpose catechetical instruction in parishes.” Through its apostolic works, this institute, gives witness to the charity of the Sacred Hearts directed in a special way to children and young people who are in need of human and Christian formation.
In May 1906, Sr. Maria Teresa De Vincenti received a private audience with Pope St. Pius X. On November 23, 1936, Sr. Maria Teresa De Vincenti died, and her body was reposed in the Mother House of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts in Acri.
Our Staff
Our staff includes the Sisters, Little workers of the Sacred Hearts, lay assistants, volunteers and professional consultants. The Sisters serve as Director, Head Teacher and Teachers. They have each completed all the requirements prescribed for Early Childhood Education and have many years of teaching experience in this particular field, both here and abroad. In addition, they continue to complete coursework and participate in workshops and lectures in order to continuously improve their knowledge base and teaching methods.
Volunteers are those parents and adults who meet state and medical requirements and who help the Sisters with classroom and field trip activities, the serving of lunches and snacks, and the supervision of playground activities. Qualified volunteers are always welcome at the School, and the Sisters are most grateful for their valuable assistance.
Special professional consultants include two doctors, a dentist, an educational consultant and a registered dietitian. As a supplement to the above-mentioned staff members, the state of Connecticut assigns a nurse and dental hygienist who make periodic visitations to licensed facilities such as ours. In addition, as its budget allows, the City of Stamford Health Department assigns a social worker, speech therapist and a child psychologist to make periodic visitations to all child care day facilities in the city.