María de las Maravillas de Jesús

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11 December
Attributeshabit of a Discalced Carmelite, holding the rule of the order

María de las Maravillas de Jesús, OCD (born María de las Maravillas Pidal Chico de Guzmán; 4 November 1891 - 11 December 1974), in some contexts known as Maravillas de Jesús,

Spanish Discalced Carmelite.[2] She founded several houses of her order and even set one up in India after serving a brief exile with other Carmelites due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.[3][4]

Pope John Paul II canonized her during his apostolic visit in Madrid in 2003.[5]

Life

María de las Maravillas Pidal Chico de Guzman was born as the last of four children in

Jesuit priest Juan Francisco Lopez as her spiritual director
and he remained as such until she entered the order.

María received her

Bishop of Vijayapuram asked her to found a Carmelite convent and on 11 September 1933 eight nuns went there to establish it. She herself would have gone but her superiors did not allow for her to leave.[5]

The religious persecution that started in 1931 saw her spend countless hours each night in reflection and both requested and obtained permission from

Bishop of Coria-Cáceres - she founded a new convent. In March 1939 she returned to the Cerro de los Ángeles to restore the convent there and would go on to found houses at Toledo in 1960 and at Málaga in 1964.[5]

The nun founded several convents which included one at Mancera de Abajo in Salamanca in 1944 and in

Ávila in 1947 as well as at Arenas de San Pedro in Avila in 1954 and at San Calixto in the Cordoba mountains in 1956. One was also founded at Aravaca in Madrid in 1958 and at La Aldehuela in Madrid in 1961 where she was elected as the prioress and lived there until her death. She also founded a convent in Kottayam in India in 1933. In 1972 she founded the "Association of Saint Teresa". She was confined to her bed for rest after suffering from a bout of pneumonia on Good Friday in 1967.[5]

Mother Maravillas died on 11 December 1974 at her convent and her remains are interred at La Aldehuela. Her final words were: "What happiness to die a Carmelite!"

Anointing of the Sick and her last Communion on 8 December 1974.[3]

Sainthood

The beatification process opened on 19 June 1980 after the

Venerable
on 17 December 1996.

The process for a miracle needed for her beatification opened in Spain and lasted in the diocese of its origin from 15 February 1984 until its closure on 13 April 1984; the C.C.S. later validated this process on 5 October 1984. The medical board issued their assent to this miracle on 24 April 1997 while theologians also approved it later on 30 September 1997; the C.C.S. did likewise on 16 December 1997. John Paul II approved the healing to be a legitimate miracle on 18 December 1997 and beatified Mother Maravillas on 10 May 1998 in

Saint Peter's Square
.

The process for the second miracle - the one for full sainthood - opened and closed in Argentina and received validation on 21 January 2000 before receiving the approval of the medical board on 10 May 2001; theologians also approved it on 27 November 2001 as did the C.C.S. on 5 February 2002. John Paul II approved this miracle on 23 April 2002 and canonized Maravillas on his apostolic visit to Spain in Columbus Plaza in Madrid on 4 May 2003.

References

  1. ^ "St. Maravillas of Jesus".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Saint María Maravillas de Jesús". Saints SQPN. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Spiritual Newsletter". Abbey of Saint-Joseph de Clairval. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Saint Maria Maravillas of Jesus". Discalced Carmelites of the Australia-Oceania Region. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "María de las Maravillas Pidal Chico de Guzmán". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 24 October 2016.

External links