Blessed Josepha Naval Girbes
Blessed Josepha Naval Girbés (Spanish: Josefa Naval Girbés; born December 11, 1820 AD in Algemesí, Valencia, Spain; died February 24, 1893 AD in Algemesí, Spain) was a Spanish Catholic laywoman, a consecrated virgin living in the world, who devoted her life to catechizing girls and young women and teaching them needlework in her own home. She is honored as a Blessed of the Church, an example of lay holiness and the apostolate of the laity. Her feast day is February 24.
Making a private vow of virginity, Josefa Naval Girbés opened a school of embroidery in her house that was also a school of Christian life, forming generations of young women in faith, virtue, and prayer. She was beatified in 1988.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Josepha Naval Girbes
| Blessed Josepha Naval Girbes | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 24 |
| Profession | Laywoman; consecrated virgin; catechist; teacher of needlework |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; lay apostolate |
| Patronage | Catechists; single laywomen; consecrated virgins; teachers of the young; Algemesí |
| Attributes | Needlework and embroidery; layperson's dress; teaching girls |
| Birthplace | Algemesí, Valencia, Spain |
| Death Place | Algemesí, Valencia, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; consecrated laywoman, catechist, and teacher; died at Algemesí after a life devoted to forming young women in the faith |
| Primary Shrine | Algemesí, Valencia, Spain |
Biography
Josefa Naval Girbés was born on December 11, 1820, at Algemesí in the region of Valencia, Spain, into a Christian family of modest means. Her mother died when Josefa was young, and she took charge of the household and the care of her younger siblings.
Under the guidance of her parish priest, she made a private vow of virginity at the age of eighteen, choosing to consecrate herself to God while remaining in the world as a laywoman—a way of life anticipating the later renewal of the order of consecrated virgins.
Skilled in needlework, she opened in her own home a school of embroidery for the girls and young women of the town. But her school was far more than a workshop: while teaching them to sew and embroider, she formed her pupils in the Christian faith, in prayer, in the practice of virtue, and in interior life, drawing on the spiritual tradition of Saint Teresa of Ávila and the school of Carmel. Over many years she thus guided countless young women, some of whom entered religious life while others became devout wives and mothers.
Josefa Naval Girbés died at Algemesí on February 24, 1893, esteemed by her town as a saint. She was beatified on September 25, 1988, by Pope John Paul II, held up as a model of the lay apostolate and of holiness in ordinary life. Her feast is kept on February 24.
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Feast day
February 24
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