Blessed Maria Angela Astorch
Blessed Maria Angela Astorch (Spanish: María Ángela Astorch; born September 1, 1592 AD in Barcelona, Spain; died December 2, 1665 AD in Murcia, Spain) was a Spanish Capuchin Poor Clare nun and mystic, sometimes called "the mystic of the breviary" for her profound contemplative penetration of the psalms and the liturgy. She served as abbess and founder of convents of her order. She is venerated as a Blessed of the Church. Her feast day is December 2.
Orphaned young and raised by the Capuchin nuns of Barcelona, María Ángela Astorch became a nun of great learning and deep prayer, drawing her mysticism from the daily prayer of the Church. She governed communities at Zaragoza and founded a convent at Murcia. She was beatified in 1982.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Maria Angela Astorch
| Blessed Maria Angela Astorch | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 02 |
| Profession | Capuchin Poor Clare nun; mystic; abbess and founder |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Capuchin Poor Clares (Order of Saint Clare) |
| Patronage | Contemplatives; those devoted to the Liturgy of the Hours; the Capuchin Poor Clares |
| Attributes | Capuchin Poor Clare habit; the breviary and psalter; contemplation |
| Birthplace | Barcelona, Spain |
| Death Place | Murcia, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; Capuchin Poor Clare nun, mystic, abbess, and founder; died at Murcia |
| Primary Shrine | Murcia, Spain |
Biography
María Ángela Astorch was born on September 1, 1592, at Barcelona, Spain. Orphaned in early childhood, she was taken in and raised by the Capuchin Poor Clare nuns of Barcelona, a reformed and austere branch of the Order of Saint Clare. Precociously intelligent, she is said to have learned to read from the Latin breviary as a child, beginning the lifelong intimacy with the liturgical prayer of the Church that would shape her spirituality.
She entered the Capuchin Poor Clares at Barcelona and made her profession. A woman of unusual learning as well as holiness, she immersed herself in the psalms, the Scriptures, and the liturgy, from which she drew a profound and orderly mysticism—so that she has been called "the mystic of the breviary," finding in the Church's daily prayer the path of union with God.
She was sent to help found and govern new communities of her order. She served as abbess at Zaragoza, guiding her sisters with wisdom and discernment, and later founded and led a convent at Murcia. She was esteemed for her spiritual direction, her balance, and her deep interior life, and she left spiritual writings.
María Ángela Astorch died at Murcia on December 2, 1665. She was beatified on May 23, 1982, by Pope John Paul II. Her feast is kept on December 2.
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Feast day
December 2
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