Blessed Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph
Blessed Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph (Spanish: María de los Ángeles de San José; born Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas; born March 6, 1905 AD in Getafe, Madrid, Spain; died July 24, 1936 AD in Guadalajara, Spain) was a Spanish Discalced Carmelite nun who was martyred at the very beginning of the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War. She is one of the three Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara, the first martyrs of that persecution to be beatified. Her feast day is July 24 (also kept July 6).
A young Carmelite of the convent of Guadalajara, María Ángeles was killed together with two of her sisters when militiamen fired on them in the street after their monastery had to be abandoned. She and her companions forgave and prayed for their killers. They were beatified in 1987.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph
| Blessed Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 24 |
| Profession | Discalced Carmelite nun |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Discalced Carmelites; Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War |
| Patronage | Carmelite nuns; those persecuted for the faith; Guadalajara |
| Attributes | Carmelite habit; palm of martyrdom |
| Birthplace | Getafe, Madrid, Spain |
| Death Place | Guadalajara, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; shot at the beginning of the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War; Discalced Carmelite nun, one of the three Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara |
| Primary Shrine | Guadalajara, Spain |
Biography
Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas was born on March 6, 1905, at Getafe, near Madrid, Spain. She entered the Discalced Carmelites—the reformed Carmel of Saint Teresa of Ávila—at the convent of Guadalajara, taking the name Sister María de los Ángeles de San José (Maria Angeles of Saint Joseph). There she lived the enclosed contemplative life of prayer and penance.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, a violent persecution of the Church erupted at once in the areas under the control of the anti-clerical forces. Convents and churches were attacked, and religious were in immediate danger. The Carmelite community of Guadalajara was forced to leave its monastery and seek shelter.
On July 24, 1936, three of the nuns—Sister María Pilar of Saint Francis Borgia, Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus, and Sister María Ángeles of Saint Joseph—were in the street when they were recognized as religious by armed militiamen, who opened fire on them. María Ángeles and María Pilar were killed then or soon after; Teresa was wounded and killed shortly afterward. According to witnesses, they met death forgiving their killers, one of them crying out words of pardon and of "Long live Christ the King!"
The three Carmelite Martyrs of Guadalajara were beatified on March 29, 1987, by Pope John Paul II—the first of the many martyrs of the Spanish Civil War to be raised to the altars. Their feast is kept on July 24 (and on July 6).
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Feast day
July 24
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