ST GENOVEVA TORRES MORALES, VIRGIN AND FOUNDRESS - 5 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 5th of January

WELCOME!

SAINT GENOVEVA TORRES MORALES, VIRGIN AND FOUNDRESS

Genoveva Torres Morales was born in Almenara on January 3, 1870 as the sixth of six children. Her parents and four siblings died when she was still a child. She remained in the care of her eldest brother José who was in his late teens. Despite this hard life she remained steadfast in her faith which never wavered. The completion of her education was affected by her circumstances. Despite the fact that he treated her with much respect José was taciturn and demanding of her. Deprived of affection and companionship Genoveva grew quite accustomed to solitude.

When she was 12 years old, an infection in her knee led to the amputation of her leg, she was forced to walk with crutches. She found solace in spiritual reading. In 1885 she moved to a hospice run by the Carmelites, who taught her to sew. She remained there for almost a decade while she deepened her spiritual life and grew attracted to community life. She also met the priest Carlos Ferrís who would help her deepen her spiritual life. Although she wished to join the congregation, her health precluded that and in 1895 returned to her hometown with the idea of establishing a congregation with a special emphasis on caring for elderly women. To that end she consulted with spiritual directors as well as the Jesuits - in particular Martín Sánchez - and began to plan how she would go about this mission of hers. Her first aim was to establish special houses for women that were in need of assistance and the first house was opened in 1911 in Valencia. Others in places such as Barcelona and Santander soon opened. The General House was then established along with a novitiate and led to the formation of her own congregation. The sisters came to become known as "The Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Holy Angels", the "Angelicas".

Her ailments worsened in the 1950s which added to her deafness. Her congregation received the papal approval of Pope Pius XII in 1953.

 She resigned her post as Mother General in 1954. Genoveva died on January 5, 1956 in Zaragoza. She came to be known as the "Angel of Solitude" due to her peaceful and humorous disposition with a deep faith in Jesus Christ. She was canonised in 2003 by Pope  John Paul II.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoveva_Torres_Morales

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Genoveva may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.