The Basics: Born September 24, 1828, in Ecuador; died June 12, 1883, in Ecuador; beatified February 1, 1985, by John Paul II; feast day, June 12. Woman religious and missionary.
The Story: Mercedes’ early life had much heartache… and to bear it, she turned to Jesus. Her father died when she was just two; her mother, when she was fifteen. She felt the call to mission work early, despite a marriage proposal when she was twenty-one, assisting children who had been abandoned. She also assisted Jesuits who were seeking to convert indigenous peoples; when that particular endeavor failed, she moved to the central part of her country and established the Sisters of Mariana de Jesus (named for Ecuador’s first canonized saint), which continues in sixteen American, African, and Asian countries Mercedes’ efforts to assist orphans, recently released former inmates, and converts.
What We Can Learn from Mercedes: God sometimes is the closest to us when we feel the most abandoned by the world. How can you turn a loss in your life into an opportunity to serve others?
To Learn More About Mercedes: Visit the site for the community she founded.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
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