The Basics: Born February 6, 1867, in Mexico; died July 30, 1949, in Mexico; beatified November 27, 1997, by John Paul II; feast day, July 30. Woman religious; nurse.
The Story: The woman who would become known as Madre Vicentita had a lifelong love affair with Jesus… and nursing. When she was twenty-three, she started helping at a six-bed infirmary her parish priest had established at the rectory. Two years later, she was hospitalized there herself during a bout with pleurisy. She decided to devote her life to service as a nurse as a result. Maria Vicenta cofounded in 1905 what would become the Servants of the Holy Trinity and the Poor. She spent thirty years as the congregation’s superior general, working at the hospital and establishing more than a dozen other hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. That accomplishment is especially impressive given that her years as superior general included the Mexican revolution; the Cristero Rebellion and its religious persecution; and an earthquake that rocked the hospital in 1932.
Maria Vicenta’s Wisdom: “Follow with a generous spirit the path of the cross; reciprocate everything as coming from the Divine Will.”
What We Can Learn from Maria Vicenta: Maria marched on with her vocation despite what was going on in the secular world. She inspires us to trust in God and do His work regardless of the noise that wants to enter our lives.
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.
