The Basics: Born December 12, 1916, in Spain; died July 16, 1975, in Spain; beatified May 18, 2019; feast day, May 18. Teacher, evangelist.
The Story: Life was humming along for twenty-seven-year-old Guadalupe Ortiz de Landazuri. She had a boyfriend, was living with her mother, and was teaching chemistry. (She had been one of only five women entering the program at the university in Spain from which she
Oficina de la Causa de los Santos. Prelatura del Opus Dei [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Yes, she was spiritual; her faith had helped her through the execution of her father during the Spanish Civil War. But that morning in 1944 at Mass, she felt something different. She told a friend she thought she might want a spiritual director. It was not long after that that she was introduced to Josemaria Escriva, who not many years earlier had founded Opus Dei, an organization emphasizing the Lord’s universal call to holiness.
It was not long before Guadalupe became one of Opus Dei’s first female members. In 1950, she moved to Mexico to advance the institution’s cause there, continuing to work on her doctorate in chemistry and helping to establish a mobile medical clinic. She rejoined Escriva in 1956, this time in Rome. After a heart condition was discovered, she returned to Spain, where she completed her doctoral work and taught in a variety of programs. In 1975, Guadalupe underwent another operation. While the operation itself was a success, she died two weeks later from respiratory failure. Escriva had died just a month earlier.
In a letter announcing her beatification, Pope Francis said Guadalupe “put her many human and spiritual qualities at the service of others, especially helping other women and their families in need of education and development … with her prayer and her testimony.”
Guadalupe’s Wisdom: “To plunge deeper into silence and reach where only God is. Where not even the angels, without our permission, can enter. And there, to adore God, and praise Him, and address loving words to Him.”
What We Can Learn from Guadalupe: Those little nudges from God sometimes come when we are most content. May we follow her example, and be open to His changes to our plans.
To Learn More About Guadalupe: Visit the Opus Dei site established for her beatification.
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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