Candida Maria of Jesus

Saint Cándida María of Jesus was born on May 31, 1845, in Berrospe, Andoain, Spain, as Juana Josefa Cipitria y Barriola, the eldest of seven children in a humble family of weavers. Unable to attend school, she learned early the quiet virtues of service, caring for her siblings and later leaving home to work as a domestic servant. In the midst of the social hardships of her time, she was deeply moved by the suffering of the poor and felt drawn to bring Christ’s tenderness to those most in need. Guided by the Jesuit priest Miguel José Herranz, she devoted herself to charitable and educational works. After a profound Good Friday experience in 1869, she received the inspiration to found a new congregation. On December 8, 1871, with five companions, she founded the Daughters of Jesus, taking the name Cándida María de Jesús. Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, she formed her sisters to educate children and uplift women, especially in Salamanca, living by her motto: “I am for God alone.” She died on August 9, 1912, and was canonized in 2010. She is honored as patroness of Głogówek. Her feast day is August 9.