Mariana Francisca de Jesús Torres y Berriochoa OIC, (1563,

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

– 16 January 1635,

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

), was an

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of the Conceptionist Monastery of Quito from 1594 to 1635.

Life

Mariana was born in 1563 in Biscaya, Spain. Her father was Diego Torres Cádiz and her mother was María Berriochoa Álvaro. In 1577 a new Conceptionists monastery was established in Quito, and Maria de Jesus y Taboada (Mariana's aunt) was appointed as the first abbess. Mariana and four other sisters of the order accompanied her on the trip from Spain to Ecuador."The story behind Our Lady of Good Success", The Catholic Leader, Brisbane, 4 February, 2014.
/ref> On 21 September, 1579, she took

perpetual vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of re ...

. Her aunt died on 4 October 1594 and Mariana succeeded her as abbess. Around 1610 she had a statue carved of Our Lady of the Good Event. Mariana died on 16 January 1635.

Veneration

Her incorrupt relics were uncovered on 8 February 1906. In 1984 the Archdiocese of Quito opened a cause for the possible canonization of Mariana de Jesús Torres, identifying her as a Servant of God. In 1986 a diocesan tribunal was established.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Mariana de Jesús 16th-century births 1563 births 1635 deaths 17th-century deaths Ecuadorian Christians Conceptionist nuns Christian abbesses Ecuadorian Servants of God Spanish Servants of God 16th-century Spanish nobility