María Antonia Bandrés Elósegui (6 March 1898 – 27 April 1919) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

professed religious from the

Daughters of Jesus The Daughters of Jesus () is a French Roman Catholic congregation of religious sisters, founded in 1834 at Kermaria-Sulard, Brittany, in the Diocese of Vannes. Its goal is the care of the sick poor, and the education of girls. Today their mo ...

. She lived a brief life but was noted for her ardent faith and her Marian devotion while also being known for the effect she had on the faithful as well as agnostics whom she came into contact with. The beatification process for the late Elósegui opened in 1982 – she was then titled as a

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

– and she later became

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

in 1995.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

beatified her in mid-1996.

Life

María Antonia Bandrés Elósegui was born in Tolosa – in the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

– as the second of fifteen children born to the Atty. Ramon Bandrés and Teresa Elósegui. Her paternal uncle and godfather was Antonio Bandrés. Her siblings and parents often referred to her as "Antonita". She would accompany her mother on charitable work for the poor and needy.Vilches, Isabel Orellana. "Beata María Antonia Bandrés y Elósegui", Instituto Id de Cristo Redentor, April 26, 2024
/ref> Bandrés Elósegui attended a school that the Daughters of Spain managed in her town. In 1913 while making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius she met the Daughter's founder Candida Maria of Jesus who said to her: "You will be a Daughter of Jesus". She entered the religious life in that congregation in

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

on 8 December 1915,"Blessed Mª Antonia Bandrés (Antoñita)", Hijas de Jesus
/ref> the

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the l ...

. She made her solemn religious profession on 31 May 1918 and then fell ill that June, marking the start of a long illness and then death ten months later. Her confessor around this time was Ilario Oscoz. Her doctor, Filiberto Villalobos, testified that he was moved as he cared for the

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

due to her ardent spirit and her commitment to the faith. Her death impacted the agnostic doctor as well as

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical ...

and Indalecio Prieto who left either oral or written testimonies about the impact her death had on them. She died on 27 April 1919 while singing a Marian Song, calling upon Mary as the "Mother of Mercy".

Beatification

The beatification process commenced with the inauguration of an informative process in Salamanca that opened on 23 January 1962. This concluded the following year after her writings were checked by theologians who certified their orthodoxy, on 10 July 1970, leading to the formal introduction of her cause on 11 May 1982, which entitled her to the title

. The

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

validated these two previous processes in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

on 27 January 1983 and received the official

Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...

dossier in 1989 for further evaluation. She became titled as

on 6 April 1995 after

confirmed the fact that she had lived a life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...

. The miracle required for her beatification was investigated in Spain and received full validation on 12 May 1995 from the C.C.S. before a medical team examined the miracle in question and voiced their approval of it on 11 January 1996; theologians also assented on 29 March 1996 and the C.C.S. as well on 16 April 1996. The pope issued his final approval of this on 30 April 1996 and later beatified her in

Saint Peter's Square St. Peter's Square (, ) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the pope, papal enclave and exclave, enclave in Rome, directly west of the neighborhood (rione) of Borgo (rione of Rome), Borgo. Both t ...

on 12 May 1996. The current

postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...

for this cause is Ana Maria Cinco.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandrés Elósegui, María Antonia 1898 births 1919 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Spanish nuns Beatifications by Pope John Paul II People from Tolosa, Spain Spanish beatified people Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II