Saint María Natividad Venegas De La Torre

Biography

Saint María Natividad Venegas De La Torre, also known as María de Jesús Sacramentado, was born on 8 September 1868 in La Tapona, Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Mexico. She was the youngest of twelve children in a devout Catholic family. Her father worked as an accountant, and her mother was a homemaker. From a young age, Natividad was drawn to prayer and contemplation, and she made her first Communion at the age of nine. Tragedy struck Natividad's life when her mother passed away when she was only sixteen years old. Due to financial reasons, the family moved to Compostela, Nayarit, Mexico. Natividad found solace in spending more time in church and deepening her prayer life. Sadly, her father died when she was nineteen, leaving the responsibility of caring for the remaining children to her paternal uncle and aunt. Natividad's passion for education and her love for children led her to start teaching local children to read. She also became actively involved in parish life, eventually becoming a catechist. Her commitment to her faith and daily attendance at Mass fueled her desire to discern a call to religious life. On 8 December 1898, Natividad joined the Daughters of Mary, a religious congregation dedicated to caring for the sick, elderly, and abandoned. She continued her work with the Daughters of Mary, but her desire for a deeper spiritual life led her to join the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on 8 December 1905. This pious union focused on serving the marginalized and vulnerable in society. For the next 54 years, Natividad dedicated herself to serving the poor and sick at the small Sacred Heart hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico. She took on various roles within the hospital, including nurse, pharmacist, housekeeper, accountant, and bookkeeper. In 1921, she was chosen as the Superior General of the Daughters, and under her leadership, the congregation flourished. By 1924, she had written and secured diocesan approval for the formal constitutions of the Order, making her the founder of the Congregation. During this time, Mexico faced a period of anti-clerical laws and religious persecution enforced by President Plutarco Elías Calles. Church properties were seized, and institutions were shut down, including schools, hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the elderly. Mass and religious education were outlawed, and bishops were exiled. This persecution sparked the Cristero War. Remarkably, Mother Nati, as she was affectionately known, managed to keep the Sacred Heart hospital open during the repressions. When soldiers were sent to close it down, she responded with kindness and compassion, treating both soldiers and Cristeros. She also took extraordinary measures to protect the Eucharist from sacrilege by hiding it in bee hives on their property. Mother Nati's dedication to her patients remained unwavering, even in her final days. Despite her declining health and reliance on a wheelchair, she continued to serve and pray for the patients, the hospital, and her fellow sisters. She passed away on 30 July 1959 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, of natural causes. Recognition of Mother Nati's exceptional virtues came with her veneration on 13 May 1989, when Pope John Paul II declared her heroic virtues. She was beatified on 22 November 1992, also by Pope John Paul II, becoming the first canonized Mexican. Her beatification took place in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. Finally, on 21 May 2000, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square, Rome. The canonization miracle involved the healing of Anastasio Ledezma Mora, who experienced a cardiac arrest during surgery, fell into a coma after resuscitation, and was healed following prayers for Mother Nati's intercession by his family. Saint María Natividad Venegas De La Torre is now recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church. She is known for founding the Congregation of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Guadalajara and for her lifelong dedication to serving the sick and marginalized. She is a patron saint of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and is revered as a model for nurses. Her life continues to inspire others to live out their faith with love and compassion.