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Feast Day: May 3
Saint María Maravillas de Jesús, also known as Maravillas Pidal y Chico de Guzmán, was born on 4 November 1891 in Madrid, Spain. She was the daughter of Luis Pidal y Mon and Cristina Chico de Guzmán y Muñoz, the Marquess and Marchioness of Pidal. Her father, who was the Spanish ambassador to the Vatican and a strong supporter of the Catholic Church, played a significant role in shaping her religious upbringing. At the age of eight days, María Maravillas de Jesús was baptized into the Catholic faith. In 1896, she was confirmed, and in 1902, she made her first Holy Communion. Growing up in a devout family, María was known as an intelligent and religious child. At an early age, she felt a calling to religious life. In 1920, María entered the Carmelite novitiate at El Escorial, Madrid. She embarked on a journey of deep spiritual growth and formation within the Carmelites, a contemplative religious order. On 19 May 1924, María, together with three other sisters, founded a Carmelite house at Cerro de los Angeles, Madrid, which is considered the geographical center of Spain. She subsequently took her final vows as a Carmelite nun on 30 May of the same year. María Maravillas de Jesús became the prioress of the Carmelite house in 1926. The community quickly expanded, prompting her to establish a new Carmelite house in Kottayam, India, in 1936. This foundation eventually grew into numerous Carmels throughout the country. However, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 brought great turmoil. María and her sisters were arrested due to the anti-clerical actions of the time. They were relocated to Madrid and subjected to fourteen months of house arrest and harassment. In September 1937, María and her community settled in las Batuecas, Salamanca, where they founded a new Carmelite house. In 1939, after the war, María led a group of sisters to restore the previously established house at Cerro de los Angeles. This was followed by the establishment of Carmels in Mancera de Abajo, Salamanca in 1944, Duruelo, Avila in 1947, Cabrera, Salamanca in 1950, Arenas de San Pedro, Avila in 1954, San Calixto, Córdoba in 1956, Aravaca, Madrid in 1958, Talavera de la Reina, Toledo in approximately 1960, la Aldeheula, Madrid in 1961, and Montemar-Torremolinos, Málaga in 1964. To bring cohesion to these widely dispersed Carmels and other houses, María Maravillas de Jesús founded the Association of Saint Teresa in 1972. Actively involved in all of these works, she became known for her unwavering dedication to prayer, her humility, and her care for her younger sisters. She exhibited a strong adherence to the Rules and spirituality of the Discalced Carmelites. The Carmel in la Aldeheula, Madrid, experienced immense growth under Mother Maravillas' guidance. With the construction of schools, a community of houses for the local needy, a church, and community halls, it evolved into a small town in itself. Saint María Maravillas de Jesús passed away on 11 December 1974 in La Aldehuela monastery, Madrid, due to natural causes. Recognizing her exemplary life, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable on 17 December 1996. Later, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 10 May 1998 in Rome, Italy. Finally, on 4 May 2003, Pope John Paul II canonized her as a Catholic Saint. Saint María Maravillas de Jesús continues to inspire people with her dedication to God, her fellow religious sisters, and the principles of the Discalced Carmelites.