Daily Saint

St. Maria Josefa Sancho de Guerra was a woman of deep faith whose life united Eucharistic devotion with loving service to the sick. Born in Vitoria, Spain, she felt drawn to religious life at an early age, but her path led to uncertainty and trial. After several unsuccessful attempts to enter a permanent religious community, St. Maria Josefa resolved to trust that God would reveal His plan.

In 1871, St. Maria Josefa founded the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus of Charity, dedicated to caring for the sick in their own homes. In the midst of a major civil war in Spain, her sisters provided compassionate nursing, spiritual comfort, and dignity to the suffering, especially children, the poor, and the abandoned who had no one to care for them.

St. Maria Josefa placed the Eucharist at the center of her congregation’s life. She taught her sisters that caring for the suffering was a way of encountering Christ Himself. She faced opposition, internal challenges, and health issues, but she persevered. For 41 years, she served as the congregation’s Mother Superior. She navigated challenging journeys, both at home and abroad, to visit the various communities, despite her compromised health.

The congregation founded by St. Maria Josefa grew steadily, expanding throughout Spain and later to other countries. Even in failing health, she continued to guide her Sisters with wisdom and maternal care, emphasizing a spirituality of love for the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart, the mystery of Redemption and intimate participation in Christ’s Cross, and complete dedication to serving the sick with a contemplative spirit.

St. Maria Josefa Sancho de Guerra died on April 9, 1912. At the time of her death, she had founded 43 houses and welcomed more than one thousand sisters into the congregation. Canonized in 2000, St. Maria Josefa’s legacy continues through the Servants of Jesus of Charity, who carry on her mission of compassionate service to the sick and dying in many parts of the world today.