June 11
María Rosa Molas y Vallvé (1815–1876)
Founding religious
He was born in Reus, Spain, in a home of wealthy artisans, where faith and piety were lived along with honesty and work.
Biography
At the age of seventeen he felt God's call to consecrate his life completely to him, but the unexpected happened: his father, who was a fervent Catholic, strictly opposed it, saying not to talk about it while he lived. Rosa had to wait ten long years to achieve her vocation, until one day, she simply left her parents' home and went to the Reus hospital to become a Daughter of Charity. Due to her tireless work and her burning charity, she soon became superior of the House of Mercy, a girls' school and a public school in the city of Tortosa. Shortly after, he founded the Institute of the Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation for the comprehensive Christian formation of children and youth, hospital and charitable assistance among the sick, elderly and needy, and direct evangelization in rural areas and in countries on mission. Today the Sisters of Consolation are found in 15 countries in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. John Paul II, when proclaiming the sainthood of María Rosa Molas before the universal Church on December 11, 1988, said of her: "She has announced to the world the mercy of the Father. María Rosa's life, which she spends doing good, translates, for the man of today, into a message of consolation and hope."
Practical advice
As soon as you have the opportunity, put the work you have in hand under the protection of Mary without seeking applause or recognition.