Paula Montal Fornés

Starting from the school in Figueras opened in 1829, Paula Montal multiplied school foundations in Catalonia, notably in Arenys de Mar and Sabadell, responding to a pressing need for female instruction. Brought into contact with the Fathers of the Pious Schools (Piarists) in Mataró around 1842, she adopted the spirituality of Saint Joseph of Calasanz, founder of this order dedicated to popular education according to the motto "piety and letters" (piedad y letras). On February 2, 1847, in Sabadell, Paula Montal and three companions—Inés Busquets, Felicia Clavell, and Francisca de Domingo—made their profession and established the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Religious of the Pious Schools (Escolapias), characterized by a fourth vow of teaching. She then took the religious name of Paula of Saint Joseph of Calasanz. Her ideal was summarized in her desire to "save families by educating young girls." Elected the first superior, she opened several houses, then, out of humility, withdrew from the general leadership in 1859 to live as a simple nun in Olesa de Montserrat until her death.

The spirituality of Paula Montal was rooted in a sincere piety nourished by mental prayer and in a Marian devotion that she sought to transmit to her students and her religious sisters, who were placed under the patronage of the Virgin Mary. According to John Paul II, she devoted herself "to various apostolic activities while penetrating, through prayer and sincere piety, the mysteries of God." Her holiness was manifested above all in humility: after having founded and organized the institute, she accepted to withdraw from all governing responsibilities to live the last thirty years of her life in obscurity, as a simple religious sister in Olesa de Montserrat. Convinced that the Christian education of girls was the key to the restoration of families, she placed her educational work at the service of the advancement of women in a 19th-century Spain marked by political upheaval and poverty. Her reputation for holiness, already present during her lifetime among her religious sisters, spread after her death and supported the opening of her cause.

The cause for the beatification of Paula Montal reached its conclusion under the pontificate of John Paul II, who proclaimed her blessed in Rome on April 18, 1993. The recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession, approved on July 1, 2000, opened the way for her canonization. Pope John Paul II inscribed her in the catalogue of saints on November 25, 2001, in Saint Peter's Square, during a celebration that also canonized Giuseppe Marello, Léonie Françoise de Sales Aviat, and Maria Crescentia Höss. In his homily, the pope emphasized that Paula Montal had dedicated herself "to the promotion of women and the family, with her ideal of saving the family by educating young girls in the holy fear of God," and that her educational charism remained "a source of inspiration for the formation of the generations of the third Christian millennium." Her liturgical memorial is celebrated on February 26, the anniversary of her death.

The legacy of Paula Montal is perpetuated through the institute of the Daughters of Mary, Religious of the Pious Schools, commonly known as Escolapias, present at the time of her canonization in about twenty countries in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia. Faithful to the Calasanctian charism of "piety and letters," these religious women continue to run schools, colleges, and educational works, placing the formation of young girls and the promotion of women at the heart of their mission. A reference figure for female Christian pedagogy in Spain, Paula Montal is honored as a patron saint and inspirer by the educational communities that claim her, particularly in Catalonia. Her remains are venerated by the institute, and numerous schools bear her name. Her message, centered on the link between the education of girls, the stability of families, and the good of society, has remained relevant for contemporary Catholic educational works.