Simon de Rojas

The work of Simón de Rojas is inseparable from his devotion to the Virgin Mary, which earned him the nickname "Father Ave Maria" (Padre Ave María). On April 14, 1612, he founded in Madrid the Congregation of the Slaves of the Most Sweet Name of Mary (Congregación de los Esclavos del Dulcísimo Nombre de María), intended to honor the name of Mary and to assist the poor and the sick of the capital. He had thousands of images of the Virgin printed and distributed bearing the inscription "Ave Maria" and, using his influence at court, had this salutation engraved in gold letters on the facade of the royal palace of Madrid. Far from being content with an ornamental devotion, he put his positions at the service of the most destitute: he regularly visited the prisons of Madrid, opened a soup kitchen for the indigent, and surrounded himself with street children. At court, it is said that he only accepted his duties on the condition of being able to continue his service to the poor, whom he never ceased to prioritize.

The spirituality of Simón de Rojas combines contemplation and mercy. Renowned as a great contemplative and master of prayer, he taught prayer and guided numerous souls, while remaining an indefatigable defender of the poor. His devotion to the Sweet Name of Mary, which he wished to make known and loved by all, was not separated from a concrete commitment to the service of prisoners, the sick, and abandoned children. Tradition reports that, when King Philip IV reproached him for his dangerous associations among the poor, he replied that for God the souls of kings and the poor have the same value, but that, if he had to choose, he preferred to take care of those of the poor. During his lifetime, his reputation for holiness was such that his funeral took on the appearance of an anticipated canonization, and the apostolic nuncio ordered the opening of the process for his beatification as early as October 8, 1624.

The beatification process, opened shortly after his death, led to the recognition of the heroic nature of his virtues by Pope Clement XII on March 25, 1735. Simón de Rojas was beatified by Pope Clement XIII on March 19, 1766 (some sources indicate the month of May). His cause then remained pending for a long time, until Pope John Paul II proceeded with his canonization in Rome on July 3, 1988, shortly before the closing of the Marian Year; he was then inscribed in the catalogue of saints at the same time as Rose-Philippine Duchesne. The Church celebrates his liturgical feast on September 28. His relics are venerated in the Trinitarian church in Madrid, and a 17th-century reliquary of silver and precious stones, containing a fragment of flesh attached to his habit, is honored during the celebrations in his honor in Móstoles.

The legacy of Simón de Rojas continues through the Congregation of the Slaves of the Most Sweet Name of Mary, whose Marian devotion and service to the poor remain alive in Madrid. His figure is closely linked to the spread of the greeting "Ave Maria," which made him one of the great apostles of Marian devotion in Golden Age Spain. After his canonization, he was proclaimed, along with Our Lady of the Saints, co-patron of Móstoles, his mother's hometown, where a popular devotion to him remains. The Trinitarians count him among their most venerated saints, and his name is associated with several charitable institutions in Madrid, such as the soup kitchen for the poor that he had inaugurated. His memory continues to inspire a spirituality that unites the praise of the name of Mary with the concrete care of the most destitute.