Peregrina Mogas Fontcuberta

In 1848, amidst a context of political instability in Barcelona, Peregrina met two exclaustrated Capuchin nuns, María Valdés and Isabel Yubal. The latter were living in a rented apartment and sought to open a school for poor children, under the spiritual direction of Father Josep Tous Soler, himself an exclaustrated Capuchin priest. Attracted by the Franciscan simplicity and humility of this project, Peregrina decided to join them. With the approval of Msgr. Casadevall, Bishop of Vic, the small community established itself in Ripoll (province of Girona) in 1850. The house in Ripoll officially opened on May 25, 1850, and Peregrina took the habit there under the name María Ana. Although she was still only a novice, her companions elected her as the first superior of the community due to her human and spiritual qualities. The nuns, initially called the Capuchin Sisters of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd (or of the Divine Pastor), dedicated themselves to the free education of poor girls. María Ana pronounced her religious vows on January 25, 1851. To ensure the legitimacy and management of the school, she brilliantly passed her examinations and obtained her teaching diploma in March 1853. Despite the subsequent departure of the two original founding nuns (who returned to cloistered life), María Ana assumed the responsibility of the institute alone with the support of Father Josep Tous Soler. Under her energetic and prudent leadership, the congregation developed rapidly and opened new houses in Catalonia. In December 1865, at the request of Msgr. Serra, she agreed to found a house in Ciempozuelos (near Madrid) for the rehabilitation of young prostitutes. Faced with numerous material difficulties and misunderstandings, she had to abandon this specific project but accepted in exchange the direction of a school in Madrid, located on Santa Engracia Street. It was in Madrid that the congregation gained new momentum under the name Franciscan Missionaries of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd (Franciscanas Misioneras de la Madre del Divino Pastor). The institute received official approval from the Cardinal-Archbishop of Toledo, Cirilo de Alameda y Brea, on January 16, 1872.

The life of Mother María Ana was marked by unwavering dedication, but also by illness and trials. In 1878, at the age of 51, she suffered her first stroke (cerebrovascular accident), which severely weakened her health. Despite her progressive physical exhaustion, she continued to watch over her sisters and the development of the institute, which by then included several foundations in Spain. In May 1886, as her health deteriorated irreversibly, she retired to the house in Fuencarral (then a town near Madrid). It was there that she passed away peacefully at midnight on July 3, 1886, at the age of 59. Before dying, she left her spiritual testament to her sisters: "My daughters, love one another as I have loved you, and bear with one another as I have borne with you. Charity, true charity. Love and sacrifice!"

The reputation for holiness of Mother María Ana Mogas Fontcuberta spread rapidly after her death. The diocesan informative process for her beatification opened in Madrid on March 5, 1949, and closed on May 28, 1963. Her writings were officially approved by a decree on October 21, 1965. The cause was formally introduced in Rome on June 11, 1977, under the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. On December 15, 1994, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus proclaiming her Venerable. A diocesan inquiry into a scientifically inexplicable healing, attributed to her intercession, was conducted between 1989 and 1990. The validity of this inquiry was decreed in Rome on February 12, 1993. The miracle was approved by the medical board of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on June 14, 1995, and then by the theologians on November 1, 1995. The official decree recognizing the miracle was promulgated by Pope John Paul II on June 25, 1996. The solemn ceremony of beatification was celebrated by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 1996, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican.

The spirituality of Blessed María Ana Mogas Fontcuberta is deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism and Marian devotion under the title of the "Mother of the Divine Shepherd" (the Divine Shepherdess). Her spiritual life was forged at the foot of the tabernacle and the Cross, centered on the love of the Heart of Jesus and confident abandonment to Divine Providence. Her legacy is perpetuated through the congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Mother of the Divine Shepherd. The sisters continue her mission of Christian education of youth, and the care of the sick, the poor, and marginalized persons. Today, the congregation is present in many countries in Europe, Africa, and Latin America (notably in Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Benin, etc.).