Juana María Condesa Lluch

The life of Juana María Condesa Lluch is identified with that of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate (Esclavas de María Inmaculada), also called Protectors of female workers. In wanting to found a religious community dedicated to the workers' apostolate, Juana encountered strong reluctance. The Archbishop of Valencia, Cardinal Antolín Monescillo, judged her too young for such an undertaking. In 1884, she finally obtained authorization to open a shelter (Asilo Protector de Obreras) in Valencia to offer refuge, human and Christian formation, and to protect the dignity of young female workers. A few months later, she added a free school for the children of the workers. Other young women joined her. In 1892, the institute received diocesan approval under the name of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Immaculate Conception. Juana María and her first companions pronounced their temporary vows in 1895. It was not until 1911 that they were finally able to make their perpetual profession. Under the impetus of the foundress, the work developed rapidly and spread to several industrial areas of Spain.

The life of Juana María Condesa Lluch is a testimony of absolute self-giving, lived in humility and discretion. She carefully hid the physical sufferings and illnesses that gradually undermined her health in order to continue serving tirelessly. She passed away in Valencia on January 16, 1916, at the age of 53. Her reputation for holiness was immediate among the workers and the faithful. However, the opening of her cause for canonization was delayed out of respect for her own wish, which she often expressed to her sisters: « Ser santas en el cielo, sin levantar polvo en la tierra » ("To be saints in heaven, without raising dust on earth"). It was Pope Pius XII who, admiring this profound humility, encouraged the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate to introduce the cause. The diocesan inquiry into her virtues was opened in Valencia on December 3, 1953, and closed on January 12, 1956. The decree of validity for the ordinary process was signed on December 14, 1984. On July 7, 1997, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby declaring her Venerable.

To pave the way for beatification, a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Juana María Condesa Lluch was the subject of a diocesan inquiry. It concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing of a person, validated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 12, 1999. On July 5, 2002, Pope John Paul II officially signed the decree recognizing this miracle. The solemn ceremony of beatification was celebrated by Pope John Paul II on March 23, 2003, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. During the homily, the Holy Father highlighted her heroic dedication to exploited female workers and her ability to live the ordinary in an extraordinary way. Her liturgical feast is set for January 16, the day of her birth into heaven.

The spirituality of Blessed Juana María Condesa Lluch is deeply Eucharistic and Marian. It is directly inspired by the mystery of the Immaculate Conception and the Fiat of the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation: "He aquí la esclava del Señor, hágase en mí según tu palabra" (Lk 1:38). Juana defined herself as "the slave of the Slave of the Lord" (esclava de la Esclava del Señor), finding in this total submission to the divine will the strength for her social action. Her spiritual and social legacy is summarized in her famous motto: "Yo y todo lo mío para las obreras" ("I and all that is mine for the working women"). She taught her sisters to sanctify daily work and to see the face of the crucified Christ in the suffering of working women. After her death, the congregation received temporary pontifical approval from Pope Pius XI on April 14, 1937, and then definitive approval from Pope Pius XII on January 27, 1947. Today, the Handmaids of Mary Immaculate continue the work of their founder in Spain, Italy, Panama, Peru, and Africa (notably in Kenya), working for human promotion, education, and the protection of women, young working women, and disadvantaged families.