Maria Clara of the Child Jesus

As Portuguese liberal legislation at the time prohibited the taking of religious vows on national soil, Father Raimundo dos Anjos Beirão decided to send Sister Maria Clara to France to complete her novitiate. On February 10, 1870, she arrived at the Convent of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Calais, with the Franciscan Sisters of Calais. The purpose of this stay was to provide her with the necessary training to subsequently found a new, specifically Portuguese congregation capable of responding to the serious social problems of her country.

She took her religious vows in Calais on April 14, 1871, and returned to Portugal on May 1 of the same year. As early as May 3, 1871, she founded the first community in São Patrício, Lisbon. This foundation marked the birth of the Congregation of the Hospitaller Sisters of the Poor for the Love of God, which would later take the name of the Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (CONFHIC).

The institute received approval from the civil government of Lisbon on May 22, 1874, and subsequently the official pontifical approval from Pope Pius IX on March 27, 1876, through the rescript Sanctissimus Dominus.

As Superior General, Sister Maria Clara led the congregation for nearly thirty years, facing a political and social climate often hostile to religious orders. Under her energetic and maternal leadership, the institute experienced remarkable development. The sisters dedicated themselves tirelessly to the sick, orphans, the elderly, and the most destitute. At the time of the founder's death in 1899, the congregation managed numerous charitable works throughout Portugal, including 44 hospitals, 41 primary and secondary schools, 35 homes for the disabled and children, as well as nurseries, soup kitchens, and hospices.

Sister Maria Clara passed away on December 1, 1899, at the Convento das Trinas in Lisbon. Her mortal remains now rest in the crypt of the congregation's motherhouse in Linda-a-Pastora, near Lisbon.

The reputation for holiness of Sister Maria Clara, affectionately called "Mãe Clara" (Mother Clara) by the people, persisted well after her death. However, due to the unstable political context in Portugal at the beginning of the 20th century, the official introduction of her cause for canonization was delayed.

The diocesan process was officially opened on December 18, 1995, by the Patriarchate of Lisbon, after the Holy See granted the Nihil Obstat decree on August 21, 1995. After a meticulous examination of her life and writings, the Positio was approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On December 6, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The beatification of the Venerable Maria Clara of the Child Jesus was made possible thanks to the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession. The miracle concerns the unexplained healing of Georgina Troncoso Monteagudo, a Spanish citizen from Baiona (province of Pontevedra, Spain). The latter had suffered for 34 years from pyoderma gangrenosum, a severe and extremely painful ulcerative skin disease that paralyzed her arm. In 1998, she went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Mother Clara at Linda-a-Pastora to implore her healing. On November 12, 2003, she was instantly and completely cured of this chronic condition. After medical and theological investigation, the decree approving this miracle was promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI on December 10, 2010. The solemn beatification ceremony took place on May 21, 2011, at the Restelo Stadium (Estádio do Restelo) in Lisbon. The Mass was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Benedict XVI. During the Regina Caeli on May 22, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his joy for this beatification, recalling that the new blessed had taught her sisters to "enlighten and warm" the multitude of the poor.

The spirituality of Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus is deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism of poverty, humility, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. Her actions were guided by a passionate love for the suffering Christ, whom she contemplated and served through the faces of the poorest and the excluded of society.

Nicknamed the "Mother of the Poor" or "Sister of the Poor," she left her religious family a spiritual instruction that became their motto: "To enlighten and to warm" (alumiar e aquecer). For her, hospitality was not merely material assistance, but a concrete manifestation of the tenderness and mercy of God.

Today, her spiritual and apostolic legacy is perpetuated by the Congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (CONFHIC), present in several countries around the world. In recognition of her spiritual influence on new generations, Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus was chosen by Pope Francis as one of the patron saints of World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023.