Anna Maria Janer Anglarill

In 1859, the Bishop of Urgell, Msgr. Josep Caixal i Estradé, requested Anna Maria Janer Anglarill to take charge of the hospital for the poor in La Seu d'Urgell. It was in this context that the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Urgell (Hermanas de la Sagrada Familia de Urgell) was born on June 29, 1859. The institute was founded to respond to the urgent needs of the time: the care of the sick at home and in hospitals, the reception of the elderly, and the Christian education of children and young people, particularly young girls. Under Anna Maria's leadership, the congregation developed rapidly in the Pyrenean region and beyond. The sisters committed themselves to living according to the model of the Holy Family of Nazareth (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph), combining contemplation with charitable action. Today, the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Urgell continues its mission of education, health, and evangelization in eleven countries around the world: in Spain, Andorra, Italy, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Equatorial Guinea.

The cause for the beatification of Anna Maria Janer Anglarill officially opened at the diocesan level in November 1951 in La Seu d'Urgell. On July 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, thereby declaring her Venerable. The miracle accepted for her beatification is the scientifically inexplicable healing of Ana Padrós Sellés. This woman, who had dwarfism, suffered from severe degenerative and inflammatory polyarthritis (poliartrite degenerativa-infiammatoria) which prevented her from moving and forced her to use a wheelchair. Admitted in 1949 to the Municipal Asylum of the Park in Barcelona, managed by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Urgell, she was encouraged by Sister María Luisa Font Romeu to ask for the intercession of the foundress. On June 5, 1951, a novena of prayer was begun. On June 9, 1951, on the fifth day of the novena, Ana Padrós felt a sudden strength, rose from her wheelchair, and began to walk normally. She spent the rest of her life volunteering in the infirmary and the refectory of the asylum until her death in 1964. After a rigorous examination of the medical and theological reports, the decree recognizing this miracle was promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI on December 10, 2010.

The beatification ceremony of Anna Maria Janer Anglarill was celebrated on October 8, 2011, in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, representing Pope Benedict XVI, in the presence of the Archbishop of Urgell, Msgr. Joan-Enric Vives, and thousands of faithful who came from the countries where the congregation is active. She is the first Catalan foundress to be beatified within the territory of the Diocese of Urgell.

The spirituality of Anna Maria Janer Anglarill rests on unconditional love and humble service, synthesized in her motto: "Amarte y servirte siempre y en todo" (To love You and serve You always and in everything). She saw the suffering face of Christ in every destitute, sick, or marginalized person. Her legacy is perpetuated through the "Janerian Family," which brings together the Sisters of the Holy Family of Urgell and numerous associated laypeople. Together, they strive to keep alive her charism of vigilant charity, simplicity, and warm welcome for the most vulnerable.