Joaquim Rosselló i Ferrà

In 1890, aspiring to a life of greater solitude, contemplation, and intimacy with God, Father Joaquim left the Oratory to retire to the hermitage of Sant Honorat, located on the mountain of Randa. Quickly, this hermitage became a place of spiritual retreat frequently visited by the local clergy, and a small community of priests began to form spontaneously around him. Although Father Joaquim initially wished to lead a purely contemplative life, the Bishop of Mallorca, Mgr Jacinto María Cervera i Cervera, urged him to found a new active congregation to meet the spiritual and catechetical needs of the island. Thus, on August 17, 1890, from the community of Randa, he founded the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (M.SS.CC.). The following year, in 1891, the bishop entrusted the young congregation with the direction and restoration of the Marian sanctuary of Lluc (Santuari de Lluc), which was then facing significant financial and administrative difficulties. Father Joaquim settled there as prior, modernized the sanctuary, and established the motherhouse of his institute there. He resided there until 1906. In 1906, he left Lluc to found a new community in the former Cistercian monastery of La Real (Monestir de la Real), which was then abandoned. He also founded a reception house at the church of Sant Gaietà (Saint Cajetan) in Palma. Afflicted by severe diabetes that gradually weakened his health, he passed away peacefully at the monastery of La Real on December 20, 1909, at the age of 76.

Considered by his contemporaries as "the pillar and the torch" of the Church of Majorca, Father Joaquim Rosselló left behind a profound reputation for holiness. His beatification process was officially opened at the diocesan level in 1934. The Positio, a summary document on the heroicity of his virtues and his life, was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican in 1996.

On May 2, 2013, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession by the Holy See remains necessary.

The spirituality of the Venerable Joaquim Rosselló is centered on the merciful love of God, manifested through devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His charism harmoniously combines silent contemplation and apostolic action, notably through the preaching of popular missions, the organization of spiritual retreats (Spiritual Exercises), and the education of youth. Today, the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary continue his work throughout the world. They are present in Europe (Spain, Italy), in America (Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico), and in Africa (Cameroon, Rwanda). The congregation also directs several educational institutions under the name Centros Educativos Joaquim Rosselló. The founder's spiritual legacy was illustrated by the martyrdom of four members of his congregation (Simó Reynés Solivellas, Miquel Pons Ramis, Francesc Mayol Oliver, and Pau Noguera Trías), murdered in hatred of the faith during the Spanish Civil War and beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on October 28, 2007.