Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres

In March 1896, after a profound spiritual transformation centered on the Eucharist, María del Refugio dedicated herself to catechesis. On March 25, 1910, she founded the congregation of the "Apostolate of Jesus Eucharistic" in Mexico City with Guadalupe Hernández and María Olivares to educate the youth. The institute was approved at the diocesan level on June 15, 1922, under the name "Apostolate of the Blessed Sacrament." Affiliated with the Order of Mercy on July 11, 1925, the congregation took the name "Eucharistic Mercedarian Religious." During the religious persecution in Mexico, she expanded her work to Colombia, the United States, and Spain. After her death, the institute became of pontifical right in 1948 under the name "Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament."

María del Refugio Aguilar y Torres passed away on April 24, 1937, in Mexico City at the age of 70. Her remains were first interred in the Tepeyac cemetery, then transferred in 1987 to the chapel of the General House in Coyoacán. Her reputation for holiness led to the official opening of her diocesan process on April 2, 1982, by Cardinal Ernesto Corripio Ahumada, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. The Positio on her heroic virtues was submitted to Rome on April 11, 1997.

On July 16, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of María del Refugio Aguilar y Torres, granting her the title of Venerable. The cause is currently awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession to allow for her beatification.

The spirituality of María del Refugio rests on a dual Eucharistic and Marian dimension, united with the charism of the Order of Mercy. She considered the Eucharist and the protection of the Virgin Mary as indispensable to any authentic education, combining academic rigor with modern pedagogical methods. Today, the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament continue her educational and pastoral work in Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Africa.