María Beatriz del Rosario Arroyo

The heart of Mother Rosario's mission focused on the foundation of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines (the Molo Dominicans). This project, matured with her parents and the Bishop of Jaro, Msgr. James Paul McCloskey, aimed to meet the needs of the Iloilo region. On July 24, 1925, the formal permit for the establishment of a new Beaterio in Molo was granted by the Sacred Congregation for Religious in Rome. In 1927, she established the Beaterio de Molo there in the family residence. The work was dedicated to community life, the education of youth, the teaching of Christian doctrine, and the sheltering of homeless girls and orphans. Sister Maria Rosario renounced her family inheritance for the benefit of the congregation and led a life of great simplicity. In 1934, the community became autonomous from Manila. During the Second World War, the Japanese occupation forced the sisters to evacuate their motherhouse, which was destroyed by bombing in 1944. After the war, the congregation developed rapidly. In 1953, Mother Rosario was elected the first Superior General. She passed away on June 14, 1957, due to heart failure.

The reputation for holiness of Mother Rosario de la Visitación spread widely after her death, nourished by her heroic charity, her poverty, and her Eucharistic and Marian piety. In 1975, during the exhumation of her body for its transfer to the crypt of the motherhouse, her remains were found intact. The cause for beatification and canonization was officially opened at the diocesan level on October 7, 2009, by the Archbishop of Jaro, Msgr. Angel Lagdameo, at Saint Anne's Church in Molo. The diocesan inquiry concluded on January 3, 2011, and its validity was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 12, 2012.

On June 11, 2019, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Rosario de la Visitación (María Beatriz del Rosario Arroyo), thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required by the Church. To date, no miracle has yet been the subject of an official decree of promulgation, although numerous favors and unexplained healings are reported by the faithful.

The spirituality of Venerable Mother Rosario was deeply rooted in the Eucharist and devotion to the Most Holy Rosary. She spent long hours in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Her love for the poor was translated into concrete gestures, such as the weekly distribution of rice to the needy every Friday. Today, the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines continues her work of education and charity. The institute obtained its decree of pontifical right on October 7, 1985. It counts more than 250 professed religious sisters who work not only in the Philippines (notably in the Western Visayas and the Davao region), but also abroad, particularly in the Mariana Islands, Hawaii, and California.