Celia Méndez y Delgado

Two and a half months after her widowhood, Celia went to the parish of San Lorenzo in Seville to go to confession. There she met the parish priest, Marcelo Spínola y Maestre (future Archbishop of Seville and Cardinal, now beatified). This meeting marked a decisive turning point. Under his spiritual direction, she began to dedicate her life and fortune to charitable works. In 1876, with the help of Marcelo Spínola, her sisters Soledad and Rosario, as well as Emilia and Asunción, she opened a free school for poor girls on Calle Cantabria in Seville. She also became involved with the Saint Vincent de Paul conferences and supported an orphanage in Puente Genil. In 1884, Marcelo Spínola was appointed Bishop of Coria (Cáceres). Celia decided to accompany him to bring a religious foundation project to fruition. On July 26, 1885, in Coria, they founded together the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart (Esclavas del Divino Corazón). Celia took the religious habit and adopted the name Sister María Teresa del Corazón de Jesús (Mary Teresa of the Heart of Jesus). The institute's purpose was the glorification of the Heart of Jesus, devotion to the Immaculate Conception, and above all the Christian education of young girls of all social classes, at a time when the education of women was largely neglected. She pronounced her perpetual vows on December 24, 1888. Elected Superior General on August 14, 1902, she led the congregation for 23 years with tireless zeal. Under her leadership, numerous colleges were opened in Spain: in Málaga, Ronda (1893), Corteconcepción (1896), Moguer (1899), Seville (1899), and Linares (1903).

After a life of total dedication to education and the poor, Celia Méndez passed away in Seville on June 2, 1908, at the age of 64, surrounded by a solid reputation for holiness. The cause for beatification and canonization was officially opened at the diocesan level in Seville on December 8, 1994, and closed on December 8, 1995. The legal validity of the diocesan inquiry was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on September 27, 1996. The Positio, a summary document demonstrating the heroic nature of her virtues, was submitted for examination by historical consultants on December 3, 2002.

On October 27, 2020, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God María Teresa del Corazón de Jesús (Celia Méndez y Delgado). She was thus declared venerable. For her to be beatified, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is now required.

Celia Méndez's spirituality is deeply rooted in reparatory love for the Heart of Jesus, which she expresses in a touching manner in her spiritual writings. Her motto, shared with Blessed Marcelo Spínola, is "To serve is to reign" (Servir es reinar). She knew how to combine a life of intense contemplation with vigorous apostolic action. Today, the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart (Esclavas del Divino Corazón) continues its educational and pastoral work not only in Spain, but has also expanded internationally, notably in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay), in Europe (Italy), in Africa (Angola), and in Asia (Japan, Philippines).