Magdalena Aulina Saurina

From 1928, several companions, drawn by her example, decided to join her to consecrate themselves to God through private vows. Magdalena then conceived a form of consecrated life that was completely unprecedented for the time: consecrated secularity. She wished for her companions to live in the midst of the world, without a distinctive religious habit or enclosure, in order to evangelize "in the open field" while collaborating closely with local parishes. This novelty sparked sharp misunderstandings within the local Church. The Bishop of Girona, Msgr. José Cartañá, firmly opposed the work. In 1936, and again in August 1939 after the Spanish Civil War, he published decrees banning the community and depriving Magdalena and her companions of the sacraments. Faced with this trial, Magdalena received the support of Msgr. Marcelino Olaechea, Bishop of Pamplona. Thanks to his mediation, the opposition of the Bishop of Girona was partially overcome in 1941. In June 1943, the work was established in San Adrián (Navarre). On December 8, 1945, Msgr. Olaechea officially erected the work as the "Pious Union of Parish Working Ladies." The work developed rapidly and expanded outside of Spain. In 1951, Magdalena traveled to Rome to found the first house in Italy. She was received in an audience by Pope Pius XII on July 16, 1951, who encouraged her warmly. However, the Holy Office ordered an apostolic visitation to clarify the situation of the institute. This first visitation, led by Msgr. José María García Lahiguera, lasted from 1951 to 1955 and resulted in the removal of Magdalena from her position as Director General and a prohibition on admitting new members. Magdalena submitted immediately with heroic obedience. Very ill and tested, Magdalena died on May 15, 1956, in Barcelona. Her final words testified to her inner peace: "Without any pain. I am tranquil. I have complete peace." A second apostolic visitation, led by the Capuchin Father Agatangelo da Langasco, fully restored the truth regarding her rectitude of conscience and her fidelity to the Church. On November 6, 1962, the work was definitively approved as a Secular Institute of diocesan right under the name "Secular Institute of Parish Workers." In 2018, the institute was recognized as being of pontifical right by Pope Francis.

The beatification and canonization process for Magdalena Aulina Saurina began after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints granted the nihil obstat on October 22, 1994. The diocesan phase of the inquiry was officially opened in Barcelona on October 27, 2006, by Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, Archbishop of Barcelona. After the collection of testimonies and writings, the diocesan phase was closed in 2013 and the file was transmitted to Rome. On December 17, 2022, Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

Magdalena Aulina Saurina is currently recognized as venerable by the Catholic Church. For her beatification to be pronounced, a miracle attributed to her intercession must be the subject of a canonical investigation and be officially approved by the Pope.

Magdalena Aulina's spirituality is deeply Christocentric, Eucharistic, and Marian, strongly marked by the influence of Saint Gemma Galgani. It is centered on the love of the Cross, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and intimate union with Christ the Victim in His Passion. Her charism is based on the concept of the "gift of self" (darse), which goes beyond the simple act of giving goods or time, to offer oneself entirely to God and to others. A pioneer of consecrated secularity, she opened a path of holiness accessible to all in the heart of the world, without religious habit or monastic enclosure. Today, the Secular Institute of the Parish Workers (the Aulinians) continues its mission of evangelization "in the open field" and is present in Spain, Italy, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Paraguay, and Puerto Rico.