Emilia Chapellín Istúriz

In Maiquetía, Emilia became actively involved in the Pious Association of Saint Joseph (Asociación de Señoritas), a local charitable work dedicated to the care of the sick at home. There, she had the decisive meeting with Father Santiago Florencio Machado, parish priest of San Sebastián de Maiquetía. On September 25, 1889, with the help of Father Machado, she founded the San José Hospital of Maiquetía to welcome the indigent sick and the homeless. Emilia moved there permanently to dedicate herself to it full-time. To perpetuate this work of charity, they founded together the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor of Maiquetía (Hermanitas de los Pobres de Maiquetía). This foundation holds major historical importance: it is the very first Catholic religious congregation established in Venezuela since the suppression of orders by the government in 1874, thus marking the official restoration of consecrated life in the country. Emilia received the religious habit on October 25, 1889, under the name Sister Emilia of Saint Joseph. She pronounced her first vows on April 19, 1890, and became the first superior of the institute. Under her leadership, the congregation developed rapidly, and she opened a new house in Caracas to extend their charitable action.

Despite her fragile health, Mother Emilia spent herself without counting the cost in the service of the sick, neglecting her own rest. Her tuberculosis worsened rapidly. Sensing her end approaching, she was authorized to pronounce her perpetual vows in articulo mortis (on her deathbed) on December 11, 1892. On January 18, 1893, after receiving Holy Communion on her knees on her bed, she passed away in Macuto at only 34 years of age. She was buried in the inner courtyard of the San José Hospital in Maiquetía. Her premature death caused deep emotion, and her reputation for holiness spread immediately among the Venezuelan population, who considered her a true mother to the poor.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Mother Emilia of Saint Joseph officially began on December 7, 1957, with the opening of the informative process in the Archdiocese of Caracas. The process was closed in 1959 and transmitted to Rome. On February 24, 1979, the cause was formally introduced to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints under the pontificate of John Paul II, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. On December 23, 1993, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, officially declaring her Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the Church requires the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession. Several testimonies of unexplained healings, notably at the Father Machado dispensary, have been collected and are the subject of studies by the postulation.

The spirituality of Mother Emilia of Saint Joseph rests on an intimate union with Christ through the Eucharist and a deep Marian devotion. She spent long hours in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and recited the rosary daily, taking the Virgin Mary as a model of consecrated life. She placed her congregation under the patronage of Our Lady of Lourdes. Her legacy continues today through the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor of Maiquetía, which pursues its mission of assistance to the elderly, the sick, and vulnerable children in Venezuela, but also internationally, notably in Spain. The San José Hospital of Maiquetía remains an active center of care and devotion to her memory.