Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia
Spanish Poor Clare nun (1902-1973), she reformed the monastery of Soria by returning to the strict Rule of Saint Clare and was declared Venerable in 2014.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
Birth, childhood, and entry into the monastery of Juana de la Concepción Sánchez García.
Juana de la Concepción Sánchez García was born on February 14, 1902, in Torre de Cameros, in the province of Logroño, Spain. She was the third of seven children of Leopoldo Sánchez, a national schoolteacher, and Agustina García. Consecrated to Saint Paschal Baylon before her birth, she was baptized on February 16, 1902. Her family subsequently moved to Rollamienta, then settled permanently in Rebollar, in the province of Soria, where she spent her childhood. From a very young age, she showed a strong attraction to prayer and began teaching catechism to her brothers and sisters at the age of nine. After studying under the guidance of her father, she obtained her teaching diploma in Soria. On August 15, 1922, at the age of 20, she entered the monastery of Santo Domingo of the Poor Clares in Soria. She received the Franciscan habit on February 18, 1923, under the religious name of Sor Clara de la Concepción.
Life and Work
The offices of Sor Clara, her election as abbess, and the spiritual reform of the monastery of Soria.
At the monastery of Santo Domingo de Soria, Sor Clara de la Concepción held various offices: sacristan, portress, linen keeper, bursar, and vicar. Elected abbess, a position she held for 17 years, she undertook a major reform by returning to the original purity of the Rule of Saint Clare. She guided her community toward the strict observance of the primitive rule, renouncing dispensations, annuities, and material wealth to embrace absolute evangelical poverty. This return to the sources attracted numerous vocations and allowed the monastery of Soria to contribute to the revitalization or founding of other monasteries, notably in Medinaceli and Valdemoro.
Path to holiness
The death of Sor Clara, the discovery of her incorrupt body, and the opening of her cause for beatification.
Sor Clara died suddenly of a myocardial infarction on January 22, 1973, in Soria, after 53 years of consecrated life. On April 20, 1982, during the exhumation of her remains for her cause of beatification, her body was discovered perfectly incorrupt despite the humidity of the soil. It was transferred to a chapel in the church of the monastery of Santo Domingo to be venerated. The diocesan inquiry into her life and virtues took place from May 31, 1992, to September 23, 1993, in the Diocese of Osma-Soria, and its validity was decreed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on June 24, 1994.
Beatification and canonization
The recognition of the heroic virtues of Clara de la Concepción by Pope Francis.
On April 3, 2014, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Clara de la Concepción Sánchez García, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, a miracle attributed to her intercession must be formally recognized by the Holy See.
Spirituality and legacy
The Eucharistic, Marian, and Franciscan spirituality of Sor Clara and her legacy in Soria.
The spirituality of the Venerable Clara de la Concepción is deeply Eucharistic, Marian, and Franciscan. She held an immense love for Jesus present in the Tabernacle and for the mystery of the Incarnation (the Holy Infant Jesus), which resulted in the establishment of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the church of the monastery of Santo Domingo in Soria. Her legacy endures through the vitality of the community of Poor Clares of Soria, which continues to live according to her ideals of poverty, humility, and evangelical joy.
Frequently asked questions about Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia
Who was Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia?
Spanish Poor Clare nun (1902-1973), she reformed the monastery of Soria by returning to the strict Rule of Saint Clare and was declared Venerable in 2014.
Which saints were contemporaries of Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia?
Contemporaries include: Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Felipe de Jesús Munárriz and 50 companions, Mariano de Jesús Euse Hoyos and Teresa of Jesus of the Andes.
When did Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia die?
Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia died around 1902.
What are the other names of Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia?
Other forms of the name: Juana de la Concepción Sánchez García, Sor Clara de la Concepción and Clara de la Concepción Sánchez García.
Who are the relatives of Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia?
Relatives of Juana Clara de la Concepción Sanchez Garcia: Leopoldo Sánchez (father) and Agustina García (mother).
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1902-1973
- Decree of venerability by Francis