María Aurelia Iglesias Fidalgo

In 1924, María Aurelia began her formation as a postulant with the Religious of Mary Immaculate, an institute founded by Saint Vicenta María López y Vicuña to protect and guide young domestic workers. After completing her novitiate in Madrid, she made her first vows (temporary profession) there on October 10, 1926. She was then sent to Córdoba, where she committed herself definitively through her perpetual profession on October 10, 1931.

In 1935, she was assigned to the community in Granada, the city where she would spend the rest of her life. During the Spanish Civil War, despite the dangers and while taking precautions, she tirelessly walked the streets of Granada to beg for food and resources to provide for the needs of the poor and her own community. It was during this time that she met Blessed Leopoldo of Alpandeire, a Capuchin friar who was also a beggar, with whom she formed a deep spiritual friendship and with whom she shared the ideal of active charity and closeness to the most destitute.

Within her community, Sister María Stella took on multiple humble daily tasks: she took care of the laundry, worked as a sacristan, did the shopping, accompanied the young girls and orphans welcomed by the congregation to their medical appointments, and continued to beg to support the institute's works. She was distinguished by her discreet dedication, her gentleness, and her ability to bring material and spiritual comfort to all those she encountered.

After her death on November 24, 1982, in Granada, the reputation of holiness of Sister María Stella de Jesús continued to grow among the faithful, who invoked her to obtain graces. Faced with this popular fervor, the cause for beatification and canonization was officially introduced. The canonical path of her cause was established as follows: * September 8, 2007: Granting of the Nihil obstat decree by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (CCS Protocol no. 2796). * January 27, 2008: Solemn opening of the diocesan inquiry in Granada, at the Church of Santiago, presided over by Archbishop Mgr Javier Martínez Fernández. * June 27, 2008: Closing of the diocesan inquiry. * June 19, 2009: Promulgation of the decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry by the Vatican. * 2013: Publication and submission of the Positio. * November 5, 2020: Favorable opinion from the Particular Congress of Theological Consultors. * June 15, 2021: Ordinary session of cardinals and bishops confirming the heroic nature of her virtues.

On June 19, 2021, 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 Stella de Jesús (María Aurelia Iglesias Fidalgo). By this act, she is officially declared Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is now required.

The spirituality of the Venerable María Stella de Jesús rests on a constant union with God in silence and humility. Her sisters and the people who knew her describe a simple, cordial woman, radiant with peace and deeply self-effacing, shunning any form of self-promotion. Her life bears witness to a "silent charity" and an absolute trust in Divine Providence.

Her legacy is perpetuated through the work of the Religious of Mary Immaculate and the devotion of the faithful of Granada and Asturias, who continue to pray at her tomb located in Granada. She remains a model of joyful service to marginalized young girls, families in difficulty, children suffering from mental disorders, and all those excluded from society.