Rosa Elena Cornejo Pazmiño

On May 4, 1897, a tragic event shook Ecuador: liberal soldiers profaned the Jesuit church in Riobamba, destroyed the consecrated hosts, and murdered the Jesuit priest Emilio Moscoso. This sacrilege deeply moved Rosa Elena, who felt a pressing call to reparation and Eucharistic adoration. On June 4, 1897, exactly one month after the sacrilege, Rosa Elena and two other Franciscan tertiaries gathered at the convent of San Diego in Quito, under the guidance of the Franciscan priest Antonio María Argelich, OFM, to begin a life of reparatory prayer. This prayer group gave birth to a new religious congregation: the Institute of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate. The official foundation of the institute took place on June 4, 1901, in Quito, with the taking of the habit. On June 5, 1902, Rosa Elena made her temporary vows under the direction of Father Francisco María Alberdi, OFM, and took the religious name of María Francisca de las Llagas. She was elected superior general in 1905. On December 10, 1911, she pronounced her perpetual vows. Under her leadership, the congregation grew rapidly. The institute was aggregated to the Order of Friars Minor on January 10, 1913. In 1950, Mother María Francisca traveled to Rome to attend the canonization of Saint Mariana de Jesús de Paredes and to request pontifical approval for her congregation from Pope Pius XII. She also made a pilgrimage to Assisi. The institute received the decree of praise and full pontifical approval signed by Pope John XXIII on April 12, 1962. Mother María Francisca de las Llagas passed away on Saturday, October 24, 1964, in Quito, at the age of 89.

The beatification process began in Quito in the 1980s. In January 1986, the Superior General of the congregation requested the opening of the cause from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On March 22, 1986, the Holy See granted the Nihil obstat. The official opening of the diocesan inquiry took place on June 13, 1986, under the direction of the Archbishop of Quito, Msgr. Antonio González Zumárraga. The diocesan inquiry was validated by a decree of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on December 10, 1993. The Positio was then submitted to Rome in 2001 to be examined by the theologians and cardinals of the congregation.

On December 20, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Currently, the cause is awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession, which is necessary for her beatification.

The charism of the congregation founded by Mother María Francisca de las Llagas rests on three fundamental pillars: To Adore, To Repair, and To Serve in the Franciscan spirit. The reparation of offenses committed against the Eucharist is at the heart of her spiritual life. Her spiritual legacy is summarized by her motto: "Así es como se ama" (This is how one loves), inspired by a spiritual experience before the crucifix. She also developed the "pedagogy of love" in the educational works of her congregation. Today, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate continue their mission of adoration, education, social aid, and evangelization in Ecuador, as well as in other countries such as Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, and Italy.