Teresa Guasch Toda

In 1863, when Teresa was 15 years old, her mother confided in her an intimate project that had been maturing in her heart for several years: to dedicate herself entirely to God and to found a religious institute intended to welcome, protect, and educate poor and orphaned young girls, who were particularly numerous following the Carlist Wars. Although young Teresa had initially considered entering another religious congregation, she chose to renounce her personal plans to embrace her mother's call with enthusiasm. Under the spiritual direction of Canon Josep Caixal i Estradé (future Bishop of Urgell), the mother and daughter prepared this foundation in silence, prayer, and patience, overcoming numerous administrative and ecclesiastical obstacles. On February 22, 1878, they officially founded the Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Joseph (Hermanas Carmelitas Teresas de San José) in Barcelona. On September 16, 1883, the first constitutions of the institute were approved by the ecclesiastical authority. On that same day, Teresa Guasch, her mother Teresa Toda, and two other companions (Caterina Pera and Rosa Maria Vallès i Capdevila) pronounced their religious vows. Teresa Guasch then took the religious name of Teresa of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Teresa del Corazón Inmaculado de María) and was appointed mistress of novices, while her mother became the first superior general. Upon her mother's death on July 30, 1898, Teresa Guasch succeeded her as superior general of the congregation. Under her humble and firm leadership, the institute experienced significant development, multiplying the foundations of schools and asylums for orphans. She obtained definitive diocesan approval on January 27, 1902, from the Bishop of Barcelona, Msgr. Salvador Casañas y Pagés, and then the decree of praise (decretum laudis) from Pope Pius X on April 10, 1911. She exercised her office as superior general until her death, which occurred on December 15, 1917, in Barcelona.

The reputation for holiness of Teresa Guasch Toda, already widespread during her lifetime, was consolidated after her death. At the request of the congregation, the Archdiocese of Barcelona opened the beatification process in 1993. The diocesan informative process was conducted from 1959 to 1964. The decree of validity for the cognitive process was signed on February 1, 1985. The Positio on her heroic virtues was published in 1992. The particular congress of theological consultants met on November 28, 2003, followed by the ordinary session of cardinals and bishops on March 9, 2004, who issued a favorable opinion on the recognition of her virtues.

On April 19, 2004, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the Christian virtues of Teresa Guasch Toda, thus conferring upon her the title of "Venerable".

Not yet having been the subject of a beatification or canonization, her cause is still ongoing, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession.

The spirituality of Teresa Guasch Toda is deeply rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation and the Holy Family of Nazareth. Following the example of Saint Joseph, she lived a discreet, humble, and laborious love, entirely devoted to the service of Christ present in the smallest and most destitute. Her spiritual life is characterized by the spirit of childhood, simplicity, confident abandonment to Divine Providence, and boundless charity, summarized by the congregation's motto: "Everything for love" (Todo por amor).

Today, the legacy of the two founders is perpetuated through the work of the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Joseph. The congregation is active in several countries around the world, notably in Spain, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Chile, Mexico, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, and Cuba, where the sisters continue their mission of integral education and welcoming children and young people in situations of vulnerability or abandonment.