My middle name is Ayllon for those who do not know. A day after my mom asked me to search online for Saint Raphaela Maria Porras, I decided to post the short biography about her which I came across on the internet.
Saint Rafaela Maria Porras
Also known as:
- Raphaela of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rafaela Maria Porras y Ayllon
Memorial:
6 January
Profile:
Daughter of the mayor of Pedro Abad. Her father died with Raphaela was four years old. She and her sister Dolores (Pilar) joined the Sisters of Marie Reparatrice in Cordova in 1873. When Bishop Ceferino Gonzalez asked the community to leave his diocese, Raphaela and 15 novices stayed to form a new community. When they were ready to take their vows in 1877, Bishop Gonzalez presented them with a new rule; instead of taking vows, they left Cordova for Madrid. Raphaela and Dolores finally made their vows in 1877, forming the basis for the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart, a congregation devoted to teaching children and helping at retreats. The congregation received papal approval in 1877. Raphaela served as the congregation’s mother general, and the sisters soon had houses throughout Spain, and began to spread abroad. Mother Raphaela resigned in 1893, spending her remaining 32 years in quiet prayer at her congregation’s house in Rome.
Born:
1 March 1850 at Pedro Abad, Spain
Died:
6 January 1925 at Rome, Italy of natural causes
Beatified:
18 May 1952 by Pope Pius XII
Canonized:
23 January 1977 by Pope Paul VI
Notes:
BENEDICT XVI BLESSES ST. RAFAELA STATUE
VATICAN CITY, JAN. 20, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Today before beginning the general audience, Benedict XVI blessed a statue of a Spanish saint and founder, unveiled at the Vatican outside of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The 6-meter (20-foot) statue depicts St. Rafaela María Porras y Ayllón (1850-1925), canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977.
The Spanish religious founded the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart, an institute dedicated to education and the Eucharist. Hence, the statute depicts a young girl at the foot of the saint.
The marble statue was created by Marco Augusto Dueñas.
The Spanish and Japanese ambassadors to the Holy See were present at the unveiling, as was the superior-general of the Handmaids, Mother Mitsuyo Fukusawa. Some 50 family members of the saint were also there, as were the mayor and citizens of Pedro Abad in Cordoba, where Rafaela was born.
At the end of the general audience, the Pope gave a special greeting to the delegation — some 450 people — encouraging them to be “witnesses of the merciful love of God.”
The Handmaids of the Sacred Heart have some 1,300 women religious active in more than 20 countries.
Credits:
Saints Index
