Bl. Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus Grialou – February 4 – Carmelite Saints

Summary: Blessed Maria Candida of the Eucharist was born on January 16, 1884, in Catanzano. Her parents, Pietro Barba and Giovanna Florona, returned to Palermo, Sicily, where she received First Holy Communion on April 3, 1894. In 1919, she entered the Discalced Carmelite Monastery, Ragusa, making solemn profession on April 23, 1924. She was Prioress and Mistress of Novices many times, radiating a sense of Carmelite holiness both within and outside of the community, influencing others with her love for the Eucharist, as well as by her numerous writings. She died on June 12, 1949, on the solemnity of the Holy Trinity, and was beatified on March 21, 2004. History: Maria Barba was born on January 16, 1884, to Pietro Barba, an appeals court judge, and Giovanna Florena, a noblewoman. She was the tenth of twelve children; unfortunately, only seven survived childhood. The family lived in Palermo, Sicily, but Pietro’s work briefly took them to Catanzaro, Italy, where Maria was born. She was baptized three days later. The devout family returned to Palermo when Maria was 2. After returning to Palermo, Maria was a lively child who passionately longed to receive Jesus. Her zeal for the Eucharist showed early. “When I was still a child, and before I was old enough to receive Jesus in Communion, I used to rush to the front door to greet my mother when she returned from Mass. There I stood on tiptoe to reach up to her and cried, “I want God too!” My mother would bend down and softly breathe on my lips; I immediately left her, and placing my hands across my chest, full of joy and faith, jumping for joy, I would keep repeating: “I have received God too! I have received God, too!” In 1891, Maria started school and achieved outstanding grades. That year, she also began piano lessons, demonstrating remarkable musical talent. Maria received her First Communion on April 3, 1894, at the age of 10. From then on, her devotion to the Eucharist grew. She longed to receive it often, calling it her “vocation for the Eucharist.” Being deprived was for her “a great and painful cross.” Alongside her devotion to Christ in the Eucharist, Maria's longing for religious life began at age 15, sparked by a transformative grace. Her desire to love God wholeheartedly and devote herself to Him fully intensified, further strengthened by her cousin's investiture as a nun in 1899. Despite her growing yearning for religious life, Maria’s family opposed what they saw as her sudden "whim." They dismissed her devotion as fleeting spiritual enthusiasm. During this time, Maria found solace in reading St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s The Story of a Soul, which fueled her Teresian spirituality and strengthened her Carmelite aspirations. Though facing rejection, the book inspired her to persevere. While waiting, Maria suffered inwardly yet showed exceptional strength and fidelity, sustained by a profound Eucharistic devotion she saw as God's sacramental presence and the basis for trust in His promises. Maria's father died on June 21, 1904. In September 1910, she and her family went on a pilgrimage to Rome and met Pope Pius X. Maria received the sacrament of Confirmation on November 13, 1911. Almost ten years after her father’s death, her mother died on June 5, 1914. With both parents gone, her brothers assumed responsibility for her. They viewed some of her spiritual devotions as excessive and restricted her participation in religious services by not permitting her to leave the house alone. Maria could not regularly receive the Eucharist, though she complied to avoid offending them. Despite family misunderstanding, Maria quietly and charitably accepted her circumstances, managing the household for 20 years after her initial calling. Determined, at the age of 35, she entered the impoverished convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Ragusa on September 25, 1919, encouraged by Archbishop Alessandro Lualdi. Her brothers met her departure with silence, refusing to say goodbye or to have any future contact. Maria began her novitiate as Sr. Maria Candida of the Eucharist on April 16, 1920. None of her siblings attended. She took her first vows a year later and her solemn vows on April 23, 1924. Her first manuscript, "Ascent: First Steps," began on June 16, 1922, in obedience to Mother Maria Evangelista di San Luca; it recounts her vocation and arrival at Carmel. "The Song on the Mountain" followed, begun on November 5, 1926, at the request of her spiritual director, Fr. Giorgio La Perla. On November 10, 1924, Sr. Maria was elected Prioress, serving—except for a brief interruption—until 1947, re-elected five times. From 1930-33, she acted as sacristan and mistress of novices. As prioress, she led Carmel’s expansion in Sicily, founding a new convent in Syracuse and securing the male branch’s return to the region. Mother Candida grieved when Sisters disregarded the Rule. One day, she said, "My daughter, why do you insult the Lord like this? Don't you realize that humanity needs you? Why do you let yourself to go off the path?" She strove to cultivate deep reverence for the Rule of St. Teresa within her community. Maria left a lasting Eucharistic imprint on the convent. Her spirituality, revealed in rich autobiographical pages, established her as a true "mystic of the Eucharist." She wanted “to keep Jesus company in the Eucharist.” She prolonged adoration, especially on Thursdays, spending from eleven to midnight before the tabernacle. The Eucharist gave her the strength to consecrate herself as a victim to God on November 1, 1927. During the Holy Year of 1933, on Corpus Christi, Mother Candida began a profound Eucharistic meditation, recording personal experiences and theological reflections. It was published in 1936 under the title Eucharist: True Jewel of Eucharistic Spirituality. She saw all of Christian life summed up in the Eucharist, including the theological and evangelical virtues. She saw their full expression, asceticism, and conformity to Jesus. Faith: “O my Beloved Sacrament, I see you, I believe in you!... O Holy Faith. Contemplate with ever greater faith our Dear Lord in the Sacrament: live with Him who comes to us every day”. Hope: “O My Divine Eucharist, my dear Hope, all our hope is in You.” Charity: “My Jesus, how I love You! There is within my heart an enormous love for You, O Sacramental Love...How great is the love of God made bread for our souls, who become a prisoner for me!” Obedience: “Which hymn would we not sing in obedience to this Divine Sacrament? And what is the obedience of Jesus of Nazareth compared with His obedience in this Sacrament for two thousand years?” Poverty: “After having taught me obedience, how much He talks to me, instructs me in Poverty, O Sacred Host! Who is more naked, poorer than you...You have nothing, you ask for nothing!...O Jesus, let religious souls long for sincere detachment and poverty!” Chastity: “If You speak to me of obedience and poverty, what a spell of purity You have over me just by Your glance. Lord, if Your home is in pure souls, who is the soul that, relating with You, does not become such? From this came my goal: “I want to be close to You through purity and love.” She saw that the model of Eucharistic life is the Virgin Mary, who carried the Son of God and continues to give birth to Him in the souls of His disciples. Mother Candida wrote about the Blessed Virgin Mary, model par excellence of Eucharistic living: "I want to be like Mary, to be Mary for Jesus, to take the place of his Mother. When I receive Jesus in Communion, Mary is always present. I want to receive Jesus from her hands; she must unite me with him. I cannot separate Mary from Jesus. Hail, O Body born of Mary. Hail Mary, dawn of the Eucharist!" For Maria Candida, the Eucharist truly was the "source and summit" of the Christian life, forming the foundation for her understanding of beauty, truth, and love. Her final work was "Carmelite Perfection," dedicated to her fellow nuns and begun in 1947, after the end of her term as prioress. In 1947, Mother Candida was diagnosed with a liver tumor. She endured suffering nobly, resigned to God's will in silent recollection. She became a model of loving sacrifice, offering herself for the Church and troubled souls. She invited the nuns to thank Jesus for her diagnosis, describing it as a "caress of infinite mercy," which she felt unworthy to receive. She declared herself "most blessed, most happy" in her pain. After months of suffering, Mother Maria Candida died on June 12, 1949, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Her last words praised the Virgin Mary: "From you I received the Eucharist." Her adherence to the Teresian Carmelite spirit earned her a reputation for exceptional sanctity, with many graces attributed to her intercession. Her burial on June 14 in the tomb of her spiritual director in Ragusa was attended by many. Her remains were transferred to the Carmelite Church in Ragusa on November 12, 1970. She was beatified on March 21, 2004, by Pope St. John Paul II. He presented Maria Candida as "an authentic mystic of the Eucharist … unifying center of the whole of life, following the Carmelite tradition… She was so in love with Jesus in the Eucharist that she felt a constant and ardent desire to be a tireless apostle of the Eucharist.” Another miracle has been considered for her canonization. On January 15, 2007, a priest, accompanied by a group of faithful, celebrated Mass at the Carmelite Monastery in Ragusa, replacing the usual chaplain. The afternoon before, the sacristan nun, together with the mother prioress, checked whether there were enough hosts in the tabernacle. The ciborium contained about twenty, so she placed four more hosts on the celebrant's paten. However, at the beginning of the celebration, the nuns noticed that there were more faithful than usual: they knew of the change of celebrant, but not that he would be accompanied by others. At that point, the sacristan and the prioress sought Bl. Maria Candida’s intercession asking God to grant that everyone receive Communion. The instituted acolyte did the same as soon as he uncovered the ciborium. The celebrant began distributing the consecrated Hosts, of which there were fewer than thirty. In the end, everyone received a whole Host; in fact, about fifty remained. This miracle was investigated in the relevant diocesan inquiry, opened on June 29, 2007, and concluded on June 19, 2008. To mark the closing of the diocesan process, the local bishop celebrated a mass at the Carmel, during which the book ‘A journey into the heart' was presented. Two hymns composed by Cristiana of Jesus Crucified, in honor of the Bl. Maria, were also sung for the first time. Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist’s popularity has gone beyond the walls of Carmel to touch the faith of the whole of Sicily. Prayer: All powerful and ever-living God, who, by the breath of the Spirit, inspired Blessed Maria Candida, virgin, to contemplate the riches of the Eucharist, by her intercession, grant we beseech you, that gratefully offering the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may always glorify You in this Sacrament, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Summary: Enrique was born at Vinebre, Catalonia, Spain, on October 16, 1840, and was ordained a priest on September 21, 1867. He was an apostle to young people in teaching them about their faith and inspired various movements for the teaching of the Gospel. As a spiritual director, he was fascinated by St. Teresa of Jesus, the great teacher in the ways of prayer and Daughter of the Church who is better known in the English-speaking world as St. Teresa of Avila. In the light of her teaching, he founded the Society of St. Teresa of Jesus (1876), dedicated to educating women in the school of the Gospel and following the example of St. Teresa. He gave himself to preaching and the apostolate through the printing press. He underwent many severe trials and sufferings. He died at Gilet, Valencia, Spain, on January 27, 1896. He was canonized on June 16, 1993, in Madrid, by Pope St. John Paul II. Pope St. John Paul II also proclaimed him as the patron saint of catechists on November 6, 1998. History: Father Enrique de Osso-Cervello was born in Vinebre, Spain, on October 16, 1840, to Jaime de Osso and Micaela Cervello. Enrique was born into a good Catholic family and said that he had "good parents and holy grandfathers". He was the youngest of three children and, at an early age, felt a call to the priesthood, which his mother supported but his father opposed. From an early age, Enrique's faith shaped his identity. His spirituality, evident from an early age, continued to grow and guide his actions. By six, he would stop playing to assist the parish priest with the Blessed Sacrament, demonstrating consistent devotion. Around the age of 12, his father sent him to Quinto de Ebro to learn the family textile trade from his uncle. During this time, Enrique became gravely ill and received his first communion as Viaticum. After recovering, he returned home and detoured to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar to give thanks for his restored health. His mother died in the 1854 cholera epidemic when he was 14. His father sent him to Reus to apprentice with another textile businessman, hoping he would become a successful businessman. While there, Enrique worried about the negative influence of certain friends he had met. While selling behind the counter, he continued to consider other possibilities for his life. One day, he left farewell letters and walked up the road to the Monastery of Montserrat.  In a farewell letter to his father, he wrote: “My absence will cause you sadness, but Father, it is the glory of God that motivates me. Your sorrow will be turned to joy if only you remember that we will soon meet again in heaven… Give my clothes and other belongings to the poor… Life is short, and riches serve no purpose unless we use them well.” There, before our Lady of Monserrat, the Moreneta, he decided his future: "I found my vocation… I promise myself to Jesus forever, to be his minister, his apostle, his missionary of peace and love."   A few days after Enrique left for Montserrat, his brother Jamie found him and acted as a mediator between Enrique and their father. Eventually, after understanding Enrique’s desire, his father agreed to let him pursue the priesthood. As a result, Enrique was allowed to enter the seminary in 1854. Shortly after being permitted to attend seminary in 1854, Enrique began his studies at the seminary in Tortosa and later in Barcelona. In both places, he was an example of virtue to his friends, who never used improper language or gestures in his presence. During his seminary years, Enrique visited the Desert of the Palms, where the Carmelite Fathers had their convent. With the Carmelite community, he spent extended periods in prayer and reflection in the hermitage of St. Teresa—an experience he repeated many times throughout his life.   Later, he chose a spiritual director, whose advice he always followed. With his director’s approval, he drew up a plan of life which he followed. He prefaced it thus: “As a help to my spiritual formation, I will, with God’s grace, engrave firmly in my mind Saint Teresa’s words: Let the world perish before I offend God because I owe more to God than to anybody else.” During the spiritual exercises that he made in preparation for his Subdiaconate, he added the following to his plan: “Learn of me, for I am meek and gentle of heart.” “Goal: to imitate Jesus in my thoughts and actions so that others can say of me what they used to say of Saint Francis de Sales: This is how Jesus acted.” “Prayer: Spirit of God, on the eve of Pentecost, I ask for this grace: Since I will soon consecrate myself to God in a special way as his temple and minister forever, fill me with your holy gifts. Grant me the spirit of prayer and zeal like that of the apostles. Fill me especially with the gifts of wisdom and fear of the Lord. Come, Holy Spirit.” Enrique was ordained on September 21, 1867. He celebrated his first Mass at Montserrat on October 6, 1867, and soon after began teaching mathematics to seminarians in Tortosa. After ordination, he channeled his passion for God into ministry, becoming a model priest known for serving all social classes—preaching, leading retreats, and teaching religion to the children. He communicated his apostolic zeal wherever he went. His deep faith was reflected in his prayer and in all that he did. His devotion during the celebration of the Eucharist moved many to repentance and to love of God. At times, he seemed transported out of himself. It was not unusual to hear him sigh gently, as though enraptured: My Jesus and my all. To love you or to die. Rather, to live and die loving you above everything else. Do not let me leave this world without having loved you and made you known and loved as much as I can. Give glory, honor, and riches to others, but give me, your servant, only your love, and that will be enough. My Jesus and my all. Praised be Jesus, my love. All for Jesus! Praised be Jesus! When he became a priest, the political conflicts during the Revolution of 1868, with liberal and anti-Catholic overtones, forced him to seclude himself with the seminarians at the episcopal palace and in various homes. In this way, he was able to continue training them. During the revolution, the seminary of Tortosa was confiscated and closed, and the seminarians were sent home to their families.  Enrique  spent the whole year in Vinebre.  When the turbulence in Tortosa had passed, the consequences of the revolution were noticeable, above all for the children, who were "like sheep without a shepherd".  They imitated what they had heard and seen during a year without religion.  Hence, the catechesis became a need.  Enrique had to find catechists and provide them with adequate formation.  The bishop assigned Enrique as the general director of the diocese's catechesis. The success of his efforts was glamorous. To fight this new ideology, Enrique obtained his Bishop's, Dr. Vilamitjana's, permission to organize 12 catechetical centers, which soon enrolled 1,200 children. Ossó was a good strategist; he knew that children could be more persuasive with parents.  He created an association for the teaching of the Catholic doctrine, which he directed, motivated, and planned himself.  He formed teams with other priests, seminarians, and lay people.  They all began their catechesis with the words that would forever be a leading motif in the apostolate of Enrique: All for Jesus! Praised be Jesus!   His ministry was most effective and extensive. Among others, the following apostolic groups are better known: the Teresian Apostolic Movement (TAM), which he founded to teach children and youth to pray according to the spirituality of Saint Teresa, spread rapidly in Spain. He established it in more than twenty parishes, and the enrollment reached more than 130,000 during his life. Today, it flourishes wherever the Teresian Sisters are. He also founded the Brotherhood of Saint Joseph, a pious association for older men, started in Tortosa, and enlisted some two hundred men from its beginning. Father Enrique organized a pilgrimage to Rome as an expression of his devotion to the Pope and the Church, bringing 800 pilgrims. He also organized a pilgrimage to Avila, birthplace of Saint Teresa, and to Alba, where she was buried. During this trip, his humility and self-sacrifice stood out, which let him forget himself and disappear at the hour of triumph, though he was the main organizer. He was also instrumental in establishing a Discalced Carmelite monastery for nuns in Tortosa. These and many other forms of ministry, to which we could not possibly give space here, filled the life of this man who spent himself to make God known and loved. But Father Enrique’s greatest accomplishment in life was the foundation of the Society of Saint Teresa of Jesus, which he was inspired to found while at prayer during the night of April 2, 1876. With the approval of his spiritual director and the blessing of the Bishop, he established the Society, known as the Teresian Sisters, on June 23 of the same year, at the cost of innumerable sacrifices. He started the Society with only eight young women. Soon, however, it spread throughout Spain, Portugal, Africa, and North and South America. More than 5,000 Teresians have passed through the Institute's 14 novitiates. Today, it staffs more than one hundred schools around the world, in addition to many missions in Africa, Nicaragua, Mexico, and throughout Central and South America. The Teresians also staff houses of prayer in different parts of the world. Amid his many duties, Father Enrique consistently contributed to religious publications. His first project was the weekly newspaper The People’s Friend. He edited Saint Teresa’s Magazine until his death. Notable among his many works are: Catechist Manual, Fifteen Minutes of Meditation, Handbook of the Teresian Apostolic Movement, Handbook of the Friends of Jesus, Treasure Chest for Children, novenas to Saint Joseph, the Holy Spirit, and the Immaculate Conception, Spirit of Saint Teresa, Saint Teresa’s Month, and Tribute to Saint Francis de Sales. He also published textbooks for the schools where the Teresian Sisters taught. His dynamic life, clear vision, and high ideals went hand in hand with his gentleness, simplicity, and modesty, characteristics that made Enrique de Osso very attractive in his ministry. During all of this, the daily prayer, the spiritual exercises each summer, the days of spiritual rest in his Monastery of Montserra are for him an interminable source of interior wealth, of God's love, that he had experimented, lived, and expressed in his apostolic works for the growth of the Kingdom.  Only from that prayerful side can his incessant activity and his spiritual depth be explained.   He died on January 27, 1896, at Gilet, Valencia, of a stroke when he went home to His Father, after having made a fervent retreat in his favorite place of solitude, the Franciscan monastery of Sancti Spiritus in Gilet. He was buried in the Franciscan cemetery in Gilet, where his remains remained until 1908, when they were transferred to the chapel of the novitiate of the Society of Saint Teresa of Jesus in Tortosa, Spain. The newly elected Pope St. John Paul II beatified him on October 14, 1979, and then canonized the priest on June 16, 1993, while visiting Madrid at the time. Pope St. John Paul II also proclaimed him the patron saint of catechists on November 6, 1998, in a formal decree issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Prayer: Lord God, in your priest Saint Henry de Ossó you wonderfully combined the ideals of the apostolic community: a life of continual prayer and of untiring apostolic activity. By his intercession may we persevere in the love of Christ and serve your Church by word and deed. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.