María Romero Meneses: Difference between revisions

|death_date = {{death7 dateJuly and1977 (age|1977|07|07|1902|01|13|df=yes}} 74)

[[Beatification|Blessed]] '''María Romero Meneses''', FMA (13 January 1902 -– 7 July 1977) was a [[Nicaraguans|Nicaraguan]] [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Nun|professedReligious sister (Catholic)|religious sister]] and a professed member from the [[Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco]] dubbed the "Social Apostle of Costa Rica".<ref name="CNA">[http{{Cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=/blessed-maria-romero-meneses-536 "|title=Blessed Maria Romero Meneses", |website=Catholic News Agency]|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref><ref name="HS">[http{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2002/documents/ns_lit_doc_20020414_meneses_en.html Biography of |title=Maria Romero Meneses,: Vaticanbiography News Service](1902-1977)|website=www.vatican.va|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref>

The [[beatification]] process started on 20 September 20, 1988, and she was titled as a [[Servant of God]] before being named [[Venerable]] on 18 December 18, 2000. [[Pope John Paul II]] beatified her on 14 April 14, 2002.<ref name=SQPN>{{citewebcite web|url=http://catholicsaints.info/blessed-maria-romero-meneses/|title=Blessed Maria Romero Meneses|publisher=Saints SQPN|date=3 July 2013|accessdate=26 September 2016}}</ref>

María Romero Meneses was born in [[Nicaragua]] in 1902 as one of eight children to middle-class parents -– her father was a government minister. Her parents were Félix Romero Arana and Ana Meneses Blandon and one sister was ChilaBlandón. Her [[baptism]] was held on January the 20th of the month. She received her [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|Confirmation]] on 23 July 23, 1904, from Siméon Pereira y Castellón. Sheand madereceived her [[First Communion]] on 8 December 8, 1909.

MenesesRomero was found to have a talent for art and music and so her parents saw to it that she was trained on the piano and the violin. She later wentattended on to become a student at athe [[Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco|Salesians Sisters of Don Bosco's]] school, although in 1914 she was stricken with a long bout of [[rheumatic fever]] which she suffered until 1915 and it left her heart damaged for the remainder of her life.<ref name=SQPN/> When she recovered it was deemed to be miraculous in nature and this led to a total confidence in the [[Our Lady, Help of Christians|Madonna]] and to the vision of her vocation to the order.<ref name=CNA/>

The hopeful girl joined the Marian association [[Daughters of Mary Help of Christians]] on 8 December 19158, due1915, to the nature offollow her Marian call. In 1920 she joined thethat Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christianscongregation and left for [[El Salvador]] for her period of [[novitiate]] while on 19 March received her initial habit while, receiving the actual habit of the order on January 16 January, 1921. Her spiritual director was Father Emilio Bottari who gave her a prophetic recommendation: "Even though difficult moments will come and you will feel torn to pieces, be faithful and strong in your vocation".<ref name=HS/> For her theseThese words sustained her for the rest of her religious life. On 6 January 1929 in Nicaragua she made her final profession. Her writings indicate that she attempted to live the religious life interior life after the example of [[John Bosco|Saint Giovanni Bosco]].<ref name=SQPN/>

In 1931 she went to [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]] in [[Costa Rica]] which became her second homeland and at 1933 was a teacher of music and art as well as typing in a school for the daughters of rich families.<ref name=HS/> A great number of her students were won over to her mode of life and worked with her to help the poor and the abandoned. Her focus was on social development while helping the rich to see if the latter could help the poor with their wealth. She set up recreational centers in 1945 as well as food distribution centers in 1953. She also set up a school for poor girls in 1961 and a clinic in 1966 for ill people. In 1973 she organized the construction of seven homes which became the foundation of the village of Centro San JosèJosé -– a place where poor families could have decent homes.<ref name=CNA/>

MenesesRomero died of a heart attack in mid-1977 in the Salesian Sisters house in [[Leon, Nicaragua|LeonLeón]] where she had been sent for a rest.<ref name=CNA/> Her mortal remains were sent back to San José in Costa Rica to be buried in the chapel at a Salesian house.

The beatification process started on 20 September 1988 once the [[Congregation for the Causes of Saints]] issued the "''[[nihil obstat]]"'' to the cause and titled her as a [[Servant of God]], which allowed for the diocesan process to span from 18 November 1988 until its closure on 6 May 1992; the C.C.S. validated the process on 8 January 1993 and then received the [[Positio]] in 1997 for inspection.

Theologians approved the cause on 7 March 2000 and the C.C.S. did so as well on 3 October 2000. She was named as [[Venerable]] on 18 December 2000 after [[Pope John Paul II]] approved that she had lived a life of [[heroic virtue]]. The process for investigating a miracle spanned from 1997 until 1998 and was validated on 9 October 1998 which allowed for a medical board to approve it on 30 March 2000 and theologians to do so as well on 30 January 2001; the C.C.S. issued their approval on 3 April 2001 which led to the pope granting final approval on 24 April 2001. John Paul II beatified MenesesRomero on 14 April 2002 in [[Saint Peter's Square]]. MenesesRomero iswas the first individual to be beatified from [[Central America]] to be beatified.<ref>[http{{Cite news|last=Allen|first=John L.|url=https://www.bbc.co.ukcom/news/world-europe-13207940|title=The Allen, John L., "John Paul II beatification: Politicspolitics of saint-making", |date=2011-05-01|work=BBC News, 1 May 2011]|access-date=2020-04-11|language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[Category:Beatified20th-century peopleNicaraguan women]]