Saint Joachina de Vedruna de Mas

Joachina was born in Barcelona in 1783. She married Theodore de Mas in 1799 and bore him nine children before being widowed in 1816.

In 1826 she was prompted by God’s Spirit to found the Congregation of Carmelite Sisters of Charity, which spread throughout Catalonia, establishing houses for the care of the sick and the education of children, especially the poor. She had a great love for the Holy Trinity, and was drawn to comtemplation of this cnetral mystery of our faith.

Joachina lived a life notable for devotion to prayer and mortification. A true spiritual daughter of St. Teresa, she lived in an exemplary way the central Christian virtues of detachment, humility and charity.

She died at Vich in 1854, and was canonized in 1959.

Prayer from her Mass

Lord God,
you gave St Joachina de Vedruna to your Church
for the Christian education of youth
and the care of the sick.
May we follow her example,
and lovingly devote our lives
to serving you in our brothers and sisters.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.

Optional Carmelite Memorial.

What little information I have found about the present day Carmelites Sisters of Charity indicates that they are very devoted to their charism of exercising the Church's preferential option for the poor. They are an active order with a very lively concern for social justice, serving in healthcare and education, among other things. Contemplatives in action!