Margarita María López de Maturana

Margarita María López de Maturana MMB (birth name Pilar López de Maturana, born July 25, 1884 in Bilbao, Spain, † July 23, 1934 in San Sebastián) was a Catholic nun. On 22 October 2006 she was in the pontificate of Benedict XVI. beatified.

Biography

She and her twin sister Leonor were the youngest of five children of Juana Ortiz de Zarate and Vicente López de Maturana. While Leonor at the Hermanas de la Caridad Carmelite ( dt: Carmelite Sisters of Love) entered, Pilar attended the boarding school at the Mercedarias de Berriz ( dt: Mercedarierinnen of Berriz ), even if the twins were inseparable as children. At age 19, on August 10, 1903, she joined the Order itself and took the name Margarita María. After completing studies at the convent's school in Berriz she appeared from 1906 even as a teacher. In 1920, she founded a missionary youth movement that Juventud Mercedaria Misiones de Bérriz. The missionary spirit captured the sisters in the convent, which had until then lived in seclusion. The Superior General of the Order turned to Rome in order to bring about a transformation in an order of missionary sisters. 1926 was the first authorization of the Roman Curia. The first sisters left Spain towards East Asia and Oceania. In 1928 broke Margarita María, who had been appointed in the meantime to superiors, towards Japan in order to record the mission work. 1930, the Articles of Association of Missionary Mercedarias de Berriz were finally recognized. The General Chapter elected Margarita María on 30 July 1931 the Superior General of the reformed Order. In this position, she strove to promote the missions and visited numerous stations around the world. On July 23, 1934, she died of cancer.

Worship

The beatification process was started on 30 July 1943. On March 16, 1987 her heroic virtues were recognized. The beatification took place on 22 June 2006 in Bilbao by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.