Tomasa Ortiz Real
Tomasa Ortiz Real (12 November 1842 – 26 February 1916) was a Spanish Roman Catholic professed religious who founded the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart and assumed the religious name of "Piedad of the Cross" upon becoming a nun.
Real's religious vocation blossomed during her late childhood following the reception of her First Communion though a range of impediments prevented her from embracing the religious life. She soon realized her dream and became a professed nun while devoting her time to the care of the ill and orphaned children while using her order's resources to expand her work.
The beatification for Real was presided in Saint Peter's Square on 21 March 2004 with Pope John Paul II presiding over the celebration.
Patron saint of Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart; Vocations
In the Martyrology
- February 26 Blessed Piedad de la Cruz Ortiz Real, founder of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Heart