Candelaria of Saint Joseph
Candelaria of Saint Joseph, O.Carm (11 August 1863 – 31 January 1940) was a Venezuelan Catholic religious sister who founded the Carmelite Sisters of Venezuela, also known as the "Carmelites of Mother Candelaria".
The death of her parents in 1870 and 1887 prompted her to assume household responsibilities though in 1900 set her heart on aiding others in her area; this started in 1903 when she served as the director of a new hospital, though she also tended to ill people during epidemics and conflicts that broke out over time. It was in the context of this service that she founded her religious order.
Her beatification was celebrated on 27 April 2008 and was the first to be celebrated on her home soil. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins presided over the celebration on the behalf of Pope Benedict XVI.
In the Martyrology
- January 31 Blessed Candelaria de San José (Susana Paz-Castillo Ramírez), religious