Saint of the Day: Bl. María del Carmen Viel Ferrando

Martyr (1893-1936)

Her life 

+ María was born in Sueca, Valencia, Spain. To support herself in her studies of sociology, she worked as a seamstress.

+ She discovered a call to work with young people and, to that end, brought the Salesian Sisters to the region to help provide adequate religious formation for children. 

+ Known for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the rosary, she was murdered during the anti-Catholic violence of the Spanish Civil War in El Saler, Valencia, on November 5, 1936. 

Blessed María del Carmen Viel Ferradando was beatified in 2001.  

For prayer and reflection

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”—Matthew 10:39

Prayer

Almighty and merciful God, who brought your Martyr blessed María del Carmen to overcome the torments of her passion, grant that we, who celebrate the day of her triumph, may remain invincible under your protection against the snares of the enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever

(from The Liturgy of the Hours: Common of Martyrs—For One Martyr)
Saint profiles prepared by Fr. Silas Henderson, S.D.S