Daughter of Santa Maria di Leuca

Daughter of Santa Maria di Leuca –  Sister María Blanca of the Guardian Angels, D.M.L.                                                        Congregazione Figlie di Santa Maria di Leuca                                                                          “Preaching the Good News to the poor and to the children”

Foundress:  Venerable Servant of God, Mother Elisa Martínez

Place:  Santa Maria di Leuca, (Apulia) Italy

Year:  1938 A.D.

Her Charism:  Bound to her Community by a simple “Rule of Life” and consecration to follow Christ, this Marian Sister desires to live the Gospel in the spirit of love and service.  Like Jesus, she searches for and reaches out to the “Poor of Yahweh”: the helpless, the weak, the outcast, the needy, the unwed mothers, prisoners, and the sick and suffering.  This Sister embodies the spiritual maternity, tenderness and selflessness of Our Lady, and models her humility.  She dedicates herself especially to the abandoned and orphaned “little ones” who come to her hands for love, education, and healthcare.  She understands that heroic hope takes the form of the ability to wait, trusting in the Lord’s timing.  With her dedication to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, this Sister is deeply in love with Him, with the Church, and with suffering humanity.  She understands that everything is God’s work; not hers.                                                  †  This Sister’s habit is inspired by what St. Bernadette reported on the apparition of the Mother of God in the Massabielle Grotto of Lourdes in 1858.  It signifies taking on a new life.  Her garment is a reminder, a statement, a sign.  She is a bearer of Christ in the world and is the presence of Mary in the world.  †