Angela of the Cross HCC | |
|---|---|
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| Virgin | |
| Born | María de los Ángeles Guerrero y González 30 January 1846 Seville, Spain |
| Residence | Seville, Spain |
| Died | 2 March 1932(1932-03-02) (aged 86) Seville, Spain |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 5 November 1982[1],Madrid, Spain byPope John Paul II |
| Canonized | 4 May 2003, Madrid, Spain by Pope John Paul II |
| Majorshrine | Convent of Santa Ángela de la Cruz, Calle Santa Ángela de la Cruz, Seville, Spain |
| Feast | 2 March |
| Major works | Founded Sisters of the Company of the Cross |
Angela of the Cross Guerrero y González, HCC (Spanish:Ángela de la Cruz orMaría de los Ángeles Guerrero González; 30 January 1846 – 2 March 1932[2]) was a Spanishreligious sister and the foundress of theSisters of the Company of the Cross,[3] a Catholicreligious institute dedicated to helping the abandoned poor and the ill with no one to care for them. She was canonized in 2003 byPope John Paul II.[4]
Born inSeville on 30 January 1846, at 5 Plaza de Santa Lucia, she was baptised on 2 February in the Church of Santa Lucia under the name María de los Angeles.[5]
The family was humble. Her father, Francisco Guerrero, was awool carder fromGrazalema who had moved to Seville. Her mother, Josefa González, was from Seville, a daughter of parents born inArahal andZafra. She was one of 14 children, of whom only six reached adulthood.
Both of Guerrero's parents worked in apriory of theTrinitarian friars in Seville, her father as a cook and her mother as a laundress and seamstress. Her schooling was limited, as was typical of young girls of that social class at the time. She received herfirst communion when she was eight years old andconfirmation when she was nine. At 12 years of age she went to work in a shoe repair shop to help the family income, and remained there almost continuously until she was 29.
Guerrero's supervisor at the shoe repair shop was Antonia Maldonado, a devout lady who encouraged her employees to pray together, recite therosary, and read about the lives of saints. Through Maldonado, when Guerrero was 16 years old, she was introduced to José Torres y Padilla, a priest from theCanary Islands with a reputation for holiness, who was Maldonado'sspiritual director. He became Guerrero's spiritual guide andconfessor and came to have a major influence on her.[5]
In 1865, at age 19, Guerrero applied to enter theconvent of theDiscalced Carmelitenuns in Seville as alay sister. Her application, however, was denied because the state of her health seemed inadequate for the heavy physical work demanded of those members of the monastic community. She was then advised by Torres to start work among the ill, particularly those suffering fromcholera, which was rife at that time. Three years later, in 1868, she applied again to enterconsecrated life, this time to theDaughters of Charity in Seville and, although still not well, she was accepted. The sisters attempted to nurse her to full health, sending her toValencia to recover,[6] but Guerrero finally had to leave the convent during hernovitiate and returned to work in the shoe factory. During this time she kept a detailed spiritual diary which revealed the style and life ideals that she felt called to live.[7]
On 2 August 1875, Guerrero (now 29 years old) left the shoe shop and was joined by three other women, Josefa de la Peña, who was wealthy, and Juana María Castro and Juana Magadán, both from poor families like Guerrero's, who established themselves as a religious community. Torres assumed the position of director of the new institute and appointed Guerrero as the sister superior of the community.[6] With money from De la Peña, they had rented a small room with access to a kitchen at 13 San Luis Street in Seville, and from there they organized a day and night support service for the local poor and ill.[8] At that time, they began to wear areligious habit and Guerrero took thereligious name of Mother Angela of the Cross.
The community received official approval on 5 April 1876 fromLuis de la Lastra y Cuesta, the cardinal archbishop of Seville. In 1877 a second community was founded inUtrera, in theProvince of Seville, and later another was founded inAyamonte. Torres died in the same year and his place as director of the institute was taken by his protegee, José María Alvarez y Delgado. That same year, Guerrero took her perpetualreligious vows under him.[6] 23 communities of the new institute came to be founded, mostly around westernAndalusia and southernExtremadura.[5]
Guerrero died in Seville on 2 March 1932 from natural causes, aged 86,[5][7] and was entombed in the Sisters of the Cross Convent. Seventy-one years later, on 4 May 2003, her body was transferred toSeville Cathedral as part of the celebration of her canonization. Her body remained on display for a week in a glass-sided coffin until it was returned to the convent on 11 May.[9]
Guerrero's cause was formally opened on 11 July 1952, granting her the title ofServant of God.[10] She was declaredvenerable on 12 February 1976 byPope Paul VI, andbeatified on 5 November 1982 by Pope John Paul II in Seville.[1] Finally she was declared a saint on 4 May 2003 by Pope John Paul II in thePlaza de Colón inMadrid.[7]
