Bl. Mariana Navarro de Guevara

Mariana Navarro de Guevara was born in Madrid in 1565. She wanted to give her life to God, but her parents meant her to marry. Her father made her work in the kitchen under a harsh servant, and after her mother died her stepmother mistreated her.

When at last she was free to choose, several religious orders turned her down because of an illness that left her unable to use her hands freely. She lived in a small room next to the church of the Discalced Mercedarians. In 1614 she made her profession as a Mercedarian tertiary, a lay member of the order, and she gave herself to caring for the sick and needy.

She died in Madrid in 1624. She was known for her humility and her devotion to the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist.

Legend and tradition. Her life records that Christ gave her a crown of thorns in a vision. Her body is said to remain incorrupt in a Madrid convent church.

The Church has declared Mariana Navarro de Guevara Blessed.

Beatification allows public veneration, usually in a particular region or religious family. Canonization extends it to the whole Church.