IFTTT Autopost 
María Emilia Joaquna Rosario Josefa Nieves de la Santísima Trinidad Riquelme y Zayas was born in Granada, Spain on August 5, 1847, firstborn child of Joaquín Riquelme y Gómez and María Emilia Zayas Fernández de Córdoba y de la Vega. Because her father was in the military, Maria Emilia’s family moved many times to various military bases.
Despite frequent moves, Maria Emilia received an excellent education in boarding schools. Among the subjects she took were French, piano, and art, and she became an expert horseback rider.
María Emilia had a brother Joaquín who died at the age of seventeen, and two sisters who died as children. When she was seven or eight, María Emilia’s mother died, and that was the year María Emilia said she had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Jesus. When she was only twelve, she made a private vow of chastity and consecrated herself to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
María Emilia’s father did what he could to encourage her to find a young man to marry, but she rebuffed his efforts. In her teens, she became associated with the Vincentian Fathers and their charities. Soon, she began to visit hospitals and helped the poor. She also shared what money she had with women who were considering prostitution and to young men who were considering entering seminaries to study for the priesthood.
María Emilia’s father, who was now a Lieutenant General, died in February 1885. She tried to join a religious community, but because of some health issues, she was unable to do so. Therefore, she built a small chapel at home and spent her time ministering to the poor. Soon, other women were attracted to her work and joined her. This group became a new religious order called the Missionaries of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Mary Immaculate on March 25, 1896. That is the day María Emilia and the other women received their habits. In religious life, she was known as María Emilia of Jesus and became not only the founder, but also the Superior General of the order until her death.
Although the order had to abandon Spain for a time due to the Spanish Civil War, they returned after the war. In time, the order expanded to other parts of Spain as well as to Portugal and the United States.
Mother María Emilia of Jesus died on December 10, 1940, at the age of 93 in Granada, Spain. She was beatified on November 9, 2019. Blessed María Emilia Riquelme y Zayas’ feast day is December 10, and she is patron saint of the order she founded.
