St. Genoveva Torres Morales Biography
St. Genoveva Torres Morales Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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| Date of Birth | 3 January 1870 |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | Spain of Europe |
| Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Not Married |
| Profession | N/A |
| Place of Work | Spain |
| Date of Death | 5 January 1956 in |
| Place of Death | Zaragoza, Spain |
| Feast Day | January 5 |
| Beatification | Beatified by Pope John Paul II on 29 January 1995 |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pope John Paul II on 4 May 2003 at Plaza de Colón, Madrid, Spain |
| Patron Saint of | |
Saint’s Biography
Saint Genoveva Torres Morales was born on January 3, 1870, in Almenara, Castile, Spain. She was the youngest of six children in a Godly working family. Her parents were José Torres Seguí and Vicenta Morales Sanz. At eight, both her parents and four of her siblings died and only her brother José survived, who was then 18 years old. Genoveva had to stay home and look after José household. Although José treated her with respect, he was demanding and agitated. Since Genoveva had to live without love and friendship from a young age, she became accustomed to loneliness.
At ten, she began to read spiritual books and learned that true happiness was following God’s will, for that is why God created man. This became her rule.
Health Issue
When she was thirteen years old, she was diagnosed with a tumor on her knee, and her left leg had to be amputated at the thigh. The operation occurred in the home, and since she received insufficient anesthesia, She used crutches for the rest of her life, and her leg was a constant source of pain and disease.
Two years later she became ill again. Meanwhile, her brother had married and she could not stay with her family, so from 1885 to 1894, she lived at the Mercy Home run by the Carmelites of Charity, healing, learning to sew, and deepening her spiritual life.
Genoveva wanted to join these sisters, but her health was not good enough. In 1894 Genoveva moved in with two other laywomen who supported themselves and each other, living a poor but prayerful life.
The desire to help poor women grew in Genoveva, and in 1911 Canon Barbarrós suggested she start a religious community for just such a mission. She founded the first community of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels (Angélicas) in Valencia, Spain. In 1953 they receive papal approval and immediately attracted many women, both those needing help and those wanting to help others.
Genoveva spent the rest of her life working for these communities, overcoming her physical and health problems, and even tougher, her own desire for quiet solitude.
Death
St. Genoveva died on 5 January 1956 in Zaragoza, Spain of natural causes
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