Today in 1883, our founder María Josefa Recio died as a result of an assault on a mentally ill woman she was trying to help. María Josefa Recio Martín was a woman who dedicated her life to the most vulnerable women, particularly those who suffer from mental health problems. Together with St Benedict Menni and her friend María Angustias Giménez, she founded our congregation in Ciempozuelos (Madrid) on the 31st of May of 1881.
María Josefa is remembered as an example of sensitivity and tenderness in the face of human needs. Her life was short but fruitful, and her example continues to be a shining light in the sky of Hospitality.
She was born in Granada (Spain), 19th of March of 1846. Her family upbringing and her history of Christian solidarity made her a model young woman and wife (she married and was widowed at the age of 33).
From 1871 onwards she lived a deep human and spiritual friendship with María Angustias Giménez Vera. She left Granada with her for Ciempozuelos, where they arrived on 21st of June of 1880, to carry out, under the guidance of Father Menni, the foundation of the congregation of Sisters Hospitallers of the Secret Heart of Jesus, at Ciempozuelos, on 31st of May of 1881.
She was the first superior of the congregation. She led with wisdom and compassion, inspiring others by her example of dedication and hospital service. However, her life was cut short prematurely on 30 October 1883, and died as a victim of her heroic charity, as a result of the blows received by a mentally ill woman.
Her spiritual legacy is condensed in her Testament and in the example of her life which remains alive in the Congregation. On 10 May 2012, Benedict XVI signed the decree recognising that María Josefa Recio, foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters Hospitallers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree, declaring her venerable. Her legacy is undeniable, as are her writings, including her spiritual testament, which are of great patrimonial value to the Hospitallers and to all those who relate to her spirituality.