Servants of God
Maria Giuseppe di Gesù (Honorina)
Biography
Honorina de Abreu was born in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on February 18, 1882.
She lost her mother at the age of 9. Young, beautiful and intelligent, Honorina shone in Rio in the society of that time! But at the age of 20, in the middle of a party, she suddenly felt compelled to leave the room and go home. Something had happened within her: it was the sign of her conversion.
At the age of 29, she entered the convent of the Discalced Carmelites of Saint Teresa, with the religious name of Sister Mary Joseph of Jesus. After only six years of religious life, she was elected Prioress, a fact that recurred many times. She guided the souls entrusted to her with great wisdom. She gave new vigour to the monastery and contributed to the foundation of other houses. She translated several Carmelite books into Portuguese. She wrote several poems and left countless letters. In her last years, her health was a challenge and she suffered a martyrdom in her soul.
She died on March 11, 1959.
On March 6, 1993, the decree of validity was granted to the diocesan process on her «life, virtue and reputation for holiness».
Procedure
1. The canonical norms concerning the procedure to be followed in the Causes of Saints are stated in the Apostolic Constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister promulgated by John Paul II on 25 January 1983 (AAS LXXV, 1983, 349-355).
2. To initiate a Cause it is necessary that at least five years pass after the death of the candidate. This is to allow for greater balance and objectivity in the evaluation of the case and to allow the emotions of the moment to decant. There must be a clear conviction among people about his/her sanctity (fama sanctitas) and about the efficacy of his/her intercession with the Lord (fama signorum).
Iconography
