About Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet e Ibars:
Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet e Ibars (not to be confused with Saint Teresa of Lisieux) was born on January 9, 1843 in a small town in Lleida to the farmers Francisco José Jornet and Antonieta Ibars. One of her sisters, Josefa, became a Vincentian in Havana. Her brother Juan had three daughters who later joined the congregation of the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly.
Ibars was baptized on 10 January 1843 and received confirmation in 1849. In her childhood, Ibars demonstrated a strong concern for the plight of the poor in her area, and she often took them to the home of her maternal aunt Rosa so that proper aid could be provided to them. She later moved elsewhere in Lleida to live with another aunt of hers and soon after, at the age of nineteen, began teaching at Argençola.
As she felt called to the monastic life, Ibars applied for admission to the Poor Clares near Burgos in 1868. However, the anti-clerical laws at the time prevented her from embracing the religious life. So, in 1870, she became a member of the Third Order of our Lady of Mount Carmel. Her father’s death and a severe illness she contracted later confined her to her home for a prolonged period. Father Pedro Llacera introduced her to Saturnino López i Novoa, who became her spiritual director. He encouraged her to aid the elderly of the region who needed proper attention.
On October 11, 1872, Ibars and her sister Maria moved to Barbastro with their friend Mercedes Calzada i Senan, and opened a house. Ibars founded a religious congregation, taking the religious name Teresa of Jesus in honor of Teresa of Ávila. She was vested in the habit on January 27, 1873 and appointed as the congregation’s first superior. The motherhouse opened in Valencia on May 8, 1873. Ibars was confirmed as the superior in 1875 and made her perpetual vows on 8 December 1877. In 1887, she was appointed as the superior general for the congregation.
On June 14, 1876, the papal decree of praise for the congregation came from Pope Pius IX while Pope Leo XIII issued formal approval on August 24, 1887. The general chapter for the congregation opened at Valencia on April 21, 1896, and Ibars was re-elected as superior general despite begging the sisters not to elect her once more.
Cholera broke out in 1897 across the nation. Ibars tended to the victims before she retired to the order’s house at Liria, where she remained for the next few months. She met Novoa for the final time on July 15, 1897. Ibars died due to tuberculosis on 26 August 1897 in Liria, and her remains were housed in Liria until their transferral on June 1, 1904 to Valencia. On August 25, 1913, the relics were re-interred in the same location.
On January 22, 1957, Pope Pius XII named her Venerable upon the confirmation that Ibars led a life of heroic virtue and later beatified Ibars in Saint Peter’s Basilica on April 27, 1958 upon the acknowledgment of two miracles attributed to her intercession.
The confirmation of another two miracles in 1973 allowed for Pope Paul VI to canonize her on January 27, 1974. In 1977, Pope Paul proclaimed Teresa de Jesús the patron saint of old age in Spain.
That year, she met Fr. Pedro Llacera. He shared with her his plans to found a congregation to take care of elderly people who were in need, working with Fr. Saturnino López Novoa. She felt called to join his initiative, and became the foundress and first superior of the new community: The Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, founded on October 3, 1872.
Teresa remained at the head of the Little Sisters until her death on August 26, 1897. The community had already established 103 houses in Spain and the Americas. She was beatified in 1958 and canonized in 1974.
Today, as you can see here, there are many homes around the world thanks to her efforts.
About Casa Madre Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados in Valencia, Spain:
A somewhat literal translation is “The House of the Homeless Elders”, the house here is the first of the many homes established by Teresa, who established the order “The Little Sisters of the Homeless Elders”.
Traveling to Casa Madre Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados in Valencia, Spain:
Address: Carrer de la Mare Teresa Jornet, 1, La Saïdia, 46009 València, Valencia, Spain
Phone (+34) 963 47 92 50
Visit the official website of Casa Madre Hermanitas de los Ancianos Desamparados in Valencia, Spain.