Montserrat Grases

María Montserrat Grases García (July 10, 1941 - March 26, 1959) was a numerary member of Opus Dei and is a candidate for beatification in the Roman Catholic Church.

Life and Faith

Montserrat Grases was born in Barcelona on July 10, 1941. Montse, as she was known by everyone, had eight siblings. Her parents sought to create a family climate in which sincere faith was fostered, with great respect for the children’s freedom.

After graduating from her secondary schooling, she continued her studies at the Professional College for Women in Barcelona. In 1957 she saw that God was calling her to the path of sanctity in Opus Dei, a Catholic institution that helps people to seek holiness in their ordinary life. After seeking counsel, she asked for the admission to Opus Dei as a numerary member.

In June 1958, she was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in one leg. The day after the news was broken to her, she was heard singing a Mexican song: "When I was living so happily, without thinking of love, you wanted me to love you and I loved you passionately. And I will continue to love you even after death. For I love you with the soul, and the soul never dies."[1]

The bone cancer caused intense pains, which she bore with both serenity and heroic fortitude. Throughout her illness, she never lost her contagious cheerfulness or her capacity for friendship, which sprang from her deep interior life and zeal for souls. As a result, she continued bringing many friends and schoolmates closer to God. She died on Holy Thursday, March 26, 1959. She died in Barcelona on Holy Thursday, March 26, 1959. According to witnesses, she died looking at a picture of the Virgin Mary. Her last words were, "How much I love you! When are you coming for me?"

Cause for canonization

The process for her cause of canonization was opened in Barcelona on December 19, 1962 — four years after her death — and was closed on March 26, 1968, the 9th anniversary of her death. On February 22, 1974, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the decree on writings, and on May 15, 1992, the decree of validity of the process. Between June 10 and October 28 of 1993, a diocesan investigation took place to add new documents to the process. The Positio was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in December 1999, to be studied for a proposal to the Vatican to authorize a declaration on her life and virtues. On April 26, 2016, Pope Francis signed a decree affirming that she had lived the Christian virtues to a heroic degree, and declared Montse Grases venerable.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Sobre Montserrat Grases: Montse Grases (English)". Sobre Montserrat Grases. Retrieved 2016-07-11.
  2. ↑ http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/04/27/160427c.pdf
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