Timeline
of Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament
(Maria Luisa de la Peņa Navarro)
July 1859
Don Epigmenio de la Peņa, a widower, and Maria Luisa Navarro are married
in La Capilla de Guadalupe, Jalisco, Mexico.
Two children, Maria Magdalena Clotilde de Jesus and Maria Clotilde
de Jesus die in childhood.
June 21, 1866
Maria Luisa de la Peņa is born in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.
Despite fears that she will not survive, the child clings to her fragile
hold on life.
It is her mother's birthday.
1846- 1878 Pius IX is the reigning Pope
June 27, 1866
Maria Luisa is baptized in the parish of San Miguel in Atotonilco
el Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.
The child is given the name Maria Luisa to honor St. Aloysius Gonzaga
on whose feastday she was born and also to honor her mother who shares
the same name and birthday. Her Godparents are Manuel Rojas and Doņa
Rafaela de la Peņa.
1867 - Religious persecution of the Church in Mexico. The teaching
of religion is prohibited. Goods of the Church are taken over by the
government.
1869 - 1870: Vatican Council I is convened
January 2, 1873
St. Therese of the Child Jesus is born in Alencon, France.
June 29, 1874
Maria Luisa's Confirmation during the pastoral visit of Archbishop
Pedro Loza y Perdave, Archbishop of Guadalajara.
1878 -
1903: Pope Leo XIII is the reigning Pope
1876 - 1911: Porfirio Diaz comes to power in Mexico. The poor are
maltreated and ostracized. The Church lived in a time of relative
peace.
June 18, 1880 Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity is born in the military
camp of Arvor near Bourges, France.
February 9, 1882
Maria Luisa de la Peņa age 15, and Don Pascual Rojas, age 30, are
married in San Miguel Church.
As was the custom at the time the marriage was pre-arranged by her
parents and Maria Luisa accedes to her parent's wishes in spite of
her own desire to enter a contemplative religious community. Pascual's
patron saint is noted for his devotion to the Holy Eucharist.
God does not give children to the marriage. Pascual and Maria Luisa
after much prayer decide that the 'poor will be their children'.
March
31, 1890
Mother Cabrini arrives in the United States to work among the Italian
immigrants.
February 12, 1891
St. Katherine Drexel founds the Congregation of the Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.
October 12, 1891
Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) is born in Breslau,
Germany.
November 15, 1891
The Conference of St. Vincent de Paul is founded with Maria Luisa
as President.
January 7, 1892
Together, Don Pascual and Maria Luisa open the Little Hospital of
the Sacred Heart in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.
At the dedication Doctor Pascual Rojas states - The money that God
has given us to bring about this work is like the blood of Christ.
It must serve to redeem the world .
April
3, 1896
Doctor Pascual Rojas dies on Good Friday. In his last hours he tells
Maria Luisa that she can now follow her desire to become a religious.
In the same year, she applies at the Visitation convent but is refused
due to health reasons.
Maria Luisa is left a widow at the age of twenty-nine.
1900: St. Teresa of the Andes is born in Santiago Chile
1903 - 1914: Pius X is the reigning Pope
March 3, 1904
Maria Luisa enters St. Teresa Carmel in Guadalajara. She remains there
seven months.
October 11, 1904
At the request of the Archbishop Maria Luisa leaves the cloister to
return to Sacred Heart Hospital which has fallen into neglect and
disrepair during her absence.
Together with other companions she prays for discernment to know God's
will. Rev. Arcadio Medrano asks the Archbishop for approval for them
to begin living a regular Community life.
December 24, 1904
Maria Luisa and six companions begin life in Community with a simple
ceremony at which Father Medrano presides.
January 1905
The community numbers twenty-one. They care for the sick and open
a school for girls. The sisters alternate at adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament from 4:00a.m. - 10:00p.m.
February 1910
At the request of the Archbishop Mother Luisita and the sisters begin
the unification process with the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
1910: Beginning
of the Mexican Revolution. From this time on there are changes of
power and civil war in Mexico
May 22, 1913
The new Archbishop, Francisco Orozco y Jimenez asks the Community
to merge with the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament
1914 - 1922: Pope Benedict XV is elected Pope 
1914 - 1918: World War I
Persecution of the Church in Mexico begins again.
July 27, 1914
Maria Luisa makes her Novitiate in a private home due to dispersal
of religious because of fear of arrest. She receives the name Sister
Jane Frances de Chantal of the Blessed Sacrament.
May 2,
1915
Sister Jane Frances de Chantal of the Blessed Sacrament makes her
first vows as a Sister Servant of the Blessed Sacrament.
May 22, 1917
Archbishop Orozco y Jimenez asks Sister Jane Frances de Chantal and
any of her companions who so desire to separate from the Servants
of the Blessed Sacrament and return to Atotonilco to administer the
Hospital of the Sacred Heart which has again fallen into neglect and
disrepair without Maria Luisa s leadership.
Three of the original twenty companions leave with Maria Luisa. They
are dispensed from their vows. Two others who had previously left
the Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament again join her at the
hospital.
1917: Mexico's new Constitution is enacted. Attack on the Church renewed.
1918: Mother Luisita, as those around her begin to call her, opens
the - Little School of the Spelling Book and herself gives reading
and writing classes.
The sisters wear a black dress with pleats, and a black transparent
veil held in the back with a strap. They also wear a black cape with
a collar and a crucifix with a chain.
January
19, 1919
Mother Luisita opens an orphanage for homeless girls in Atotonilco.
She also begins Sunday Schools for young girls for their Christian
formation.
September 7, 1920
Mother Luisita and her companions with the blessing of Archbishop
Orozco y Jimenez petition Rome for affiliation to the Carmelite Order
February
2, 1921
Mother Luisita and her twelve companions begin living the Carmelite
Rule. A Mass of Thanksgiving is offered by Rev. Macario Velazquez
April
1, 1921
Mother Luisita and six sisters receive the Carmelite habit in the
morning and make their vows in the afternoon of the same day.
Mother's religious name is now: Maria Luisa Josefa of the Blessed
Sacrament. Archbishop Orozco y Jimenez appoints Mother Luisita the
first Superior General of the Congregation.
December, 1922
Mother Luisita accompanies the Sisters to the first foundation in
Guadalajara which is established amid great poverty.
1922 - 1929: Pope Pius XI
May 1923
Mother Isabel Rioseco, OSF, a Franciscan Religious, arrives to form
the first novices by order of the Archbishop. She remains exactly
one year.
May 1923
Beatification of St. Therese
September 24, 1924
Mother Luisita accompanies Sisters to the second foundation of the
House of St. Francis of Assisi in Tepatitlan.
Continued persecution of the Church in Mexico.
April
1, 1925
Mother Luisita and first group of sisters make their final vows. The
Archbishop dispenses with the fifth year of temporary vows.
May 1926
Mother Luisita accompanies Sisters to the new foundation of Ocotlan,
Jalisco.
July 19, 1926
The Archbishop Francisco Orozco y Jimenez signs a document stating
that all religious should immediately return to their homes or remain
hidden in the house of some pious family.
July 31. 1926
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and all religious services are forbidden
in Mexico. The tabernacles are empty! Persecution of the Church escalates
and numerous priests, religious and lay people give their lives to
defend the faith.
June
20, 1927
Mother Luisita feeling the need of safeguarding the vocations of her
religious daughters leaves her beloved Mexico in disguise and comes
to the United States.
Her companions are Sister Teresa Navarro and Sister Margarita Maria
of the Sacred Heart Hernandez. They travel by train. Sister Margarita
Maria is the only one who knows English and this is very limited.
The following day marks Mother Luisita's sixty-first birthday. Sister
Margarita Maria is twenty-four years old and has been professed for
slightly less than two years.
Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro is martyred in Mexico with the cry Viva
Cristo Rey on his lips.
Cristo Rey Carmel is founded in San Francisco from the Carmel in Guadalajara
that Mother Luisita had entered in 1904
June 23, 1927
Mother Luisita and companions cross the border into the United States
and arrive in Nogales, Arizona.
Mother Luisita asks her companions to kneel with her in the Pullman
car and recite the Te Deum in thanksgiving that they are now in a
free Country.
June 24, 1927
Mother Luisita and her companions arrive in the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles.
It is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus!
Archbishop John J. Cantwell is the local Ordinary in Los Angeles.
The sisters are warmly welcomed by Bishop Cantwell who arranges for
them to stay with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He
also entrusts them to the care of Rev. Leroy S. Callahan who is in
charge of assisting the Mexican refugees in the Archdiocese. They
remain with the Sisters from June 27 - August 3, 1927.
August 3, 1927
Mother Luisita and her companions move to Long Beach and are welcomed
into Holy Innocents Parish by Rev. Francis C. Ott, the Pastor.
The Sisters stay at the home of Mrs. Nicolastia Flores who opens her
home to the Sisters who are from her native state of Jalisco. They
remain at this home at 1851 Locust Street in Long Beach.
September 12, 1927
Five more Sisters arrive from Mexico. Mother Luisita and companions
have acquired a large house on Cedar Street in Long Beach.
March, May, August
Additional Sisters arrive in the Archdiocese until there are over
1928 thirty Sisters. The house is no loner large enough.
The Sisters do catechetical work among their fellow refugees. They
also take the parish census, teach Spanish and establish sewing circles
for the women. They operate a second-hand store in order to support
themselves
Twenty Sisters begin two years of domestic service at St. Mary's College
in Moraga, California. The Christian Brothers operate the College.
The move is the result of an urgent decision to find housing, work
and support for the growing number for Sisters.
Mother Luisita, herself, remains at St. Mary s in Moraga for eight
months and shares the austerity of the life with her sisters.
August 28, 1929
The Sisters who remained at Holy Innocents Parish in Long Beach move
to St. Patrick's Parish in Los Angeles where Father Francis Ott has
been transferred as pastor.
August 29, 1929
Mother Luisita is present for the move from Long Beach to St. Patrick
s Parish.
The Sisters
secure a $3,500.00 bank loan to move an abandoned convent to an empty
lot in St. Patrick s Parish. Archbishop John J. Cantwell co-signs
the bank note as security for its payment.
1929
Mother Luisita establishes an Association of Christian Mothers and
a group of young women known later as the Youth of Catholic Mexican
Women.
The Sisters also begin to accept young girls as boarding students
and the foundations of the future Little Flower Missionary House are
laid.
June
29, 1929
The Churches in Mexico are re-opened.
October 29, 1929
The Stock Market crashes and the Great Depression begins.
October 24, 1929
Mother Luisita returns to Mexico with Sister Margarita Maria Hernandez.
The Novitiate in Mexico is re-opened.
December 24, 1929
The Community quietly celebrates the silver jubilee of its founding.
January
1930
Mother Luisita is summoned to return to the United States by Archbishop
Orozco y Jimenez who is living in exile in Los Angeles.
Sister Margarita Maria Hernandez of the Sacred Heart returns with
Mother Luisita.
May 1930
Mother Luisita returns to Mexico where for the remainder of her life
she lives in dire poverty, moving from house to house.
August 2, 1930
Santa Teresita Sanatorium is opened for the care of girls with tuberculosis.
August
10, 1930
A meeting is held and Mother Luisita is confirmed as Superior General
of the Congregation.
The Constitutions and Ceremonial of the Congregation are approved
by the Archdiocese of Guadalajara.
June August 1932
Mother Luisita visits her daughters in the United States.
October 22, 1932
Five Sisters are arrested by the government in Mexico causing severe
anguish to Mother Luisita.
October 22, 1932
An American Province and Novitiate are established. Mother Luisita
expresses in her letters her hope that the Sisters will be able to
establish permanent residence in the United States so as no longer
to be considered as refugees.
In Mexico the persecution of the Church continues. Mother and the
Sisters continually change residences, live in constant danger and
suffer from hunger, cold and insecurity.
February 1933
Mother Luisita establishes the foundation in Mexico City near the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
1934
Mother Luisita suffers a serious illness that leaves her with the
kidney disease that will ultimately cause her death. At this time
she writes her last will and testament to the Community
1935
Mother Luisita makes her last visit to the Sisters in the United States
March 19, 1936.
Mother Luisita establishes the foundation in Jamay for the education
of children.
June 11, 1936
Mother Luisita establishes the foundation in Mexticacan for the education
of children.
August
24, 1936
Mother Luisita establishes the foundation in Santo Tomas de los Platanos.
Although Mother is not able to go herself to the foundation, she continues
to guide and direct the new foundation through her letters and counsel.
An official letter from the Chancery Office in November 1936 informs
the sisters of the danger of being discovered by the government. The
Sisters are ordered to leave the convent immediately and disperse
into houses of trustworthy friends or their own families.
Mother Luisita moves to the house on Garibaldi Street which is her
last earthly home.
February 11, 1937
Mother Maria Luisia Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament enters into
eternal life shortly before 5:00a.m.
Before she looses consciousness she blesses the Congregation. She
receives Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament moments before her death.
Throughout the day the sisters arrive to bid farewell to their beloved
Mother. People from the town come to the convent to honor the body
of Mother Luisita. They touch rosaries, medals and other objects to
her body. They pray for help through her intercession.
February
12, 1937
His Excellency Jose Garibi Rivera blesses the grave and says the ritual
prayers. The body of Mother Luisita is laid to rest in the Cemetery
of Mezquitan in Guadalajara.
The Community gathered in the Chapel hears the following words from
the priest who spoke to them on the day of Mother's death...
"It depends on you to keep your venerated Foundress forever alive
among her children. Lift up your gaze on high and behold her, radiant
and happy for all eternity. The distance is not great, nor need it
be a barrier to separate you from her. Madre Luisita is in the midst
of you. And here she will remain while you preserve the goodly spirit,
the special stamp which distinguishes you. It is a blessed heritage
which has been bequeathed to you by that woman of celestial aspect,
of smile tranquil and serene whom God, Our Lord, in His loving Providence
gave you for a Mother.
Venerable Mother Luisita, pray for us!
