Luz Casanova
| Luz Casanova | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | luːθ ˈkäs̺än̪o̞vä |
| Born | Luz Rodríguez-Casanova y García San Miguel 28 August 1873 Avilés, Asturias |
| 💀Died | 8 January 1949 Madrid8 January 1949 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Spanish |
| 💼 Occupation | Catholic Laywoman, Foundress of Catholic Religious Congregation |
María de la Concepción Luz Agustina Rodríguez-Casanova y García San Miguel (Avilés, August 28, 1873; Madrid, January 8, 1949), simply known as Luz Casanova, was a Spanish laywoman and founder of the Apostolic Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus congregation.[1][2][3]
Life
Luz Casanova was born in the (no longer existing) building N°30 of La Cámara street, in an aristocratic family: her father Florentino Rodríguez-Casanova (who died when Luz was only five years old) was the civil governor of Oviedo, her godfather, her uncle Julián García San Miguel y Zaldúa (Spanish politician and writer, minister of Gracia y Justicia during the Regency of Maria Christina of Austria); and her mother, Leónides, was the Marchioness of Onteiro and the daughter of José García-San Miguel y López (First marquis of Teverga).
She was baptized in the Church of San Francisco of Avilés, on August 30th, 1873, and confirmed at the age of 4 by the Archdiocese of Manila in Madrid.
After the death of her father and grandfather, to whom Luz was very close, her family moved to Madrid in 1885. There, Luz was shocked by the suffering of the poorest and the most helpless ones of society, especially the women who walked through the streets. That's why in 1888, she decided to dedicate her life to helping the most helpless ones. After a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady Lourdes in the year 1897, she decided to found the “Patronage of the Sick” (Spanish: Patronato de Enfermos).[2]
Luz's work was never an individualistic work, but from the beginning, she tried to involve in her vision and “mission” all who had a special sensibility for the most needful ones. That's why she used all the sources she had, even those which at that time were close to women, like people from social communication, to implicate other people, to create a movement and a social consciousness – which fought for a more equitable re-distribution of wealth.
Luz Casanova was a precursor of social volunteering; it could be seen that her work was supported by “assistants and collaborators”, that helped to develop plurality and extend what later became the religious congregation of the Apostolic Ladies.
Thanks to all of this support and collaboration, in the year 1902 she opened her first school “Obra de la Preservación de la Fe y Educación popular” which was followed by many others in the next years, which formed a network of small educational centers located in marginal neighborhoods to help educate the poorest children and young people.[2]
In 1910 the “Patronage of the Sick” was founded, a project that tried to create a network of medical and spiritual assistance for the poorest working classes. The work was so successful, that since 1924, Luz and her companions decided to live in community, while they asked for the creation of “Apostolic Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” (Spanish: Damas Apóstolicas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), which after became the "Apostolic Sisters of the Heart of Jesus" (Spanish: Apóstolicas del Corazón de Jesús), and was approved by the Madrid's bishop in 1927.[2]
In 1929 the architect Críspulo Moro Cabeza did the works of the Novitiate of the Apostolic Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on 198 Paseo de La Habana of Madrid. And in 1930, her group made its religious profession.
From that moment, the congregation expanded geographically and opened houses in Granada, Barcelona, Valencia and even Rome.
The Spanish Civil War was a hard moment for the congregation, but as soon as the war ended, they restarted their social work. In the year 1943 the pope Pius XII temporarily approved (until the definitive approval in the year 1950) the Constitutions of the congregation.
Bibliography
- Biografía de Dª Luz Casanova. Fundadora de las Damas Apostólicas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús . María de Echarri. Editorial: Artegrafia, Madrid, 1951
- Luz R. Casanova: El amor dijo sí. Iturbide, E. Ediciones Marianas. 1961. 22 cm. 360 p
References
- ↑ de la Rosa, Juan Antonio Delgado (2021). "María de la Concepción Luz Agustina Rodríguez-Casanova y García San Miguel (1873-1949) Luz Casanova". In del Llano, Cristina Hermida. Mujeres con alma española/iberoamericana: Vidas ejemplares con coraje (in Spanish). Editorial Dykinson, S.L. pp. 167–184. ISBN 9788411220712. Retrieved 24 February 2025.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Copia archivada" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2016. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ de Prada, Andres Vazquez (2017). The Founder of Opus Dei: The Life of Josemaría Escrivá, Volume I. Scepter Publishers. ISBN 9781594171215. Retrieved 24 February 2025. Search this book on
External links
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