Rome Newsroom, Jan 10, 2024 / 09:00 am
Pope Francis next month will preside over the canonization Mass of the woman set to become Argentina’s first female saint, the Vatican said this week.
The pope will preside over the Mass for Blessed María Antonia of St. Joseph on Feb. 11 in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican revealed in its release of the pope’s liturgical schedule for January and February.
María Antonia was proclaimed “Venerable” by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and was later beatified by Pope Francis in 2016. In October, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, to give his authorization for the the promulgation of a miracle attributed to the Argentinian religious sister, paving her way to become the country’s first female saint.
María Antonia was born in 1730 in Silipica, Santiago del Estero, in northern Argentina. Her early life was characterized by a fervent desire to serve God. She spent the early part of her ministry helping parents with the instruction of their children and administering care to the sick and poor.