MAMA ANTULA- FIRST WOMAN OF ARGENTINA

 

On Sunday, February 11,  Pope Francis will canonize another of his countrymen, its first woman.

MARIA ANTONIA de PAZ y FIGUEROA  (MAMMA ANTULA) born in 1730 in Argentina, was descended from an illustrious family of rulers and conquerors. Her childhood was spent in the home where she led a devout life. At the age of fifteen she decided to devote herself entirely to God. Nuns in the 18th century were cloistered and the young woman, after meeting Jesuit priests, decided to dedicate her life to working with them and spreading the Word.

Guided by the Jesuit priest Gaspar Juarez, she devoted her time to assisting parents in the instruction of their children and also ministering to the sick and to the poor.

When the Jesuits were expelled from Spain and its colonies in the Americas in 1767, by Charles III of Spain, Mama Antula kept the Jesuits' work going, spending long years walking throughout Argentina and teaching about the church in Quechua, the language from her home province of Santiago de Estero in the north of the country, and Spanish, Argentina’s official language.

She is believed to have walked over 3,000 miles throughout Argentina before ending up barefoot in Buenos Aires, the capital, where she founded a spiritual center and charity programs for women and children.

In 1780 the retreats in Buenos Aires began with incredible success and the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Sebastián Malvar y Pinto gave his support to her. Her work became well known not only in Argentina, but also in France at the convent of Saint-Denis in Paris, where the prioress was the aunt of King Louis XVI.

Letters she penned during this period were translated into English and German, and were sent to various other countries for inspiration. She established the Daughters of the Divine Savior.

On 6 March 1799 she died at the age of 69 and was buried in Buenos Aires.

She will be the fifth saint associated with Argentina of whom four were elevated to sainthood by Pope Francis but is the first female of Argentina to be canonized.

Mama Antula is considered the mother of the nation. She was a strong, brave woman who believed in Argentina. This amazing woman started a spiritual movement at a time when religious intellectualism was strictly the domain the men.

Careful not to offend the Spanish viceroys, she nevertheless promoted the idea of an independent Argentina, which would not happen until 1816, more than a decade after her death. "She was committed to the country and that knowing Christ would transform society," said Bishop Santiago Olivera. Her tireless proclamation of the gospel left its mark on the religious and cultural identity of the Argentines. 

Amazingly, she will be canonized by a Jesuit, Pope Francis. Mama Antula will become the country's second saint to be born and die in Argentina. The first, José Gabriel Brochero, was canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis.  Her feast is celebrated March 7.