Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri Fernández de Heredia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blessed Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri Fernández de Heredia
Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri in 1972.
Born	(1916-12-12)12 December 1916 Madrid, Spain
Died	16 July 1975(1975-07-16) (aged 58) Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	18 May 2019, Palacio Vistalegre, Madrid, Spain by Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu
Feast	16 July

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri Fernández de Heredia (born December 12, 1916 – died July 16, 1975) was a Spanish Catholic teacher. She was also a member of Opus Dei, a group within the Catholic Church. Guadalupe was one of the first women to join Opus Dei. She met its founder, Josemaría Escrivá, in 1944.

She helped start Opus Dei in Mexico. She also worked closely with Escrivá in Rome. Guadalupe had a serious heart condition. This illness sadly led to her death in 1975. Many people who knew her asked for her to be recognized as a saint. Her journey to sainthood began in 2001.

In 2017, Pope Francis said she lived a life of great goodness. He called her "Venerable". The Pope later confirmed a miracle linked to her prayers. A person with cancer was healed. Her beatification ceremony took place on May 18, 2019, in Madrid. Beatification is an important step towards becoming a saint.

Her Life Story

Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri was born in Madrid, Spain. This was on December 12, 1916. She was the youngest of four children. She was also the only girl. Her father, Manuel, was a military officer. Her mother was Eulogia Fernández-Heredia. Guadalupe had three older brothers. One brother, Francisco, died when he was a child. Her brother Eduardo became a doctor and a professor. He and his wife are also being considered for sainthood.

Guadalupe's family moved often because of her father's military work. In 1927, they moved to Tétouan in Morocco. They returned to Spain in 1932. They lived in Madrid, where her father became a Lieutenant Colonel. Guadalupe finished high school there. In 1933, she started studying chemical science at university. She was one of only five women in a class of 70 students. Guadalupe wanted to teach chemistry at a university. So, she decided to study for a doctorate degree.

The Spanish Civil War began in the mid-1930s. This was a very difficult time for Spain. Guadalupe's father was taken prisoner. He sadly died during this time. In 1937, Guadalupe moved with her brother Eduardo and their mother. They went to Valladolid to live with her oldest brother, Manuel. She stayed there until the war ended in 1939.

After the war, Guadalupe returned to Madrid. She began her career as a teacher. In 1944, she felt a special calling from God during Mass. She wanted to talk to a priest. A friend gave her the phone number of Josemaría Escrivá. Guadalupe met him on January 25, 1944. Soon after, she went on a spiritual retreat. On March 19, she wrote to Escrivá. She asked to join Opus Dei.

Working in Mexico

In 1951, Escrivá asked Guadalupe to go to Mexico. Her mission was to help spread the message of Opus Dei there. She continued her doctoral studies in chemistry in Mexico. In the capital, she opened a home for university women. This home was a place for studying, fun, and friendship.

Guadalupe also helped start the Montefalco School. She worked on other projects to help local people. For example, she and a doctor friend created a mobile medical clinic. They visited poorer neighborhoods. They gave free medicine and medical tests to people.

Return to Spain

In 1956, Guadalupe moved to Rome. She worked with Escrivá in leading Opus Dei. Soon after arriving, she felt chest pain. Doctors found she had a serious heart condition. She returned to Madrid for an operation. After getting better, she continued her studies in Spain.

She started a research project on insulating materials made from rice husks. This project won an award. She finished her doctoral thesis and defended it on July 8, 1965. She also worked at the Ramiro de Maeztu Institute. Later, she led the Women's School for Industrial Sciences for ten years. From 1968, she helped plan a center for domestic sciences studies.

In 1975, doctors suggested another heart operation. Guadalupe went to the Clínica Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona. She had surgery on July 1. The operation was successful. However, she suddenly had trouble breathing. She died on July 16, 1975, at 6:30 AM. Her mother died in the same clinic a week later. Guadalupe was first buried in Pamplona. Her remains were moved to Madrid on October 5, 2018.

Her Beatification

In 2001, the leader of Opus Dei, Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, started the process for Guadalupe's beatification. This process checks if a person can be declared "Blessed" by the Church. The Church officially approved starting the process on November 3, 2001. Guadalupe was then called a "Servant of God."

The local Church in Madrid gathered information about her life. They interviewed 32 witnesses from Madrid. They also interviewed 22 witnesses from Mexico. All these people shared stories about Guadalupe's good qualities. The Church collected over 3000 pages of documents. In 2009, a special report was sent to the Vatican.

Church experts reviewed the report in 2016 and 2017. They agreed that Guadalupe lived a very virtuous life. On May 4, 2017, Pope Francis officially declared her "Venerable". This means she lived a life of heroic Christian goodness.

The Miracle for Beatification

For Guadalupe to be beatified, a miracle had to be confirmed. This miracle had to be a healing that science could not explain. Such a case was reported in Barcelona. A man named Antonio Jesús Sedano Madrid was healed of a skin cancer. This happened on the night of November 28-29, 2002.

The local Church investigated this healing from 2007 to 2008. Medical experts then studied the case in 2017. They confirmed that the healing was truly miraculous. It happened very quickly, without medical treatment. The experts said science could not explain it.

Church theologians also confirmed the miracle in 2018. They saw a clear link between the healing and prayers to Guadalupe. On June 5, the Church confirmed the miracle. Pope Francis approved it on June 8. This allowed Guadalupe to be beatified. Her beatification ceremony was held in Madrid on May 18, 2019.

Guadalupe was the first lay person (not a priest or nun) and the first woman from Opus Dei to be beatified.

The person currently in charge of her cause for sainthood is Fr. Antonio Rodríguez de Rivera.

See also

In Spanish: Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri para niños