Feast of St. María Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament

St. María Micaela of the Blessed
Sacrament, ora pro nobis

August 25th is the feast of María Micaela Desmaisières y López de Dicastillo, better known as Saint María Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament—a Spanish noblewoman, religious foundress, and mystic devoted to the Eucharist. Born on January 1, 1809, in Madrid to a prominent aristocratic family, she lost her parents early in life but grew up increasingly drawn to works of mercy, particularly the care of the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.

Her decisive spiritual turning point came in 1844, when she encountered young women suffering from exploitation and abandonment. Moved by their plight, she dedicated herself to their rehabilitation, opening a house to shelter and educate them. To continue this mission, she founded the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and of Charity in 1856, with a spirituality rooted in Eucharistic adoration and active charity.

Known for her mystical depth and courageous charity, she personally tended to the sick during a cholera epidemic. She contracted the illness herself and died in Valencia on August 24, 1865, offering her life in service to others.

María Micaela was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1934 by Pope Pius XI. She is remembered as a model of Eucharistic devotion, compassion, and sacrificial love.

In celebration of her feast, we offer this prayer:

Prayer to St. María Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament

Lord, renew in our congregation the spirit of adoration and charity that inspired Saint Maria Micaela, our Mother, so that, filled and revitalized by Him, we may strive to love what she loved and to put into practice what she taught us. Through Jesus our Lord, Amen

Saint Maria Micaela, pray for us and obtain for us from the Lord your spirit of adoration and charity.