Venerable Mother María Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament, also called Mother Luisita (June 21, 1866 – February 11, 1937) was a Mexican Roman Catholic nun who founded the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles.
She was born María Luisa de la Peña y Navarro in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, the third of fourteen children raised in a devout Catholic family. At fifteen years of age she married medical doctor Pascual Rojas. Together they worked to provide medical care for poor people. Dr. Rojas died when Mother Luisita was twenty nine years old
Mother Luisita founded the order of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart (Hermanas Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazón, also called Carmelitas de Tijuana) on December 24, 1904 in the Mexican state of Jalisco. In the 1920s, during the Mexican Revolution, Mother Luisita took a group of nuns to the U.S. city of Los Angeles to protect them from the Catholic persecution unleashed by the authorities. This group of nuns became the basis for the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. Mother Luisita herself went back to Mexico in 1930 where she continued her work of providing healthcare for the poor.
Mother Luisita died on February 11, 1937. In 1942 her remains were secretly taken to be buried in Guadalajara, Jalisco. In 1966 they were brought back to the place of her birth Atotonilco. In 1998 they were placed in a special chapel in that town.
She is a candidate for sainthood and was made venerable on July 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Each year on February 11 the Catholic Church celebrates her Feast.
Prayer For the Beatification of Venerable Mother María Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament
O Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, King and center of all hearts! Look with merciful love on the petitions we present to You through the intercession of Your servant, Mother María Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament. (Pause and request your petition). We humbly beseech You to glorify her who was always such a fervent lover of Your Sacred Heart by granting us these favors if they are for Your greater honor and glory. Amen.
Written by Mother Margarita María, O.C.D.
Approved by Cardinal Timothy Manning, August 28, 1981