Ana Petra Pérez Florido

Ana Petra Pérez Florido, known in religious life as Petra of Saint Joseph, was a Spanish religious sister born on December 6, 1845. She is recognized for founding the Congregation of the Mothers of the Forsaken and St. Joseph of the Mountain, an order established to provide care for the abandoned, elderly, and infirm.

Life and Historical Context

Born Ana Josefa Pérez Florido, she was the youngest of five children. Her mother passed away when she was three, and her paternal grandmother became instrumental in her education, instilling in her a deep devotion to the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Pérez Florido expressed an early disinterest in marriage, stating she had "no vocation for marriage," and faced opposition from her parents when she indicated a desire to join religious life.

Her parents initially tried to prevent her from pursuing religious life, even blocking her entry into the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor. However, in 1872, her father granted his blessing. Following his death in 1875, she immediately began assisting the elderly and abandoned, leading to the establishment of "The Porch of Bethlehem" on March 19, 1875, as a home for the elderly.

Pérez Florido entered a convent of the Mercedarians in 1878, receiving their habit. She eventually left to found her own congregation, which received approval on December 25, 1880. The local bishop granted his approval in early 1883, and Pope Leo XIII formally approved the order in 1891. During this period, she also opened a kindergarten and a hospital in Ronda, and later established additional houses in Andujar and Martos.

Beatification and Legacy

Ana Petra Pérez Florido died on August 16, 1906, in Barcelona. Her remains were eventually transferred and later disappeared during the Spanish Civil War, only to be rediscovered in 1983 and reburied in 1984. The process for her beatification began in the Barcelona archdiocese in 1932. After extensive documentation and theological approvals, Pope John Paul II recognized a miracle attributed to her intercession and beatified her on October 16, 1994, in Saint Peter's Square.