Blessed Petra De San José Perez Florido

Feast Day

16-Aug

Born

7 December 1845 in Valle de Abdalajís, Málaga, Spain as Ana Josefa Perez Florido

Died

16 August 1906 in Barcelona, Spain of complications arising from diabetes; buried on 18 August; re-interred on 5 November 1920; her relics were stolen from the Royal Sanctuary of San José de la Montaña in La Salud, Barcelona when the place was looted and burned on 23 July 1936 during the anti–Christian persecutions of the Spanish Civil War; the thieves had trouble destroying the relics, and instead buried them in a field near Puzol, Valencia, Spain; this information came to light from a death-bed confession of one of the men who was involved in the looting and theft; relics re-discovered in 1983; their authenticity was certified on 11 May 1984 by Cardinal Pietro Palazzini, and they were re-interred on 10 June 1984

Beatified

16 October 1994 by Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy; the beatification miracle occurred on 31 July 1951 in Fuensanta de Martos, Spain when Pastora López Moya was healed from life-threatening complications of child birth

Venerated

14 June 1971 by Pope Paul VI (decree of heroic virtues)