St. Carmen Sallés
We present a woman, consecrated, educator, foundress, and saint. Although it is difficult to summarize her entire life in just a few lines, below are some of the most significant aspects of her life experience.
Woman
In the heart of Vic, in the province of Barcelona, Carmen was born on April 9, 1848. Two days later, she was baptized and entered the Catholic Church under the names María del Carmen Francisca Rosa. Her parents, José Sallés and Francisca Barangueras, were devoted Christians with a strong dedication to the Virgin of Carmel and Saint Francis of Assisi. They were also deeply committed to helping others. Every day, they prayed the rosary as a family and read the lives of saints.
However, life took an unforeseen turn as economic storms brewed. Driven by an unwavering dedication to family, Carmen’s parents made the difficult choice to sell their cherished artisan workshop of laces and trimmings. This sacrifice led them to the town of Manresa, where they were determined to provide their children with essential education. Carmen and her sisters found themselves under the guidance of the Sisters of the Order of Mary, later known as the Sisters of the Company of Mary.
At the tender age of ten, Carmen received her First Communion in 1858. That year, the family tradition led them to the sacred grounds of Montserrat. It was here that Carmen, even in her youth, felt a calling—an inkling of a religious vocation that would shape her future.
Carmen’s journey unfolded through continued studies and the nurturing of her spiritual calling. She grappled with questions of how and when her heart became inclined towards a consecrated life.
Yet, her parents, entrenched in the material world, struggled to comprehend this profound spiritual experience. Initially, they withheld their consent, proposing an engagement that Carmen accepted out of respect but couldn’t embrace wholeheartedly. In defiance of familial expectations, Carmen embarked on a journey of spiritual reflection, seeking solace in days of contemplation.
It was during this period that she found peace and mustered the courage to reaffirm her undeniable vocation. This transformative experience left an indelible mark on Carmen, shaping her unwavering commitment to God’s will throughout her life.
Navigating the complexities of familial resistance, Carmen, fueled by the negotiating process inherited from the Barangueras family and the tenacity of the Sallés lineage, sought the intervention of a Jesuit priest. This intermediary played a crucial role in helping her parents understand Carmen’s chosen path. Ultimately, the ties of courtship were severed, and Carmen left the familiarity of home to embark on her journey toward a religious vocation.
Trust. God’s grace will not fail you.
Consecrated
In the spring of 1871, a woman ablaze with enthusiasm, or rather, a woman deeply in love, finds herself at the threshold of the novitiate of the Religious Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament. This fervent woman, Carmen, seeks to deepen her connection with Jesus in the Eucharist. However, her journey is not just one of joy; she is confronted with the harsh reality of the novitiate. Here, she witnesses the struggles and disenchantment of young women, some hailing from a background of delinquency or even prostitution.
As Carmen navigates this contrasting landscape, a profound lesson unfolds before her. Moved by the Holy Spirit, she is presented with the image of Mary Immaculate. In this revelation, Carmen learns that God’s love is preemptive, redeeming and rescuing Mary without awaiting any merit on her part. This realization dawns on her that Mary Immaculate is the unparalleled model for other women, a guide to be emulated and molded “into her image.”
Two distinct threads weave through Carmen’s life, defining her role within the Church. On one hand, the revelation from the Holy Spirit, and on the other, her commendable work within the convent of the Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament. Here, she solidifies her vocation, yet she senses God nudging her towards a different path—the path of preventive education. Carmen recognizes the importance of preemptively shaping the hearts of children and youth from their earliest years to ward off the encroachment of evil. She articulates this conviction in her own words: “to attain good ends, it is necessary to have good beginnings.”
Turning to the priest who had guided her adolescence and vocation, he directs her towards a Congregation dedicated to teaching—the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciata, recently founded by Father Coll. Thus, Carmen’s journey takes a new trajectory as she embraces the calling of preventive education and continues to shape the lives of the young through her dedication and vision.
Raise your glance toward Mary Immaculate; She will give you strength
Educator
Carmen’s tenure with the Dominican Sisters becomes a transformative chapter in her life. Immersed in community life, she delves into the depths of prayer and dedicates herself to the education of women. Over time, she grasps the pivotal role that knowledge and education play in enabling women to dignify their roles as spouses and mothers within the family. Simultaneously, she recognizes the burgeoning opportunities for women in a society cautiously opening its doors to female inclusion in the workforce. Carmen discerns that knowledge and education serve as the indispensable pillars supporting faith, preventing its degradation into sentimentality and superstition.
In her novice years, Carmen’s dynamic character and strong work ethic propel her into an intense apostolic life. Attuned to her surroundings, she devotes herself tirelessly to providing comprehensive education to her students, emphasizing the fusion of catechism and general knowledge, what she fondly terms “piety and knowledge.” Her focus extends to religious formation, imparting enduring principles that instill in her students the translation of God’s love into practical acts of kindness towards others. Carmen preaches not only through words but, more importantly, through the compelling example of her own life—an invaluable lesson that leaves a lasting impact.
Carmen’s years in Barcelona are marked by a fruitful apostolate, yet they also bring challenges. Her superior’s express disagreement with her approach to activities and educational organization, leading to moments of intense suffering, doubt, and rejection. These difficulties prompt Carmen to make the difficult decision to depart from the Dominican Sisters, driven by a profound search for fidelity to God’s calling.
Embarking on a period of testing and purification, Carmen seeks divine guidance for clarity on the path God desires for her. She lives a strong experience of crossroads in communion with Christ and with the people, sharing the difficulty and greatness of the mission and community life.
In order to attain good ends,
good beginnings are necessary.
Foundress
With a remarkable degree of human, Christian, and religious maturity, M. Carmen embarks on a new chapter by leaving the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters to initiate the Conceptionist foundation.
Increasingly clear about God’s calling, she undergoes another uprooting, leaving the familiar terrain where she once flourished. In the Cathedral of St. Isidro in Madrid, M. Carmen engages in fervent prayer and contemplation. Guided by the Virgin of the Good Counsel, she has a moment of illumination, exclaiming, “It is God’s Will, let us go to Burgos, and there we will fight against anything that may come. And God will provide.”
On December 7, 1892, Msgr. Manuel Gomez Salazar, Archbishop of Burgos, grants permission and authorization to establish the community of the Conceptionist Religious of St. Dominic. The initial group comprises four Sisters: M. Carmen Sallés, M. Remedios Pujols, M. Emilia Horta, and M. Candelaria Boleda.
Guiding a cohort of young women, M. Carmen instills in them the concept of being “reservoirs, which are filled through study and prayer of knowledge and virtue to be later shared.” She emphasizes that knowledge is the fruit of study, and virtue is bestowed by God’s grace. With this vision, they venture to Segovia, El Escorial, Madrid, Pozooblanco, and beyond, marking the initial stages in Andalucia and Castilla. Later, they extend their mission to La Mancha: Almadén, Valdepeñas, Manzanares, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Barajas de Melo, Arroyo del Puerco, and Santa Cruz de la Zarza. In the north, schools are established in Murchante, Navarra, with requests for permission to the Bishop of Pamplona for additional foundations in Sesma.
However, M. Carmen’s health begins to decline. Recognizing the warnings of her deteriorating health, M. Carmen shares that she still harbors three desires to be fulfilled before her death: the approval of the Institute by Pope St. Pius X, the acquisition of her own house in Madrid, and the necessary permission for a novitiate there. Miraculously, God’s Providence ensures the realization of these desires, and M. Carmen peacefully passes away on July 25, 1911.
Do what you are doing;
do it well, do it for God.
Saint
Carmen devoted herself to a continuous inner journey, allowing God to work within her and recognizing His grace in every facet of her life—be it through the Word, the Sacraments, or the daily experiences that shaped her character.
In a letter dated October 15, 1900, addressed to the Sisters, M. Carmen passionately exhorted them, saying, “Let us humble ourselves and let us obey, let us conform ourselves to the Will of God; what three fulcrums to go up the ladder of perfection!” She urged them to entrust their thoughts, desires, and preferences to Christ, seeking to let Christ live within them.
Human connections were also significant in M. Carmen’s spiritual journey. Individuals who initially might have seemed like obstacles later revealed themselves as true manifestations of God’s Providence, guiding her towards holiness and sharing their histories with her.
The Church, acknowledging two miraculous healings attributed to St. Carmen, further underscores her spiritual influence. M. Amelia, a conceptionist religious, experienced healing from advanced tuberculous spondylitis through St. Carmen’s intercession. Additionally, Maria Isabel Gomes de Melo Gardelli, a conceptionist student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was cured of acute cerebral ischemia, defying all medical expectations.
Pope St. John Paul II beatified M. Carmen on March 15, 1998, recognizing her exceptional spiritual journey. Later, on October 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonized her.