Every August 9, we, the Daughters of Jesus, gather to commemorate our foundress, Saint Candida Maria of Jesus, and to celebrate the gift of her life and the legacy she left us. On the occasion of this celebration, the Superior General, Graciela Francovig, FI, has sent a message of congratulations to all the Daughters of Jesus, which we joyfully extend to the entire family of Mother Candida.
A Message from the Superior General
Dear Daughters of Jesus:
On this August 9, we come together as one in faith to celebrate with immense joy and gratitude the feast day of our beloved foundress, Saint Candida María de Jesús.
As we reflect on her passage to the Father’s house, we are deeply moved by the legacy of peace, serenity, and trust she left us in her final moments. Her departure was not an empty farewell, but the final testimony of a life grounded in faith and in a complete and unshakable trust in God, her Father. Saint Candida taught us to walk every step of the journey with the certainty that “God wills it” and that His Providence never abandons us, watching over us with a Father’s tenderness.
Throughout her life, she had absolute trust in God, and upon leaving this world, she placed her trust in the congregation, entrusted us with the care of her work, and made us responsible for continuing the mission we had received. She was convinced that the future of the Institute did not depend on our own strength, but on our faithfulness to the gift we had received, our unconditional dedication to the Lord, and our fraternal love for one another. She left us with the certainty that the work is God’s and that, if we walk united with Him, the Congregation will continue to be a source of life and care for the world.
May this feast day renew in each one of us, and in all the communities of the Congregation, that same spirit of filial devotion: a bold faith that rests in the Father’s hands, and a daily, trusting commitment that will help the Congregation grow in its fullness of life.
A Journey to the Heart of Our Vocation: Being Daughters
This year’s celebration also brings with it a special joy. The XIX General Chapter states in its 7th point: “In the spiritual experience of Mother Candida, which has been passed down to us through oral and written tradition, we recognize the name ‘Daughters of Jesus’ as a true event of revelation. This name is not merely a label, but a profound insight that shaped her life and continues to inspire us today to keep discerning how the mystery of sonship is revealed to us in our own time.”
In response to this invitation from the 19th General Chapter, the Superior General is pleased to announce today that a commission established for this purpose has completed its work and is presenting to the Congregation the document *On the Path to the Root of Our Vocation: To Be Daughters*.
At the recent meeting of Provincial Superiors with the General Government, Sr. Pilar Linde presented the process undertaken by the commission and the work carried out, with these words: “It is a journey that each of us will undertake, but not alone; a journey in which each of us has a special responsibility to help the others. A journey toward the root to which I draw near, embracing it with love, gratitude, and veneration. At the root of our vocation lies our identity as DAUGHTERS. From this root, we are, we feel, and we wish to grow as sisters—among ourselves and with those we encounter in our daily lives.”
The material and the process that the entire Congregation is invited to engage in will be announced in due course. This is not about approaching it as just another task, but rather as an invitation to experience what Mother Candida experienced.
One path, one faith
On August 9, the Superior General and the community of the General Curia celebrated a Mass presided over by Fr. Claudio Paul, S.J., followed by a fraternal lunch that extended the day’s joy.
From Rome to every corner of the world where each community and Daughter of Jesus lives out her vocation today, this feast sets us once again on the same path that Saint Candida walked: that of unconditional trust in God’s Providence. May her example, and this new journey we are beginning to share today, continue to be a source of encouragement and faithfulness for the entire charismatic family.
