In March 2026, we shared two studies from the book *A Journey Between Two Dates (1871–1971)*: “Daughters of Jesus”: An Interpretation Based on the Bible, by Manuel Iglesias, S.J., and “Christocentrism”, by Jesús Montero Tirado, S.J. Both explored, from the perspective of Scripture and spiritual theology, what it means to place Christ at the center of our lives as Daughters of Jesus. Today we are adding a third text from that same book: one that delves deeper into this journey through the experience of the Foundress herself.

On this occasion, we are republishing the essay “The Spiritual Meaning of the Name ‘Daughters of Jesus’ in the Life of Our Foundress,” written by Mª Isabel G. Garcimartin, F.I.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Name “Daughters of Jesus” According to the Foundress

Why “Daughters of Jesus”? It speaks to our identity, and we are called to truly embody it; it is a way of life. “Why ‘Daughters of Jesus’?” is the fundamental question that runs through Sister María Isabel G. Garcimartin’s study, and the answer she unfolds through the writings and testimonies of Mother Cándida remains, even today, surprisingly profound.

The text takes us through the history of the name—its origin in a grace received at the Church of the Rosary in Valladolid, the resistance it encountered even among cardinals of the Roman Curia, and Pope Leo XIII’s definitive “yes”—to show that this name was never an empty phrase. For Mother Cándida, calling oneself a Daughter of Jesus meant a concrete and demanding relationship with the person of Christ: following him in his Incarnation, in his Passion and Resurrection, receiving him in the Eucharist, and loving with his love. The study traces the mysteries of Jesus’ life as lived by the Foundress and highlights the simplicity and radical commitment with which she passed on that spirit to her daughters: “Let us love Jesus deeply and be true Daughters of Jesus.”

Reading this document leads us to ask ourselves once again, from within, what it means today to bear this name. And to let ourselves be surprised anew by the richness of what we have received.

Thank you to Sister Mari Carmen Escalante Barquero, fi, for her work in digitizing this document.