Maria Josefa Karolina Brader

In 1888, Sister Maria Caritas volunteered for the missions in Ecuador. She left with a group led by the future saint Maria Bernarda Bütler and settled in Chone. In 1893, she was sent to Túquerres, Colombia. Faced with apostolic needs, she founded the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate. She led the institute as Superior General (1893-1919, then 1928-1940), opening numerous schools for the poor and the indigenous people. The motherhouse was transferred to Pasto in 1927, and the congregation received pontifical approval in 1933.

Mother Maria Caritas passed away on February 27, 1943, in Pasto at the age of 82. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage. Her cause for canonization opened on October 24, 1985. She was declared Venerable on June 28, 1999, by John Paul II. On December 20, 2002, a papal decree approved the miracle required for her beatification: the unexplained healing of young Johana Mercedes Melo Díaz, who was suffering from acute encephalitis that had caused severe brain damage, following a novena of prayers for the intercession of Maria Caritas Brader.

Mother Maria Caritas Brader was solemnly beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 23, 2003, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, in the presence of the young Johana Mercedes Melo Díaz. Her liturgical feast is set for February 27, the day of her birth into Heaven. Her cause for canonization is currently underway.

The spirituality of Maria Caritas Brader unites contemplation and action, centered on the Eucharist and Perpetual Adoration. Guided by an absolute trust in Divine Providence and Franciscan poverty, her motto was "He wills it." She insisted on the intellectual and spiritual formation of educators. Today, the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate continue her work of education and assistance to the needy in Colombia, Ecuador, Switzerland, the United States, Mali, and Benin.