Rita Lopes de Almeida

After an unsuccessful attempt with the Sisters of Charity, Rita founded a school for poor young girls in Gumiei on September 24, 1880, laying the foundations for the Institute of the Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The institute is dedicated to Christian education, the rehabilitation of women, and the care of the sick. In 1910, the proclamation of the First Portuguese Republic led to the confiscation of the institute's property. To preserve her work, Mother Rita clandestinely sent sisters to Brazil in 1912, thus ensuring the survival of the congregation.

Exhausted by illness, Mother Rita retired to Casalmedinho where she died on January 6, 1913, in the reputation of holiness. Her cause for beatification was officially opened in the Diocese of Viseu in 1991. On December 20, 2003, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, granting her the title of Venerable.

On December 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II approved a miracle attributed to her intercession: the unexplained healing of a Brazilian woman, Esméria Taveiro Cintra, who was suffering from a fatal intestinal disease. The beatification ceremony was celebrated on May 28, 2006, on the square of the Viseu Cathedral by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, representing Pope Benedict XVI. It was the first beatification celebrated in the history of this diocese.

The spirituality of Rita Amada de Jesus is based on Eucharistic reparation, devotion to the Sacred Heart, love for the Holy Family, and the rosary. Described as the "Apostle of the Rosary, the Eucharist, and the Family" by Benedict XVI, her legacy continues today through the Sisters of the Institute of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who are present in nine countries across Europe, Latin America, and Africa.