Teresa Toda Juncosa

Joining forces with her daughter Teresa Guasch Toda, Teresa Toda Juncosa prepared the foundation of her work in Barcelona as early as 1868. On February 22, 1878, the Congregation of the Carmelite Teresian Sisters of Saint Joseph was officially founded. Teresa Toda became its first Superior General after professing her vows in 1883. The institute opened college-asylums to welcome and educate poor and orphaned young girls. Despite the illness that paralyzed her starting in 1891, she guided the congregation until her death on July 30, 1898.

The cause of beatification of Teresa Toda Juncosa officially began on December 14, 1996, with the granting of the Nihil obstat by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry into her reputation for holiness took place from 1997 to 1998 in Barcelona. After the validation of this inquiry in 1999, the Positio was published in 2010. The theological consultants and then the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation issued favorable opinions in 2011 and 2013.

On June 3, 2013, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Teresa Toda Juncosa, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable. Her daughter and co-founder, Teresa Guasch Toda, was also declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II on April 19, 2004.

The spirituality of Teresa Toda Juncosa is rooted in the transformation of her personal sufferings into compassion for the most destitute. The charism of her congregation rests on the spirit of family, trust in Divine Providence, and the education of young people in difficulty. Today, the Carmelite Theresian Sisters of Saint Joseph continue this mission in many countries, notably in Spain, Colombia, Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Ivory Coast, and Mozambique.