Montserrat Grases

In 1952, Montse's parents came into contact with Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, which promotes the pursuit of holiness in the midst of the world, through daily work and ordinary activities. At the age of thirteen, in 1954, Montse went for the first time to an Opus Dei center called "Llar." There, she learned to develop her interior life through personal prayer and frequenting the sacraments. At the age of fifteen, she participated in a spiritual retreat at Castelldaura, near Barcelona, where she began to reflect on the possibility of a total consecration to God. After a time of reflection and prayer, she perceived that God was calling her to follow this path within Opus Dei as a lay member (numerary). On December 24, 1957, she requested admission to the Work. From then on, she strove to live the Christian virtues daily with a renewed commitment, struggling against her small character flaws and seeking to sanctify her studies and her friendships. She also visited the underprivileged neighborhoods of Barcelona with her friends to give catechism classes to poor children and bring them toys and treats.

In the winter of 1958, during a ski trip to La Molina in the Pyrenees, Montse fell and injured her leg. Despite treatment, the pain persisted and intensified over the weeks. On June 26, 1958, medical examinations revealed that she was suffering from bone cancer in her left femur (Ewing's sarcoma). When she learned of the seriousness of her illness from her father, Montse reacted with great calm and deep inner peace. She accepted this trial as a manifestation of God's will. Despite increasingly excruciating pain that eventually confined her to bed, she maintained a contagious joy that impressed everyone who visited her. Her friends and classmates came to her seeking comfort and spiritual advice. Montse offered her sufferings for the Pope (Pius XII and then John XXIII), for the founder of Opus Dei, and for the Church. She passed away on March 26, 1959, on Holy Thursday, at the age of 17. Her last words, whispered before an image of the Virgin Mary, were: "How I love you! When are you coming to take me?"

The reputation of holiness of Montse Grases spread rapidly after her death. On December 19, 1962, the Archdiocese of Barcelona opened the informative process for her cause of beatification and canonization, which concluded on March 26, 1968. On February 22, 1974, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints published the decree on her writings. On May 15, 1992, the validity of the diocesan process was officially recognized by the Vatican. On April 26, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus granting her the title of venerable. For her to be beatified, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession is required.

The spirituality of Montse Grases is based on an acute awareness of her divine filiation. She loved to repeat three short prayers that summarize her trusting abandonment into the hands of God: 1. "I am a daughter of God" (Filia sum Dei). 2. "Whatever You want, when You want, as You want" (Quidquid Tu vis, quando Tu vis, eo modo quo Tu vis). 3. "Everything is for the good" (Omnia in bonum). Her example shows that it is possible for an ordinary young girl to rise to high holiness through the simplest realities of life: studies, friendship, sports, and finally the joyful acceptance of illness and suffering. Her remains rest today in the crypt of the oratory of Santa Maria de Bonaigua in Barcelona, where many faithful come to pray and seek her intercession.