María Isabel Tejada Cuartas

From her youth, Isabelita distinguished herself by an active charity towards the most destitute. In 1917, she devoted herself to the sick at the La Samaritana hospital in Medellín, and the following year, she opened a kindergarten to look after the Christian education of the little ones. Her missionary vocation became clearer under the spiritual direction of Father Narciso Rodríguez, a Claretian priest who had accompanied her since 1915. In December 1921, on the advice of her confessor, she made contact by telegram with Mother Laura Montoya, founder of the Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and Saint Catherine of Siena (the "Lauritas"). On Christmas Eve 1921, she left Rionegro to join the community in Medellín. On April 8, 1922, she received the habit of the congregation and took the name Sister María del Perpetuo Socorro. She pronounced her religious vows on May 22, 1923. On May 6, 1924, she was sent on a mission to San José de Uré, in the department of Bolívar (today in the department of Córdoba), an isolated region inhabited by a community of Afro-descendant origin. In this mission, she worked as a teacher, catechist, and nurse, providing bodily and spiritual care to the sick and the marginalized. She also used her musical talents and her guitar to evangelize and console the local populations.

Sister María del Perpetuo Socorro passed away prematurely on July 29, 1925, in Uré, after suffering for nine days from a "malignant fever," without the assistance of a doctor or a priest. Her death in the odor of sanctity left a profound memory of heroic charity among the inhabitants of the region and her community sisters. The cause for beatification and canonization was introduced at the diocesan level, then transmitted to Rome to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On March 26, 1994, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The decree of venerability for María Isabel Tejada Cuartas was promulgated on March 26, 1994, by Pope John Paul II. Her current status is that of venerable. The cause for beatification is awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession to pave the way for her beatification.

The spirituality of Isabelita Tejada Cuartas rests on an intimate union between contemplation and missionary action, strongly influenced by the teaching of Saint Laura Montoya. She dedicated a passionate love to the Eucharist, the Passion of Christ, and the Virgin Mary. Her charity was expressed through constant attention to the poorest, whom she considered the "light of her eyes." Nicknamed "La Cariñosita" (The Affectionate One) by the indigenous people and the sick because of her gentleness, she was also described by Saint Laura Montoya as "Palomita sin hiel" (Little dove without gall) for her profound humility and patience in the face of misunderstandings and trials. Her legacy remains alive within the congregation of the Laurita Missionaries, who celebrated a "Year of Grace" from July 2024 to July 2025 to commemorate the centenary of her death. A charitable foundation and an educational park now bear her name in Remedios, her hometown.