María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña
| María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
December 30, 1848 Velez Rubio, Almería. Spain |
| Died |
January 10, 1918 (aged 69) Madrid, Spain |
| Beatified | 2003 by Pope John Paul II |
Blessed María Dolores Rodríguez Sopeña (December 30, 1848 – January 10, 1918) was a Spanish Catholic nun. She founded the Sisters of the Catechetical Institute and established an institute now known as the Sopeña Catechetical Institute.[1]
The daughter of Tomas Rodríguez Sopeña and Nicolasa Ortega Salomon, she was born in Velez Rubio, Almería. Her father, although trained as a lawyer, because of his young age, was working as a farm administrator. Her father later was named a magistrate and, in 1866, became an attorney. He was posted to Puerto Rico in 1869 but her mother and most of her siblings moved to Madrid. Three years later, the remainder of the family came to Puerto Rico.[1]
In Puerto Rico, Sopeña founded the Association of the Sodality of the Virgin Mary and also started primary schools for disadvantaged children. In 1873, her father was appointed state attorney for Santiago de Cuba. There, she established Centers of Instruction, where she taught school and catechism and provided medical help. She tried to join the Sisters of Charity but was not accepted because of her poor eyesight.[1]
In 1877, after the death of her mother, her father retired and the family returned to Madrid. Her father died in 1883. In 1885, she established a "Social House", which functioned as a service center for the poor. She began visiting a slum neighborhood and established what came to known as "Workers' Centre". At the urging of the bishop of Madrid, she established a lay organization which is now known as the Sopeña Lay Movement. In 1901, she established the Sisters of the Catechetical Institute and set up a community in Toledo. She was elected superior general for the order, which opened communities in Rome and the Americas. She also established a civil association Obra Social y Cultural Sopeña (OSCUS) which was officially approved by the Spanish government.[1][2]
Sopeña died in Madrid at the age of 69.[1]
The institutions that she established remain active in Spain, Mexico, Italy, Cuba, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.[2]
In 2003, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II.[2]