It could almost be said that María Concepción Cabrera—called “Conchita” by her family—lived in two worlds at once.
The first world was the one in which she was born on the feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1862, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Her family was well-to-do, and Conchita learned things like dancing and horseback-riding. Her family life was also steeped in the Catholic Faith, and even as a little girl she would sit silently and pray whenever she could.
Conchita married when she was twenty-two and bore nine children to her beloved husband. After sixteen years of marriage, her husband passed away, and Conchita ran the house and raised the children by herself.
Blessed Conchita
The second world was the realm of Conchita’s spiritual life. Conchita went to Mass daily and was very devout.
In 1889, however, she made St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises for the first time, and heard Our Lord calling her to save souls. In response, Conchita founded an apostolate for Catholics wishing to live out the spirituality of the Cross. The apostolate—called the Works of the Cross—contained branches for laity, religious, priests, and missionaries.
Conchita herself received visions of Christ and experienced His immense love all her life. Every moment, she was aware of His presence. She was united to Him in spiritual marriage.
Her spiritual director recommended that she keep a spiritual diary, and she recorded her experiences for nearly fifty years. By the time of her death in 1937, Conchita had written forty-six books and sixty-six diaries—and no one was more surprised than her children, who said they’d never seen her write!
Want to get better acquainted with Conchita’s life and spirituality? Beautiful Holiness: A Spiritual Journey with Blessed Conchita to the Heart of Jesus is the book for you. Composed of biographical and spiritual excerpts, Conchita’s prayers, and probing questions for your own contemplation, Beautiful Holiness brings you the greatest lessons of this saint—who is truly a model for laity striving for holiness in the world. Get your copy today!
