Pope Benedict XVI will canonize on October 17 the founder of a religious women’s congregation dedicated to the education of women and youth in the Philippines. Blessed Candida Maria de Jesus, foundress of Hijas de Jesus, will be canonized along with five others at the Vatican, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. “A delegation of Filipino sisters, students and alumni will witness the canonization rites in Rome on October 17," the CBCP said on its news site. Hijas de Jesus is spread to several countries across the world, and has at least nine communities and schools in Manila, Parañaque, Cebu, Iloilo, Camiguin and Davao in the Philippines. On October 18, thanksgiving masses will be held at:
the San Pedro Cathedral in Davao with Archbishop Fernando Capalla at 8:30 a.m.; Jaro Cathedral with Archbishop Angel Lagdameo at 2:30 p.m.; Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City with Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales at 3:00 p.m., and at the Cebu Cathedral with Cardinal Ricardo Vidal at 5:00 p.m. In Camiguin Island, the community and friends will hold their Thanksgiving Mass on October 31 at their parish. Blessed Candida was born Juana Josefa Cipitria y Barriola on May 31, 1845, in Basque province in Guipuzcoa, Spain. Illiterate as a youth, she worked as a housemaid to help support her family. Yet she showed her piety and virtue, and compassion for those more destitute than herself. At age 24, she received a message from the Blessed Virgin to establish a congregation for women dedicated to the salvation of souls through the education of women and the youth. “Despite Spain’s persecution against the Church, she founded the Hijas de Jesus on December 8, 1871, and began opening schools that offered Christian education to both paying students and indigent scholars, including free Sunday classes for domestic helpers," the CBCP said. It added Blessed Candida received guidance and support from her Jesuit spiritual adviser, who taught her how to read and write. Mother Candida Maria de Jesus died in Salamanca, Spain on August 9, 1912 and was beatified on May 12, 1996. The CBCP described her as a “visionary" and a pioneer of social justice and women’s rights, making formal education available to the poor, especially women, at a time when over 80% of females in Spain could barely read or write. It said the congregation she founded is now present in 17 countries around the world, particularly in Asia, Latin America and Africa where it runs schools, retreat houses, medical dispensaries and social service centers. –VVP, GMANews.TV 
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