During Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on February 11, Pope Francis canonized María Antonia of Saint Joseph (1730-1799), better known as “Mama Antula.”
The consecrated woman, who walked thousands of miles across Argentina and Uruguay to organize retreats, is Argentina’s first female canonized saint.
In his homily at the canonization Mass, Pope Francis reflected on the healing of the leper in the Gospel reading of the day (Mark 1:40-45). Two days earlier, in an audience with Argentine pilgrims, the Pope recalled Mama Antula’s life.
