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María de San José

The cause

A cause for beatification is the study the Church makes of a person’s life in order to recognise their holiness. That of María de San José is just beginning: the sisters of Seville have asked for it to be opened.

Where it stands

At present the opening has been requested. These are the steps that follow.

  1. Request for opening

    We are here

  2. Diocesan phase

    Evidence is gathered about her life, her virtues and her reputation for holiness.

  3. Roman phase

    The Holy See studies what has been gathered.

  4. Venerable

    The Church recognises that she lived the virtues to a heroic degree.

  5. Blessed

    After a miracle attributed to her intercession is approved.

  6. Saint

    After a second miracle is approved.

Postulation: Postulator General of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.

Letter from the sisters

The Prioress of the Convent of San José in Seville writes to all who come to this website.

Seville, 15 October 2026

Dear reader,

It is with deep joy that we write to share with you that, after four centuries of apparent silence, great interest in our beloved Sister María de San José (Salazar), an illustrious daughter of our Mother Saint Teresa of Jesus, is being felt in many parts of the world. Encouraged by these circumstances, which we see as the fruit of the Holy Spirit's action, we have asked the Postulator General of our Order to open her Cause for Beatification.

The requirements are many and the difficulties not few, yet we trust in the Lord, in the intercession of our Holy Mother, and in the union and prayers of all, to ask for her glorification. To this end, you will find on this page some holy cards with a reproduction of the portrait kept by our community and the prayer approved by the Church. We thank you in advance for letting us know of any favour you may obtain through her intercession.

I would also ask you – since it is of the utmost importance for the Cause – to tell us, if you can, whether you consider her a saint and for what reasons. Please also tell us if you have read about her in any book or article. All of this is of great interest.

With heartfelt thanks, and united in prayer.

Prioress

Background

17th c.
The chronicle of Belchior de Santa Ana, published in Lisbon, devotes more than a hundred pages to her and presents her with an aura of holiness.
1991
The General Chapter of the Order receives a proposal to introduce her cause for beatification.
1999
In December, the General Definitory expresses its sorrow for the punishments that she and Ana de Jesús suffered and for the treatment they received in the historiography of the Order.
2026
The Discalced Carmelites of Seville ask the Postulator General to begin her cause.

News

This news item is only available in Spanish.

Documents

The official documents of the cause will be published here as PDFs as they become available.

For any enquiry about the cause: causamariadesanjose@gmail.com