On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 30, at the monastery of the Poor Clares in Jerusalem, the diocesan phase of the beatification cause of the Servant of God Sister Maria of the Trinity (Louisa Jaques) was officially opened.
For the occasion, the Franciscan community of Jerusalem, together with the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, gathered in prayer at the Poor Clares’ convent.
Louisa-Elisa Jaques was born in 1901 in South Africa. She was a woman marked by physical frailty and deep spiritual struggles. Born into a Calvinist family, she converted to Catholicism in 1928 and fulfilled her vocation by entering the Poor Clares in Jerusalem in 1938. There she lived an intense mystical life, documented in her spiritual writings collected in Colloquio interiore ("Interior Dialogue"). She died in 1942, offering her life to Jesus in the Eucharist.
The ceremony was presided over by Mons. William Shomali, Vicar General of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. All the officials of the canonical inquiry were present: the Episcopal Delegate Mons. Ilario Antoniazzi, the Promoter of Justice Fr. Filippo Morlacchi, the Notary Sr. Marina Fisher, and the Vice-Postulator Fr. Ulise Zarza.
The event began at 3:00 p.m. with the prayer of None, followed by the singing of the Veni Creator. Mons. Shomali then read the prepared speech of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who was unable to attend in person as originally planned.
Quoting the Patriarch's words, Mons. Shomali emphasized the importance of the witness of faith left by Louisa Jaques:
"In these dark days for our country and for humanity, the experience of Sister Maria of the Trinity is a word of light and hope. She urges us to anchor ourselves in true hope: when ‘all minds and hearts are absorbed by this terrible war, how good it is to reach toward what lies beyond destruction and death, what alone remains forever—our Lord God."
After the reading of the Servant of God’s biography, the Vicar General and all the officials of the inquiry took their oath, placing their hands on the Gospel and signing the official act. The Chancellor then concluded the reading and signed the document together with the Notary.
At the end of the ceremony, the abbess of the convent, Sr. Maria of Nazareth, expressed words of gratitude to all the religious and faithful present.
The community of Poor Clares was fully present and actively participated in the ceremony, singing hymns and prayers from behind the grille that separates the cloistered area from the outside.
The abbess concluded by remembering her fellow sister, presenting her as a daily example of holiness for the entire monastery community and for all the faithful devoted to her.
"The Servant of God Maria of the Trinity was a sister like us," said Sr. Maria of Nazareth. "She professed her vows like us, heard the voice of the Lord, and followed His call. Her story encourages us to say that our life has holiness as its goal—a holiness that brings the fullness and complete happiness that only Christ promises us. Union with Christ is the destination toward which we are all journeying."
Lucia Borgato
