Founding Mother of Guadalajara Visitation Monastery
A Holy Soul
Sr Juana Francisca de Rotaeche was born November 24 1850 in Spain and was baptized Maria . She married a military man when she was 22 years old.
On Holy Thur of 1878 she lost her husband and from then her life was a movement to God. She found a Jesuit spiritual director, helped the poor and aspired to religious life.
She entered the Visitation Monastery at Vitoria in 1883 receiving the habit and name in 1884. Her novitiate was practiced with much fervor and great exactitude in observance. She made final vows at 34 year of age.
Sister Juana was elected to the Council at a young age. When in 1894 the community lost its Mother Foundress and first Superior, Sr. Juana was named Superior and then elected to a second term.
In 1904 the community decided to begin a foundation in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mother Juana was chosen to head the small group of religious leaving Spain for Mexico.
Her first thought on beginning the new foundation was to establish it in perfect religious observance and to make the Monastery like a little “Annecy”, the first Monastery of the Visitation Order.
From the small provisional house where they began in Mexico, Mother Juana watched the construction work of the new Monastery to ensure all the Visitation customs were followed. For this she would suffer as in this country the Superiors did not have the same concept of enclosure as was held in Spain. Mother Juana had a practical talent for works of construction so the Monastery was a fine building.
Her maxim followed the thought that courage is not lost when a soul takes confidence and strength in the Heart of Jesus.
In 1911 Mother Juana finished her second term of office as Superior and became Novice Mistress of a large group of new vocations. But the political situation in the country was alarming and the revolutionaries destroyed the new 9 year old Monastery.
The Sisters were separated into various homes where they tried to remain faithful to their religious practices, meeting occasionally for retreats and Mass. With all these cares, Mother Juana suffered the loss of one of her eyes.
She was forced to go back to Spain and went to the Monastery of her profession, in Vitoria, with some of the community of Mexico. After one year all the Sisters of Guadalajara went to join her.
Mother Juana did not have the consolation of seeing the Sisters return to Guadalajara and eventually to their new home in San Sebastian. In 1925, she became very ill and took to her bed, never recovering. She went to her eternal reward on August 12, 1925, as a holy religious and well-remembered Foundress.