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Blessed Ines de Beniganim

Blessed Ines de Beniganim Also known as

Giuseppa Maria di Sant’Agnese
Giuseppa Teresa Albinàna
Ines Albiniani
Inez
Josefa María Albiñana Gomar
Josepha Maria
Josepha Maria of Saint Agnes
Josephine Mary of Saint Agnes
Mother Agnes

Profile

Born to a poor family, the daughter of Luigi and Vincenza Gomar. Her father died when Giuseppa was very young, and as a small girl she was known for a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her uncle, who had become a subsititute father to her, tried to arrange a marriage for the girl, but she always refused, being drawn to religious life. When her mother died when Giuseppa was 18, she was free from family obligations, and joined the Discalced Augustinians on 25 October 1643 at a convent in the diocese of Valencia, Spain, taking the name Sister Giuseppa Maria di Sant’Agnese and making her vows in the summer of 1644. She worked in the convent dispensary, prepared her deceased Augustinian sisters for the grave, and spent spare time making rosaries. She became a choir nun on 18 November 1663; she spent 8 hours a day in the choir, singing when needed and spending the time between by praying for the Pope, the Church and the souls in Purgatory. Though she was uneducated and even illiterate, Sister Giuseppa was known for her theological insights, her gifts of wisdom and prophecy, and her severely ascetic life. She was consulted by people from all walks of life for her spiritual insights.

Born

9 February 1625 at Benigánim, Valencia, Spain

Died

21 January 1696 at Benigánim, Valencia, Spain of natural causes
relics enshrined in the chapel of the Augustinian monastery at Benigánim
relics stolen and lost or destroyed by anti-Catholic forces in the 1930’s during the Spanish Civil War