St. María Micaela, born into privilege, experienced tragedy and founded a religious congregation to help women who were struggling.
St. María Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament came from a noble family stricken by multiple tragedies. However, she focused all her energy on helping women leave behind prostitution to lead healthy and happy lives. The religious community she founded continues her important work today.
A youth marked by tragedy
María Micaela was born on New Year’s Day in 1809 into a family of old wealth in Madrid, Spain. Her father, Miguel Desmaissières y Flores, was a highly decorated soldier from a long line of military men. Her mother, Bernarda López de Dicastillo y Olmeda, was a devout woman from a noble family; she bore the titles of Countess of la Vega del Pozo and marchioness of Los Llanos de Alguazas. She was also a lady-in-waiting of the Spanish queen María Luisa de Parma, wife of King Carlos IV.
María Micaela was one of this distinguished couple’s nine children, only five of whom survived past infancy. At the age of 9, she was sent with her sister Manuela to study at a school run by Ursuline nuns in France.
Her family was soon hit by tragedy. Her father died in 1822 from the long-term consequences of war injuries. María Micaela was only 13. Then, three years later, her brother died in an accident with a horse. Shortly thereafter, her sister Engracia suffered a head injury that caused mental health problems from which she would never fully recover.
The seeds of her vocation
Amid this misfortune, the future saint’s mother understandably wanted to have her two youngest daughters close to her. So, she brought María Micaela and Manuela back to their home in Spain, where they divided their time between Madrid in the winter and the nearby city of Guadalajara in the summer.
Their mother dedicated herself to completing her daughters’ education, and ensured they had a solid formation in the faith as well as in both academic and practical subjects. They learned catechism and how to pray, to speak different languages, to sew, paint, and even to cook and iron.
María Micaela already began to show her religious inclinations, distinguishing herself by her love for the Eucharist and her love for others. She combined the social life of an aristocrat with the spirituality and charity of a true Christian. The sick, the elderly, and the poor were her concern. She visited them and gave them clothes, money, and jewelry they could sell—some of which she obtained as gifts from friends.
At one point her mother accepted the proposal of another noble family to marry María Micaela to their son. They were engaged for three years, and established a truly loving relationship. However, changes in the financial situation of her fiancé’s family led to them calling off the marriage.
In 1841, when María Micaela was 32, her mother died, and her sister Manuela also passed away two years later.
Discovering her call
These losses didn't discourage the future saint. If anything, they seem to have encouraged her to be even more compassionate with others. In 1844, she started to visit the Hospital of St. John of God, which received women suffering from sexually-transmitted diseases — principally prostitutes. She made these visits in the company of a close friend, María Ignacia Rico de Grande.
María Micaela was particularly impressed by the case of a young woman from a well-to-do family who had been seduced by a libertine who infected her with a disease, took all she owned, and abandoned her.
Seeing the plight of these women inspired her to found the House of Mary Most Holy, with the help of María Ignacia. This institution combined a residence with a school to provide former prostitutes from the hospital with an education and the means to get ahead in life without having to return to the streets.
Family circumstances forced María Micaela to entrust her new work to a friend, the Marquesa of Malpica, and go to Paris in 1847. There, on Pentecost, she had a mystical experience. It was a transformative moment that led her to promise to enter religious life so she could dedicate herself fully to her new project. In 1850, she moved into the house with the women she was helping, leaving luxury behind.
A foundress who gave her life in service
Six years later she received ecclesiastical approval for her new foundation: the religious congregation of the Sisters Adorers and Slaves of the Most Holy Sacrament and of Charity (Religiosas Adoratrices y Esclavas del Santísimo Sacramento y de la Caridad). She sold everything she had to finance her convents and houses, despite the incomprehension of her family and friends.
In her lifetime, she founded seven houses of her institute. She was known for her holiness and intellect, to the point where Queen Isabel II of Spain started to consult her regularly in 1857.
In August of 1865, while caring for sisters of her congregation suffering from cholera, she caught the disease herself. She died shortly afterwards. Pope Pius XI beatified her in 1925 and canonized her in 1934.
Today, her congregation has spread to other European countries and to Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In 2025, the 242 sisters, 502 professional staff members, and 389 volunteers assisted nearly 9,000 women in situations of prostitution, human trafficking, poverty, sexual abuse, and other forms of violence and social exclusion. They have nearly 13,600 students in their schools.
