Unleashing Hope: The Biography of Venerable Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Here is the book that you need to “live in hope” in uncertain times. This seminal biography of Venerable Luisa de la Peña Navarro (1866–1937), “Mother Luisita,” reveals gripping historical events and stories of the atrocious persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920s and 1930s. Mother Luisita’s Carmelite spirituality, illuminating each page, will remind you that God has your back and keeps His promises. Mother’s life and late religious vocation bears witness that it is never too late to begin, that you can trust God, and He will never abandon you.

You will learn how Mother formed her sisters to prepare a dwelling place for God within. This helped them withstand violence and remain faithful in the face of death, when they had to flee for their lives repeatedly. There were times when they had no food or money, but God always provided.

Mother Luisita is still a beloved spiritual mother to the faithful in Jalisco, Mexico, and beyond, and memories of her holiness and kindness continue to bring hope and healing. Included in this biography are firsthand testimonies, Mother’s inspirational maxims, excerpts from her letters, a prayer for her cause, and other compelling documents. 

You will also learn about Mother’s early life: her poor health from youth, her privileged background, and her marriage to a medical doctor, with whom she founded a hospital for the poor. 

Fortify your faith as you read about Mother’s adventures, trials, and joys in establishing two religious orders — the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles and the Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazon de Mexico — as well as numerous foundations and institutions. The work of the Sisters proceeded even during a smallpox epidemic and periods when it was illegal to be Catholic in Mexico.

Discover the truth about the atrocities that the faithful suffered during the Mexican Revolution through a rare testimony of a Carmelite religious superior before the U.S. Congress. 

Best of all, you will be encouraged by Mother’s:

Documentation for a potential miracle wrought by Mother Luisita is presently being investigated. 

Paperback, 336 pages.