THE ABBESS

The apostolic activity of the Venerable had a field of action closer to the monastery where her religious life developed. An episode rigorously historic and of the most extraordinary supernaturalism shows the evidence of extreme limits that her behaviour reached in favour of the souls she wanted to save. It is the famous conversion of the moor from Pamplona.

After coming back to Madrid the nuns of the monastery of the Knight of Grace, Sister Mary of Jesus was 25. The Community chose her abbess and, with waiving of age limit given by the papal nuncio in Madrid, she could take up her new post.

One of the first providences of the new abbess was to build a new monastery in the outskirts of the town, near the masculine Franciscan convent of Saint Julian.

After seven year of work they could proceed to the inauguration of the new monastery on 10 July 1633. In the new convent -that survives until today- the discalced Franciscan life started. From there she sent, the Venerable herself, a group of religious to establish a convent in Borja. Later on, the same branch from Agreda bloomed in the foundation of Tafalla.

Translated into English from the book: Ven. María de Jesús de Ágreda, concepcionista. P.Antonio María Artola, C.P. Monasterio de la Concepción, Ágreda, 1996.