Irmã Dulce
Irmã Dulce, also known as Saint Dulce of the Poor (26 May 1914 – 13 March 1992) was a Brazilian Catholic Franciscan Sister who was the founder of the Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce (Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce).
Irmã Dulce SMIC | |
|---|---|
Saint Dulce Lopes Pontes | |
| Born | Maria Rita de Souza Pontes 26 May 1914 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Died | 13 March 1992 (aged 77) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 22 May 2011, Church of Our Lady of Hope, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil by Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo |
| Canonized | 13 October 2019, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis |
| Major shrine | Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil |
| Feast | 13 August |
| Major works | Founding Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce |
In 1949, she started caring for the poorest of the poor in her convent's chicken yard in Salvador, Bahia. Today, more than 3,000 people arrive every day at this same site (where the Santo Antônio Hospital now stands) to receive free medical treatment. She also established CESA, a school for the poor in Simões Filho, one of the most impoverished cities in the state of Bahia.
At the time of her death in 1992, Pontes had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, she had received two personal audiences with Pope John Paul II, and she had, almost single-handedly, created one of the largest and most respected philanthropic organizations in Brazil. She was named the most admired woman in the history of Brazil by O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper and the most influential religious person in Brazil during the 20th century, by ISTOÉ magazine.
In 2011, she was beatified with papal approval by Cardinal Geraldo Majella Agnelo, the penultimate step toward sainthood. In May 2019, Pope Francis, during an audience given to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Prefect Giovanni Angelo Becciu, recognized the second miracle needed to officially canonize her as a saint. She was formally canonized on 13 October 2019, making her the first Brazilian female saint.