Saint Laura of Saint Catherine

I was born in 1874 in Jericó, Colombia. When I was 2 years old, my father was killed defending his country and the family was left in extreme poverty. I was sent to live with my grandmother. I suffered a lot, because I felt I had been left “orphaned”. As I grew older, I sought refuge in God, especially  through meditation and the Eucharist. At the age of sixteen, I began to receive training to become an elementary school teacher, in order to help my family financially. I didn’t teach the children only academic knowledge but also Gospel values. Meanwhile, I felt drawn to the religious life of Carmelite nuns. After some time, I decided to help the Indian population in South America and to become part of their culture. I wanted to annnihilate racial discrimination towards them. So, with four other women, I went to live among the native Indians. Assisted by our Bishop, the religious congregation of the “Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and St Catherine of Siena” was funded. I was called Mother Laura and I helped the girls to understand better their calling in life. I died in 1949 after a long illness.