Saint Paula Montal

Paula Montal Fornés was born on October 11, 1799, in Arenys de Mar, near Barcelona, to a humble family. When her father died she was ten, and she began working as a lacemaker to help her mother. She saw how little education was available to girls, and she felt called to dedicate her life to them, with Mary as her model.

In 1829 she opened her first school for girls in Figueres with some companions. She later founded schools in Arenys de Mar and Sabadell, and in 1847 her community was joined to the spirituality of Saint Joseph Calasanz, founder of the Piarists, becoming the Daughters of Mary, Religious of the Pious Schools, known as the Escolapias. Paula spent her final thirty years in Olesa de Montserrat, quietly teaching and forming young sisters, without holding positions of authority. She died there on February 26, 1889, and was canonized by Saint John Paul II on November 25, 2001.

The Escolapias run schools in Spain, Latin America (including Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba), the United States and other countries, and their students celebrate her feast with Masses and festivals.

Her tomb in Olesa de Montserrat, near the famous Montserrat shrine, receives pilgrims, especially teachers.