Saint Rafaela Porras y Ayllón (6 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St. Raphaela María Porras y Ayllón, commemorated on January 6, was a Spanish religious sister and the foundress of the Handmaids (Servants) of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Her life is a powerful testimony of humility, obedience, suffering, and trust in Divine Providence. Born in Pedro Abad near Córdoba, Spain, Raphaela experienced deep loss early in life. Her father, the town mayor, died of cholera after caring for the sick during an epidemic. At only nineteen, she lost her mother as well, leaving her and her sister Dolores responsible for their large family. Despite opposition and misunderstanding, the sisters felt called to religious life. Their journey was marked by persecution, exile, ecclesiastical conflict, and heroic faith, including a dramatic nighttime escape to preserve their vocation. From these trials arose a new congregation dedicated to Eucharistic adoration, education of youth, and spiritual retreats. Though elected Superior General, St. Raphaela later resigned and spent the final 32 years of her life in hidden service, performing domestic work in Rome—embracing obscurity with sanctity and joy. This episode from “The Lives of the Saints” by Father Alban Butler recounts her inspiring life, offering a model of humility, perseverance, and love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 📖 Feast Day: January 6 ✝️ Founder: Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 🇪🇸 Origin: Spain 00:00 – Introduction: Lives of the Saints (January 6) 00:20 – Birth of St. Raphaela María in Spain 00:32 – Death of her father during the cholera epidemic 00:40 – Loss of her mother and family responsibilities 00:50 – Call to religious life with her sister Dolores 01:05 – Entry into the convent and early difficulties 01:22 – Conflict with ecclesiastical authorities 01:58 – Night escape and refuge in Andújar 02:24 – Suspension of Father Ortiz and community uncertainty 02:40 – Settlement in Madrid and first vows 02:52 – Founding of the Servants of the Sacred Heart 03:04 – Expansion of the congregation 03:26 – Election as Superior General 03:38 – Resignation and hidden life of service 03:45 – Final years in humility and obscurity https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StRaphaelaMaria #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #January6 #SacredHeartOfJesus #CatholicHistory #SaintBiography #FemaleSaints #SpanishSaints #CatholicFaith