Born in Venezuela in 1903 to wealthy devout parents, Carmen Martínez was the third of eight children. From her youth she was always joyful, and when she was fifteen she felt the call to religious life. When she wasn’t going to art school, she worked as a catechist at her parish and would go to nearby towns to teach missions. When she was 24 she joined the Congregation of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, which was a French religious order with convents in Venezuela. She went to the mother house in France to study, then returned to Venezuela. She rose to Provincial Superior, started new convents and schools, and at the age of 62 she started her own order with the approval and support of her cardinal archbishop. She served as Superior General until her death at the age of 73.
CHALLENGE
Blessed Maria del Carmen Martínez accomplished a lot in her life, and she let nothing hold her back… not even the fact that she was born without a left arm. Special Olympics supports millions of special-needs athletes, coaches, and volunteers who don’t let how they were born hold them back, either. Go to www.specialolympics.org today and find a way to help them on their mission.
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