SISTER FLORENCIA JANER
1859-1935

Sister Florencia Janer (María de las Nieves) was born on August 5, 1859, in Madrid, Spain, to a young couple, Florencio Janer and Adriana Ferrán. They were well known for their piety and profound faith as well as their intellectual gifts and refinement.

The youngest of the family’s five children, María Ana Janer, would later recount: “Before María de las Nieves was born, my mother had two other children who died at a very early age to her deep sorrow. My mother read “The Christian Year” every day, and on one particular August 5, the feast of the apparition of Our Lady of Snows, she read the story of the apparition.  She was deeply moved and thought to herself: ‘If the Lord should give me a daughter, I will name her “María de las Nieves” (Mary of the Snows).’ It would not have been unusual for her to think this since she liked the story so much, but the marvel was that my sister was born on the same day the following year.”

On August 7 two days after her birth, she received the grace of Baptism in the Parish of San José in Madrid, and on May 9, 1862, she was strengthened with the Sacrament of Confirmation. On May 27, 1869, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, she made her First Holy Communion.

Her talent as an artist soon became apparent, and the innate art within her would leave a beautiful impression in her life and in her work. She sought what was true, beautiful and good, and her intelligent and pure spirit was invigorated by her ability to learn and her determination to live her life to the full.

When her family was struck by suffering and illness, they had recourse to the Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick. Sister Socorro Pajares was sent to care for the family and grew to have a special affection for María de las Nieves. This was the first seed of her vocation as a Servant of Mary.

Upon hearing the voice of the one who was calling her, her whole being was captivated and desired to respond. With her magnanimous and courageous soul, she generously surrendered herself into the arms of Him who had won her heart.

She entered the Postulancy on May 11, 1890, only three years after the death of the Foundress, Mother Soledad, whose memory and presence was alive in the heart of the Sisters in the Motherhouse. On October 20 of the same year, she received the Holy Habit and was given the name of Sister Florencia in memory of her father.

From the very first day of her entrance into the Novitiate, the practice of the virtues was her constant concern. “I can say about her that she was very refined, and that her attitude and qualities were manifest in her conduct and delicate work such as the exquisite paintings that she did with the greatest delicacy and artistic taste.”  On October12, 1892, she professed her Temporary Vows; however, she did not leave the enclosure of the Novitiate, but obedience kept her there as the Auxiliary Sister to the Mistress of Novices. She made her Perpetual Profession on October 30, 1898.

In the General Chapter celebrated in March, 1898, she was named General Secretary, and the majority of the organization of the secretariat and archives during this period was due to her great talent and initiative. Because of her great love for the Institute, she felt an urgent need to compile the memories of the life and holiness of Mother Soledad that the Sisters who had lived with her often recounted. She carefully collected the Sisters’ testimonies about their Mother Foundress and wrote the “Historical Notes” (Apuntes Historiales) of the Congregation in order to conserve its true history and foundation. Because of her dedication to this task, the Servants of Mary today have in their possession the detailed history of the first fifty years of the beginning of the Institute.

From 1910 until 1926, Sister Florencia lived a hidden life in Avila caring for the sick and humbly working in the convent which she had always longed to do. In 1926 she returned to Madrid once again as the Auxiliary Sister in the Novitiate. This was the same year that Mother Soledad’s Cause for Canonization officially began, and Sister Florencia could not have been more delighted to see this process initiated.

In 1933 due to her failing health, Sister Florencia moved from the Novitiate where her influence as the Auxiliary Sister had reached every corner of the Motherhouse to the Infirmary.  As the end of her earthly life drew near, she told her Mother Superior, “I feel that Christ wants to take me now. For a long time now I have felt an immense desire to die, to see God. For a long time now I have only felt happy when I am kneeling before Christ,” and so her Divine Spouse came to take her faithful and generous soul to Himself on February 10, 1935 at 10:30 in the morning.

Her reputation for holiness was widespread, and the Congregation conserves several valuable testimonies of the impact she made as a woman truly in love with Christ for whom she lived, suffered and loved:

“Sister Florencia was a person of selfless giving and unblemished fidelity. She was very humble; she never became upset; she lived the virtues to a high degree; she was a saint.”

“She loved Christ with all of her strength and saw Him in every adversity.” “She encouraged us to be souls of reparation.”

Her goal to be a Servant of Mary with Mother Soledad as her guide led her to live a life of holiness. She was a lamp that enlightened the way for many as she always kept herself beneath the motherly gaze of Our Lady, Health of the Sick, Mother and Teacher for every Servant of Mary.