Francisca del Espíritu Santo Fuentes
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Servant of God Francisca del Espiritu Santo de Fuentes |
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| Prioress, Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena | |
| Born | 1647 Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines 
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| Died | 24 August 1711 Intramuros, Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines 
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| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 24 August |
| Patronage | Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena |
Servant of God Francisca del Espíritu Santo de Fuentes (1647 – August 24, 1711) is a Spanish Roman Catholic religious figure. She is the first Prioress of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in the Philippines.
Francísca de Fuentes was born to Don Simón de Fuentes, a Spaniard and Doña Ana María del Castillo y Tamayo, a Spanish mestiza from Manila around 1647. Francisca grew up to be a fine lady, and she was given in marriage to a gentleman who died shortly thereafter and leaving her a childless, young widow.
Francísca then dedicated her time to prayer and social service helping many poor and sick in the city. In a vision in which she saw Saints Francis and Dominic, she prostrated herself before Saint Dominic. Because of this, she chose to be a Dominican, being admitted as a tertiary in 1682. She chose the name “ Francísca del Espíritu Santo”.
In 1686, Francísca, Antonia de Jesús Esquerra, María Ana de Fuentes (Francisca's blood-sister), and Sebastiana Salcedo requested that they be allowed to live together in a life of prayer and the practice of the virtues while continuing their social apostolate. After a brief hesitation, their request was sent to the Master General of Order of Preachers in Rome, who approved it in January 1688.
Meanwhile, the erstwhile director of the Third Order, Rev Juan de Santa María, who favored the request of the ladies, was assigned to Bataan, and Rev Juan de Santo Domingo was assigned in his place. The new Director was against the project and the proposal was laid aside. Francísca and her companion were deeply dismayed, but Sebastiana prophesied that although she and Antonia would not live to see it, the Beaterio would be a reality.
Francisca was progressively maturing spiritually, and her desire for serving the needy grew more and more. The desire for the realization of the Beaterio also grew more intense so that one day, after confession, she opened once more the subject to Fr. Juan de Santo Domingo, and she got scolded for her. “impatience’. But bravely, she told Fr. Juan with a tone of prophecy: “Father Prior, the Beaterio will be established, and Your Reverence will see it”.
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