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Vicente Garrido Pastor

Our Founder

Vicente Garrido Pastor

He was born in Benaguacil (Valencia), on November 12, 1896. He studied at the Conciliar Seminary and was a scholarship holder at the Royal College of Corpus Christi in Valencia.

He received priestly ordination on June 12, 1921 and was coadjutor of Benimasot and Albaida (Valencia). From 1922 to 1936 he held management positions in the Colegio Mayor del Beato Juan de Ribera, in Burjasot (Valencia).

Our Story

We are a Secular Institute of Women

Consecrated secular women who by vocation aspire to live evangelical perfection and total dedication to the apostolate, within the framework of society.

Our Spirituality, Mission, Works, Members and Modes of Life

Spirituality: Christ Crucified and his Mother, the Virgin of Sorrows, are the torches that illuminate the life of the Worker of the Cross. From them she has to shape the virtues of faith, hope, charity, humility and strength. Our spirituality is inspired by the self-emptying of Christ on the Cross, in such a way that we can say with Paul

I never boasted among you of knowing anything except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2)

…out of this knowledge and love will come the true apostles of the workers, who will go in the vanguard…(VGP)

They will strive to make their lives a continuous giving of self, knowing that God through Christ has reconciled us to himself and has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18) to others.

Mission: Social apostolate of workers in any part of the world, carried out with a spirit of vanguard and insertion among humble and working people.

Apostolate: work, labor, example, sowing the doctrine and spirit of Christ.

Social: apostolate in the whole framework of society.

Worker: evangelization directed mainly to the middle class, to the poor, to those who work by hand, classified in current language as “working class”.

operaie della croce
OBRERAS DE LA CRUZ

Characteristics of the apostolate: universality, to accommodate the environmental conditions of time, place and people among whom the apostolate is exercised.

As consecrated seculars, each one can carry out her profession and task in any area of society and collaborate in the communities of the Church, in accordance with the secular way of life.

Characteristic works of the Institute: The Institute promotes and encourages centers and actions for

  • Christian formation and the human and occupational promotion of women
  • the promotion and development of spiritual exercises and other complementary evangelizing actions.
  • apostolic action with working people.
  • rural apostolate.
  • parish collaboration.
  • mission ad gentes.
  • service to immigrants.

Cooperating Members: Other members in a broad sense may join the Institute in order to live the spirituality and collaborate in the apostolate: committed lay people, men and women, married couples, adults and young people.

Modes of life: The Institute, respecting the different family, work and personal situations of the Obreras de la Cruz, offers two possibilities

  • to place themselves at the total disposition of the Institute, living in fraternal groups to promote apostolic works and presence.
  • or maintain personal initiative, residing alone or with one’s family.