Mama Antula, the Jesuit who didn’t want to marry or be a nun, will be Argentina’s first female saint

By DÉBORA REY
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A Catholic laywoman who lived in 18th-century Argentina and joined the Jesuits in their evangelical mission throughout the South American country will become the first female saint from the home country of Pope Francis on Sunday. María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, more commonly known as “Mama Antula,” was born in 1730 into a wealthy family in a province north of Buenos Aires. At age 15, she left her home and the privileges of her family to join the Jesuits — at a time when women’s options were limited to marriage or joining a convent. Cintia Suárez, co-author of a biography of “Mama Antula,” tells The Associated Press: “She was a rebel, just like Jesus.”