The city of Guadalajara (Spain) celebrates in 2026 the first centenary of the presence of the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers: “100 years for love,” a century of lives given in education, accompaniment, and mission.
This anniversary is not only a commemoration; it is an opportunity to return to the roots and make a grateful remembrance of all this time of educational, spiritual, and social mission in the city. A special moment to renew the commitment to continue caring for life where it is most needed, from the pillars of the charism of the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers: Adoration and Liberation.
1926: the arrival that sowed the future
Although Saint Maria Micaela was born in Madrid, she lived in and deeply loved Guadalajara. This city can be considered the place where our foundress began her apostolic work, since in her youth she opened a small school for girls in her own home.
The arrival of the Sisters Adorers in Guadalajara dates back to August 26, 1926, when the first sisters settled in the palace linked to the complex promoted by the Duchess of Sevillano, niece of Maria Micaela. This place was conceived to form a community and sustain a presence of welcome, prayer, and formation.
On October 1 of that same year, a free external school was inaugurated for those most in need. Over time it grew and adapted to different educational stages and frameworks until it became the current Niña María–Adorers School.
One hundred years later, Guadalajara has two communities of Sisters Adorers: one linked to the Niña María–Adorers School and another made up of elderly sisters.
A monumental complex at the service of life
María Diega Desmaissières y Sevillano (Madrid, 1852 – Bordeaux, 1916), Duchess of Sevillano, dedicated much of her life and considerable fortune to improving the living conditions of those most in need in Guadalajara and other cities.
Belonging to one of the wealthiest families of her time, she inherited noble titles and promoted the creation of social support institutions, hospitals, schools, shelters, and educational centers, fostering the city’s social and cultural development at the turn of the century.
Among the monumental works she promoted is the valuable architectural complex designed by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco and linked to the presence of the Sisters Adorers in Guadalajara: in addition to the school, the Pantheon of the Countess of Vega del Pozo and the Church of Saint Maria Micaela.
A school with history and present
The Niña María–Adorers School is an essential part of this centenary. Over the decades it has accompanied generations of students and families, maintaining a recognizable educational identity and a vocation of service. Today, the school serves nearly 800 students.
March 4, 2026: beginning of the celebrations
The centenary officially began on March 4, 2026, a date chosen for its connection with Saint Maria Micaela, canonized on that day by Pope Pius XI.
The morning began with a Thanksgiving celebration in the courtyard of the Niña María School around an image of Saint Maria Micaela. The event was attended by the mayor of Guadalajara, Ana Guarinos, students, teachers, and Sisters Adorers.
During the celebration, the students proclaimed the Gospel, created a chain with cardboard links representing milestones of these 100 years, and sang several songs. The event concluded with the unveiling of commemorative banners on the façade of the school.
Solemn Eucharist in the Church of Saint Maria Micaela
In the afternoon, a Eucharist was celebrated in the Church of Saint Mary Micaela, presided over by the bishop of the Diocese of Sigüenza-Guadalajara, Mons. Julián Ruiz, and concelebrated with priests connected to the Adorers’ mission.
Students, former students, sisters, teachers, families, and people close to the Congregation attended the celebration, along with authorities and institutional representatives.
A year to celebrate, give thanks, and continue walking
The centenary celebrations have been planned as a broad journey throughout the year, with cultural, formative, and religious proposals open to the city. The public program runs from March until November 21, around the feast of Niña María, patroness of the school.
At the heart of this commemorative year lies a common intention: to give thanks for what has been lived and to sustain what is yet to come. To remember the path already traveled not with nostalgia but as inspiration. And to renew, in the present, a way of being and serving that springs from Adoration and becomes Liberation, education, accompaniment, care, and hope for those who need it most.
Centenary of the Sisters Adorers in Guadalajara: grateful memory and mission
One hundred years after that arrival in 1926, this centenary of the Sisters Adorers in Guadalajara invites us to look at history with gratitude, to recognize the faces that have made it possible, and to continue walking with the same certainty that has sustained the Adorer Family from the beginning: when life is placed in God’s hands, love becomes fruitful.
