The diocese of Plasencia started the process on the 2nd of July 2011; and in less than two years the tribunal in-charge of recompiling and organizing the documentation completed its task. The presentation of all the documents already took place last February 6 at the Episcopal palace of Plasencia (Caceres).
It was an ordinary session of the tribunal in-charge of the cause, before whom Fr. Jesus Berdonces, Augustinian Recollect, and Mr. Jesus Gomez Jara appeared as members of the historical commission; there were also Frs. Francisco Javier Ruiz Pascual and Teodoro Baztan Basterra, both Augustinian Recollects, who acted as members of the theological censors. Both commissions testified to the validity of the documentation as well as the experience and doctrine of Isabel.
What was left was the last session, public and solemn one, the closing of the process in its diocesan phase. This took place on May 4 in Serradilla (Caceres), in the church of the monastery of Santisimo Cristo de las Victorias, of the Augustinian Recollect nuns.
The bishop of the diocese of Plasencia, Msgr. Amadeo Rodriguez Magro, presided this last session. The tribunal was composed of the members whom he himself has appointed: as Judge Delegate, Fr. Francisco Rico Bayo, the Vicar General of the diocese; Fr. Jose Luis Sanchez-Ocaña as Promoter of Justice; and Mr. Santos Corchado Sanchez as notary. Fr. Samson Silloriquez, Postulator General of the Augustinian Recollects actively intervened during the preparation, the unfolding and directing of the act.
The boxes containing the process The church was full of people from Serradilla and other nearby towns. Noteworthy was, among those present, the presence of civil authorities from various towns mentioned in the biography of Isabel. There was also a group of Augustinian Recollect friars and some diocesan priests from the area. The nuns of the community followed all the details from the choir loop. Participating with them for this occasion were three representatives from the monastery of Calzada de Oropesa (Toledo); and heading them was Mother Eva Maria Oiz, the President of the Federation of the Augustinian Recollect nuns of Spain.
The act by itself was very simple. Basically it consisted in certifying publicly the gathered documents, and in signing and sealing with wax the six big boxes which the Postulator General has been assigned to bring to Rome. The juridical act culminated with the spontaneous applause of all those present. After this, his Excellency the Bishop presided solemnly the Eucharist concelebrated by twenty priests.
Two Isabels
The causes of canonization of the two Isabels, aunt and niece, both Augustinian Recollect nuns, move on and are taking their phases. There goes ahead that of the niece, Isabel de la Madre de Dios (¬+1687), foundress of the convents of Calzada de Oropesa (Toledo) and Serradilla (Caceres). Her process started in the diocese of Toledo on January 18, 2008 and, the diocesan phase was concluded on November 28, 2009. Then followed that of her aunt, Isabel de Jesus, a nun who enclosed herself in the convent of Arenas de San Pedro (Avila), where she died in 1648.