On June 28, 1999, the Holy Father, John Paul II, promulgated in the Clementine Room of the Vatican the decree on heroic virtues of the Venerable Servant of God Jerónimo Mariano Usera y Alarcón. Among those in attendance were mother superior, Sister Carmen Díaz and other sisters of the Love of God. Presently, the study of the process of miracle is being finalized in Rome. The following is the complete text of the decree on heroic virtues issued by His Holiness, translated into English from its Spanish original text.

Decree on Heroic Virtues of the Venerable Servant of God Jerónimo Mariano Usera y Alarcón

"I can do all things in him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13)

From God who upholds the righteous (cf. Ps 36: 13), the priest Jerónimo Usera drew charity and strength to deliver himself fully to the service of the Gospel, and with that same spirit he faced toils, discomforts and deprivation in the building of the reign of Christ.

This illustrious minister of the Church was born in Madrid on September 15, 1810, and the following day he was baptized together with a twin sister, and given the name of Mariano. His parents, Marcelo Fulgencio Usera Pérez and Bernarda Antonia Alarcón Castillejo, were part of the Spanish nobility, but were not wealthy. When he reached the age of fourteen, the Servant of God, who has received from his family a solid Christian education, entered the Monastery of Osera, in the province of Orense, of the Cistercian Order, and took the name of Jerónimo.

Having finished the novitiate, he made his monastic profession, and once he had finished his studies in theology and philosophy, he was ordained a priest on September 20, 1834. Shortly thereafter, his monastic life was violently interrupted due to the suppression of the monasteries by the Spanish Government. From 1837 to 1840, he turned himself over to pastoral parish service with great fervor in the town of Pedralba, in the province of Zamora. Afterwards, he moved to Madrid and resided in his family home. In addition to preaching the Word of God, he carried out other duties, such as Professor of Greek and by order of the Queen, tutor to two Africans from Guinea. This service helped to ripen his missionary vocation, and in the year of 1845 he embarked toward the island of Fernando Poo, located in the Gulf of Guinea. But the following year, he had to return home due to illness. Subsequently he received the charge of Governor of the diocese of Santiago in Cuba, where he displayed a multiple apostolate. From 1849 until 1853 he was preacher and ecclesiastical reviser.

He reorganized the temple and confraternity of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre. He was also professor of theology, rector of the Seminary, founder of the Institute of Christian Doctrine, penitentiary canon and vicar general. In 1853 he was appointed dean of the Cathedral of San Juan, Puerto Rico. With his usual zeal he devoted himself to parish pastoral work. At one point he assumed the post of substitute vicar general, finding himself in the midst of a complicated and painful situation which for him was the cause of sorrow and unjust accusations. Once freed from the duties of governance, he continued to work in the spirit of sacrifice for the kingdom of God, in the education and care of young girls in the Antilles.

The new Institute took its first steps under the care and direction of its Founder, and on April 27, 1864 it was approved by the Bishop of Zamora. That same year, the Servant of God, already named Dean of the Holy Cathedral of Saint Christopher of Havana, left for Cuba where he remained until his death. From afar, through the exchange of letters, he directed his work and the formation of the religious, who opened a house in Cuba in 1871. The house was maintained with the charity from the Servant of God himself, who in those years was involved in multiple religious and social works, excelling in his fidelity to the Church, in his love for the poor, the slaves, the sick, in the human and Christian advancement of women, and in the education and defense of children.

Due to the type of works he supported, he contracted a debt and lived in abject poverty, but withstanding everything with a strong spirit, seeking the glory of God and the welfare of souls to whom he dispensed with largesse the assets of Redemption. His faith always illuminated and sustained his interior life, as did his apostolate, hope and charity toward God and neighbor. He cultivated an intimate union with God, and he furthered, through the celebration of mass, preaching, devotion to the Eucharist and to the Virgin Mary, fidelity to his vocation and obedience to his Superiors.

The same Apostolic works were for him an excellent vehicle to advance in the path of sanctity. Confidence in Divine Providence shone in him, especially in difficulties and adverse situations which he patiently withstood. He controlled his impetuous and strong character, and was a wise and prudent man in his words, in his proposals and advice, in his works and in the reasons for advancing in the imitation of Christ and in obedience to the will of God. He practiced justice, sincerity, resolve in his decisions, defending the rights of God, the Church and the poor. He was detached from earthly goods, was humble, moderate, disciplined, chaste and a lover of solitude. He walked until the end with God, who took him to the eternal mansions on May 17, 1891.