Foundations · Prado Nuevo · «Aparitions of El Escorial»

Headquarters of the foundation «Virgin of Sorrows»
in El Escorial, Madrid. (Click on the picture to expand it).

A Foundation refers to the funds or property used to achieve an aim. If we speak in terms of Law, it is a legal entity dedicated to carry out a work; in this case, a work of charity.

The Work of the Virgin of El Escorial performs its social and charitable work through the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows». Its purpose consists of carrying out works of love and mercy, by means of a non-profit attention to the needy and, particularly, the elderly in the residences that the Foundation has opened. In this manner, it tries to fulfil the evangelical commandment teaching us that every time we do good to our neighbor, we do it to the Lord (cf. Mt, 25, 34-40).

The members of the Public Association of Faithful «Repairers of Our Lady the Virgin of Sorrows», moved by purely vocational motives and completely disinterested, help the old people in the residences of the Foundation.

The goods of the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» have been mostly donated by the members of the Public Association of Faithful Repairers; other goods come from people close to it, that have donated it voluntary because they have felt identified with the spirit of this Work .

The old people living in the residences of the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» contribute depending on their economic possibilities, in numerous cases these are very low, and even some of them cannot pay anything due to their economic situation.

The Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» includes a civil foundation and a religious one. For any administrative act carried out by the foundations (sale, mortgage, etc.), they have the obligation to ask permission to the civil or ecclesiastic institution they depend on and to communicate its result.

1) The Charitable Organization «Virgin of Sorrows» was established in May 13h 1988. In April 2nd 1989 it was recognized as non-profit and charitable Entity of General Interest by the Spanish «Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales», to which it gives accounts yearly.

The article 5º of its Constitutions explains the purpose of this Foundation:

«...To attend to the needs of people of all age, sex, race, nationality or religion, having preference for those who have nobody to support them. Thus, it tries to fulfil the evangelical commandment teaching us that every time we give anybody something to eat or drink or we dress the naked or we do good to our neighbor, we do it to the Lord (cf. Mt 25, 34-40)».

As it is a civil institution and, therefore, it depends on the Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, their accounts are public.

Official Document of the approval of the Autonomous Pious Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» signed by the
Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid in1994.
(Click on the picture to expand it).

2) The Autonomous Pious Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» is a Religious Institution established canonically by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, D. Angel Suquía and Goicoechea (†), on June 14th 1994, and recorded in the Registration of Religious Entities of the Spanish «Ministerio de Justicia».

The article 2º of its Constitutions refers to the purpose of this Foundation:

«According to the can. 114 §2, the aims of "The Foundation Virgin of Sorrows" are mainly spiritual and religious: the apostolate, the care of the poor and needy and any another activity of religious- charitable -social character».

As a religious institution, It gives accounts yearly to the Archbishopric of Madrid and it pays its taxes to the Ministry of Finance.

The Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» develops its social and charitable work in its residences of several Spanish provinces. They all have been inaugurated, blessed or visited by the bishops of the diocese where they were built.

The Residence «Virgin of Sorrows» was inaugurated in 1988 and it was the first one attended by the Work of the Virgin of El Escorial. It is in Carlos III Street, nn. 12-14, of El Escorial, province of Madrid. The head offices of the Foundation are also there. On December 27th 1993, it was visited by the previous Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, D. Angel Suquía and Goicoechea, who was accompanied by D. Antonio Astilleros, Vicar of the Zone, and D. Ricardo Quintana, Vice-chancellor of the Archbishopric, and they celebrated a Mass in the chapel of the residence.

During a year, between the summers from 2001 to 2002, some works to restructure this Residence took place; the distribution of the space was improved to make the rooms bigger and to facilitate the accesses for the residents. The reforms carried out were adapted to the current regulations on this type of buildings.

Residence «Virgin of Sorrows» in El Escorial. Madrid. (Click on each of the pictures to expand them).

On October 13, 1996, the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» inaugurates the residence of old people «Jesus of Good Love», in the town of Griñón, province of Madrid, belonging to the Diocese of Getafe.

It was blessed on February 16, 1997 by the first bishop of the Diocese, D. Francisco José Pérez and Fernández-Golfín (†). That day he celebrated the Mass, visited the installations and stayed with all those who came to the inauguration, specially, with the old people. Later, this house was visited by the current bishop, D. Joaquín María López-Andújar.

This house was adapted respecting the current regulations for residences in order to receive a number of almost thirty old people.


Garden of «Jesus of Good Love» in Griñón. Madrid. (Click on each of the pictures to expand them).
Dining room of the residence of Griñón, Madrid, with the Repairing Sisters and the old people. (Click on the picture to expand it).		Chapel of the residence of Griñón, Madrid, during the celebration of the Holy Mass. (Click on the picture to expand it).

160 kms from Madrid, in the town of Torralba del Moral, near Medinaceli, there is the largest residence of the Foundation «Our Lady of Sorrows». It is called «Our Lady of Light» and its architectural planning is due to the active collaboration of Luz Amparo. It has more than 8000 m2 built, with a capacity of almost eighty residents.

Before its official inauguration(June 27th 2004), the Residence «Our Lady of Light» was blessed on September 14th 2,003 by the bishop of Osma-Soria at that time, D. Francisco Pérez González, who later was named Archbishop Castrense and who is currently Archbishop of Pamplona and bishop of Tudela. Afterwards, on October 7, 2,004, and some other times, it has been visited by the previous bishop of the Diocese, D. Vicente Jiménez Zamora, current bishop of Santander.

This Residence counts on wide landscaped areas, comfortable rooms, large dining rooms and parlors, gymnasium of rehabilitation, theatre, Chapel, I.C.U., laboratory of analysis, medical office, rooms for nursing, library, funeral home, etc., etc. All this is done with the purpose of giving the elderly the most pleasant stay; it is a fruit of the charity the Foundation wants to practice with them. Thus, those who never had these attentions can enjoy them in the last stage of their lives, and those who enjoyed them will not miss them in their last days. It would be good to remember the saints always wished the best for the others for love of God. The famous Saint Pio of Pietrelcina explained that the comforts and beauty of the "House for the Relief of Suffering", inspired in San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy), were for the neighbor, in which he saw Jesus, and added: «Nothing is too much for the one that suffers».


Residence «Our Lady of Light» in Torralba del Moral, Soria. (Click on each of the pictures to expand them).
Air picture of the residence «Our Lady of Light» in Torralba del Moral, Soria. (Click on the picture to expand it).		A moment during the Blessing of the residence «Our Lady of Light» in Torralba del Moral, Soria by the bishop of Osma- Soria at that moment, D. Francisco Pérez González on September 14th 2003. (Click on the picture to expand it).

Picture of the residence «Our Lady of Light» (back side) in Torralba del Moral, Soria. (Click on the picture to expand it).

Its is 150 kms from Madrid, in the town of Peñaranda del Duero, province of Burgos. At the end of the 80s an old convent of pasionistas in state of ruin was donated to the priest D. José Arranz Arranz, who gave it to the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows».

After years of reconstructions and reforms, the Residence «Our Lady of Carmen» will be inaugurated soon- D.m.- to care and attend the elderly. On different stages, it has been a house of formation or training of the Repairing Sisters who have also attended the needy old people of the area. This house was visited by the previous Archbishop of Burgos, D. Santiago Martínez Acebes (†).


Two different sights of the residence «Our Lady of Carmen» in Peñaranda del Duero, Burgos. (Click on each of the pictures to expand them).
Front side of the residence «Our Lady of Carmen» in Peñaranda del Duero, Burgos. (Click on the picture to expand it).

In the village of Pesebre, in Sierra de Alcaraz (Albacete), near the Sanctuary of «Nuestra Señora de Cortes», the Foundation «Virgin of Sorrows» wants to build a residence in the place where Luz Amparo was born.

The project of the building is being attended to, and the residence will receive the old people, especially, from the region. It will be named «María Dolores», in honor of the founder's mother.

Picture of the little village of Pesebre in Albacete. (Click on the picture to expand it).		Wide sight the little village of Pesebre in Albacete. (Click on the picture to expand it).


Project of the future residence «Mary of Sorrows» Pesebre in Albacete. (Click on each of the pictures to expand them).

To contact the Work of the Virgin of El Escorial, send an email to info@pradonuevo.es.

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