Cecilia María Sánchez Sorondo (Sister Cecilia María of the Holy Face, OCD)
Argentine Discalced Carmelite nun known as "the Carmelite of the smile"
Who they were
A nurse who entered the Discalced Carmel of Santa Fe in 1997, she died of tongue cancer at 42; the photograph of her smiling shortly before death circulated worldwide. (Note: the Hagiography Circle entry's description — laywoman of Madrid, cofounder of the Neocatechumenal Way — does not match this person, who was a Carmelite nun.)
The miracles
No miracle has been approved. The cause is at its first stage.
Why that counted as sanctity
Archbishop Sergio Fenoy of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz decreed the opening of the beatification and canonisation cause of the Sierva de Dios Hna. Cecilia María de la Santa Faz OCD, with the first session of the diocesan inquiry in February 2025.
The cause
Cecilia María Sánchez Sorondo (Sister Cecilia María of the Holy Face, OCD) is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Cecilia María Sánchez Sorondo (Sister Cecilia María of the Holy Face, OCD).
Checked against the sources listed on 24 September 2026. Corrections welcome.