Mercedes de Jesús Molina was a 19th-century Ecuadorian missionary who dedicated her life to supporting abandoned children. Born in the Los Ríos Province in 1828, she experienced significant personal losses during her youth. Following a transformative accident involving a fall from a horse, she committed herself to a life of intense piety. She worked as a teacher and caregiver for orphans in Guayaquil and Cuenca before eventually establishing a religious order in Riobamba to serve various marginalized groups.