Rita Amada de Jesus was a Portuguese nun born in 1848 who dedicated her life to religious education and missionary work. Living during a period of intense religious persecution in Portugal, she established the Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in 1889 to promote the spirituality of the Holy Family. Known as an apostle of the Rosary, the Eucharist, and the family, she worked extensively with the poor and founded schools for children of single mothers. She died in 1913 and was later beatified by Pope Benedict XVI.