In just 50 years of life, Margarita María had a long spiritual career: her time at convent school, the beginning of her vocation, her entry into the Order, her deepening understanding of educational work from a Christian perspective, her missionary project…

At the same time, she had a very intense active life: school teacher, convent comendadora, Superior General of the Institute, writer, conference speaker…

Fortunately, she was a tireless worker. On her desk, which was piled high with books of all kinds, she would make endless notes in her tiny writing: about her spiritual reflections, her projects, activity programmes, all kinds of useful observations and comments…

This was a thing that characterised Margarita María: her capacity for organisation and management. Each initiative was prepared in every detail: targets, personnel training, support at the destination, initial funding, maintenance… nothing was left to chance. This explains why, despite the difficulties, all the missions set up from Berriz were done so successfully.

It is important to point out, too, her abilities to persuade others: she organised “missionary soirées”, ran conferences and wrote articles and books… in fact she achieved an important position within the Spanish missionary movement — a world made up almost exclusively of men.

Her infectious enthusiasm brought sympathy and support. There was financial but also moral support. Her often daring proposals (leaving the cloister, conversion into a Missionary Institute but to continue as Mercedarians…) had to be approved by the church, and this was achieved. Margarita María not only knew how to convince people, but, to judge by testimony from the period, she knew how to make people passionate about a project.