Margarita María López de Maturana

Blessed María Pilar López de Maturana Ortiz de Zárate (25 July 1884 – 23 July 1934), also known by her religious name Margarita María, was a Spanish Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Mercedarian Missionaries of Bérriz. The religious made several international trips in order to serve in the missions as her order often dabbled in and undertook these trips despite a serious ulcer that transcended into stomach cancer but nevertheless she continued to promote the charism of the missions.

The beatification cause commenced on 25 October 1961 under Pope John XXIII in which she was titled as a Servant of God while Pope John Paul II later named her as Venerable on 16 March 1987. Pope Benedict XVI approved her beatification and it was celebrated on 22 October 2006 in which Cardinal José Saraiva Martins presided on the pope's behalf. Her twin sister Leonor was named as Venerable on the path to sainthood.

Life María Pilar López de Maturana Ortiz de Zarate was born in 1884 in Bilbao as a twin – her twin sister was Leonor (1884–1931) – and the last of five children to Vicente López de Maturana and Juana Ortiz de Zárate. She was born on the third floor of a building at 52 Tenderia Street. Her twin sister later became a member of the Carmelite order. Theologians approved all of her spiritual writings on 4 May 1954 in order to ensure they remained in line with doctrine. An apostolic process was later held in Bilbao from 1965 to 1968 while another was held in Guadalajara from 1967 until 1968; the Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated all of these processes in Rome on 9 February 1973 while later receiving the Positio in 1981.

The theologians approved the cause on 16 December 1986 as did the C.C.S. on 3 March 1987 which allowed for Pope John Paul II to approve the fact that she had lived a model life of heroic virtue and so named her as Venerable on 16 March 1987. The miracle needed for beatification was investigated and later validated on 12 April 2002 while a medical board approved it on 15 October 2003 as did theologians on 24 February 2004; the C.C.S. also approved it favorably on 15 November 2005 which allowed for Pope Benedict XVI to approve it definitively on 28 April 2006.

Cardinal José Saraiva Martins – in the name of the pope – beatified the late religious in Bilbao on 22 October 2006.

The current postulator assigned to the cause is the Rev. Antonio Sáez de Albéniz.