Carmen was born in Ólvega (Soria) on November 24th 1930 and spent her childhood in Tudela (Navarra). She felt the call to be a missionary from an early age, influenced by the spirit of Saint Francis Xavier. She graduated in chemistry from the University of Madrid. For some years she was a member of the “Missionaries of Christ Jesus” and studied theology in Valencia. In 1964, she joined Kiko Argüello