In today's video, we feature the first Saint of the New World, St. Rose of Lima, whose feast day is celebrated every August 23rd.
Early Life
Saint Rose of Lima was born Isabel Flores de Oliva, on the 20th of April 1586, to Gaspar Flores and Maria de Oliva, a noble family in Lima, Peru. At a very young age, she chose to consecrate her life to God. She was remarkable for her great reverence, and pronounced love, for all things relating to God.
At her confirmation in 1597 led by the Archbishop of Lima, Toribio de Mogrovejo, she took the name of Rose. A story is told that the name "Rose" comes from an incident in her infancy when a servant claimed to have seen her face transform into a rose.
She also had an intense devotion to the Infant Jesus and His Blessed Mother, before whose altar she spent hours. She was scrupulously obedient, making rapid progress by earnest attention to her parents' instruction, to her studies, and to her domestic work, especially with her needle.
Leading the Spiritual Life
After reading the writings of St. Catherine, she decided to take the saint as her model. She began by fasting three times a week, later adding secret severe penances. When men began to admire her beauty, Rose cut off her hair, wore coarse clothing, and roughened her hands with toil.
Despite strong objections from her family who wished her to marry, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily. Finally, her father built a little hut in their garden. There, she fasted daily, abstained from eating meat, and helped the sick and hungry around her community.
Rose also sold her fine needlework and took flowers that she grew to market, to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor. She lived a recluse life, leaving only for her visits to church.
Her actions attracted the attention of the friars of the Dominican Order. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so she instead entered the Third Order of St. Dominic.
In her twentieth year, she donned the habit of St. Dominic and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She only allowed herself to sleep two hours a night at most so that she had more hours to devote to prayer. She donned a heavy crown made of silver, with small spikes on the inside, in emulation of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ.
For the next eleven years, she lived this spiritual life, with intervals of ecstasy, having visions of the Lord manifesting Himself, fortifying her with the knowledge of His presence, and consoling her mind with evidence of His Divine love.
Rosa eventually died on August 24, 1617, at the young age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, attended by all the public authorities of Lima.
Veneration
The Catholic Church recorded many miracles following her death. There were stories that she had cured a leper, and that, at the time of her death, the city of Lima smelled like roses; roses also started falling from the sky.
Rose was beatified by Pope Clement IX on May 10, 1667, and canonized on April 12, 1671, by Pope Clement X. Rose was the first Catholic in the Americas to be declared a saint.
St. Rose of Lima has been designated as the primary patroness of Peru and of the local people of Latin America and is the patron saint of embroidery, gardening, and cultivation of blooming flowers. Her image is featured on the highest denomination banknote of Peru.
Her remains enshrined in a tomb of marble are currently located inside the Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima, alongside Saint Martin de Porres. Many places in the New World were also named Santa Rosa after her.
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Images attributed to the following:
- By Claudio Coello - [2], Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
- By Cicero Moraes - Reconstrução facial de Santa Rosa de Lima a partir de seu crânio digitalizado em Lima, Peru., CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- By Ingo Mehling - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
