Sacred Calendar

Fourth Lesson - The First Flower of South America

The first flower of holiness which came to full blossom in South America, was the maiden Rose. She was born at Lima, of a Christian father and mother, [upon the 20th of April, in the year 1586,] and was remarkable from her childhood for marks of saintliness. The occasion of her name was a strange likeness to a rose, which her face assumed when she was a babe. To this name she afterwards added that of the Virgin Mother of God, desiring to be called "St Mary's Rose." At the age of fifteen years she uttered a vow of perpetual virginity. As she grew older, lest her parents should force her to marry, she polled her head of all her hair, which was very beautiful. She fasted to a degree almost superhuman, passing whole Lents without taking bread, and eating day by day only five pips of a lime.

Fifth Lesson - Hidden Penance and Spiritual Combat

She took the habit of the Third Order of St Dominick, and then doubled her former severities. She wore a long and very rough hair-cloth, into which she inserted small pins. She wore day and night under her veil a crown, the inner side of which was armed with pricks. In imitation of the hard steps of St Katharine of Sienna, she girded her loins with a threefold iron chain. She made to herself a bed of knotty sticks, and filled the gaps with broken bits of potsherd. She built herself a very small hut in the farthest corner of the garden, where she gave herself up to thoughts of heavenly things, and to punishing her body with often scourging, starvation, and sleeplessness. But she waxed strong in spirit, and though she often had to fight with evil ghosts, she conquered them, fearlessly prostrated them, and triumphed over them.

Sixth Lesson - Fidelity through Desolation

She suffered greatly from painful illnesses, from the maltreatment of the servants, and from slanderous accusations, but still complained that she did not suffer as much as she deserved. For fifteen years she pined in misery from desolation and dryness of spirit, bravely enduring torments worse than any form of death. After this period she began to overflow with consolation, to be enlightened by visions, and to melt with love like a Seraph's. She attained, by the frequency of visions, to a strange personal familiarity with her Guardian Angel, with St Katharine of Sienna, and with the Virgin Mother of God, and she earned from Christ the words, "Rose of My Heart, be thou My bride." She was famous for many miracles, both before and after she departed hence, and was happily transplanted into the Bridegroom's garden, [upon the 24th of August 1617, being aged 31 years.] Pope Clement X. with solemn pomp inscribed her name in the list of holy maidens.