Some Notes on St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617), Secondary Patroness of the Philippines

1. Born as Isabel Flores de Oliva into a noble family in Lima, Peru on April 20, 1586, St. Rose of Lima was the 1st person born in the Americas to be canonized. She is the Patroness of Peru and all of South America, as well as of embroiderers, gardeners, and florists. In 1942, Pope Pius XII proclaimed her the 2nd Patroness of the Philippines.

2. Her father was cavalryman in the Spanish Imperial Army and her mother was a “criolla” native of Lima. She was the 7th of 11 children. At her confirmation in 1597, she took the name Rosa because, when an infant, her face had been seen by a family servant transformed into rose. She was a girl with great physical beauty.

3. At a young age, Rosa was drawn to penitential practices and a spiritual life. She had an intense devotion to the Infant Jesus and his Blessed Mother. She pronounced love for all things relating to God.

4. Her mother wanted her to marry but she refused, against the objections of her friends and her family. To deter suitors, the beautiful Rosa cut off her hair and blistered her skin with hot pepper, and suffered the disapproval of her family. Her struggle with her mother lasted 10 yrs during which she made a vow of perpetual virginity, taking St. Catherine of Siena as her model.

5. Great temptations assailed her purity and faith, causing her deep desolation of spirit. But daily the Lord manifested his presence and consoled her with his love.

6. In 1606, her mother relented and allowed Rosa to become, and wear the habit of a Dominican of the 3rd Order, but her parents did not permit her to live in a convent. So, with the consent of her confessor, Rosa chose strict enclosure and contemplation and withdrew to the seclusion of a hut in the family garden, where she lived a life of severe austerity and asceticism.

7. She went to Mass and received the Holy Eucharist at church daily. She also made daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. She donned a metal crown with metal thorns covered with roses in emulation of Christ’s crown of thorns. She practised fasting, slept only a few hours a night on a bed of potsherds, and self-flagellated.

8. She experienced frequent visions of Jesus, the Mother of God, and the saints. The Lord revealed himself to her frequently, flooding her soul with such peace and joy as to leave her in ecstasy for hours. Her devotees believe that she was a recipient of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

Though a recluse, she was devoted to the sick and hungry and often brought them to her hut to care for them. She was skilled in needlework and sold her fine lace and embroidery and her garden flowers to help her family, which had lost a lot money in business ventures, and to raise funds for the poor.

9. On 24 August 1617, she succumbed to a long illness and passed away at the young age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral and was an occasion of public honor. Many miraculous healings occurred through her intercession before and after her death. There were stories that she had cured a leper, and that at the time of her death, roses started falling from the sky.

10. She was beatified in 1668 by Pope Clement IX and declared Patroness of Lima. She was canonized in 1671 by Pope Clement X, who proclaimed her Patron Saint of South America and the Indies. Her skull, surmounted with a crown of roses, is enshrined along with that of St. Martin de Porres in the Basilica of Santo Domingo, Lima.

11. Prayer — O God, you set St. Rose of Lima on fire with your love, so that, secluded from the world in the austerity of a life of penance, she might give herself to you alone. Grant, we pray, that through her intercession, we may tread the paths of life on earth and drink at the stream of your delights in heaven. This we pray, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!