St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose of Lima, virgin

(1586-1617)

Isabel Flores, as that was her baptismal name, was born on April 20, 1586, in Lima to Gaspar Flores and Maria Oliva. Due to her soft complexion, relatives called her Rose, and she later adopted this name in the sacrament of confirmation. She became fascinated with St. Catherine of Siena as a young girl. She secretly undertook fasting and severe penance. This was symbolized by cutting her hair. Despite objections from family and friends, she rejected all suitors. In defiance of parental censure, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily, an extremely rare practice at the time. She wanted to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents, who wanted to marry her off.

She helped the sick and hungry by taking them in and caring for them. Rose, to help her family, grew flowers. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor, prayed and did penance in a small grotto she built. Therefore, she is considered the patron saint of florists and gardeners. 

She attracted the attention of the Dominican friars with her attitude. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so instead she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic, living in her parents' home. She took a vow of perpetual virginity when she was 20. She allowed herself to sleep for two hours at most to devote more time to prayer. She wore a heavy crown of silver, with small thorns in the center, imitating the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ. This is how she lived for 11 years. She died on August 24, 1617, in Lima at the age of 31. She was to predict the date of her death. 

She was beatified on April 15, 1668, by Clement IX, who also declared her the patron saint of South America. Her official title is: "Principal and Universal Patroness of all Provinces, Kingdoms, Islands, and Mainland Regions throughout America and the Philippines." She was elevated to the glory of saints by Clement X on April 12, 1671. Her memorial falls on August 23. 

In iconography, she is depicted as a young Dominican woman in a habit, often with various attributes. And so the baby Jesus in her arms, as we see at least in this image, refers to her ecstasies, during which she experienced the grace of holding little Jesus. In some depictions the Child gives her a rose or a wreath of roses, which have also become her attributes. She is also sometimes represented with a wreath of roses on her head. The symbol of roses derives from the etymology of her name, but it is also a symbol of God's love and mortification. Hence, sometimes she hid a spiked hoop on her head in a rose garland so as not to irritate her mother. In some of her images, instead of a wreath of roses, her head was also adorned with a crown of thorns, which she wore to imitate her suffering Master and Betrothed. Not only did she meditate on the Passion of Christ, but more than once she accessed the grace of partaking in the Passion of Christ every Friday. The anchor that appears, on the other hand - a symbol of hope - speaks of the trust Rose had in God. But also, as the patroness of Indians, she symbolizes their hope of mediation with Him. In turn, the cross and the book, are the symbols of Rosa's deep piety and penitential practices. A manifestation of this asceticism was, for example, that during her fasting, according to tradition, she fed herself only three lemon seeds a day; moreover, to commemorate Christ's imprisonment in a dungeon, she put a chain tied with a padlock around her waist and threw the key into a well.

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