Rose of Lima

1586-1617. Peruvian ascetic. Baptized “Isabel de Flores,” she later took the name “Rosa de Santa Maria” for the special place of the Virgin Mary in her life. Catherine of Siena* was her model. Enduring mortifications from childhood and forbidden to leave her home, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic at twenty. Living in a hermitage in the garden, she had an infirmary in the house to care for the destitute children in Peru. Widely known for her mystical gifts and admired by all classes in Lima, she was noticed but untouched by the Inquisition. She prophesied her death exactly, and has been proclaimed patron saint of Peru, all America, the Indies, and the Philippines. She was canonized by Clement X in 1671.