Blessed Francisa de Paula de Jesus Isabel

Holy Woman (1810-1895)

Her life

+ Francisca was born in São João del Rei, Brazil. As a child she entrusted herself to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

+ A lay woman through her life, she lived as a modern-day anchoress in Baependi, Brazil, devoting her life to prayer and to the construction of a church dedicated to Mary.

+ Beloved by those who knew her for her wisdom and holiness, she died on June 14, 1895, and was buried in the church she helped to build. Blessed Francisca was beatified in 2013.

Spiritual bonus

On this day, we also honor the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title “Our Lady of the Trellis” (“Notre-Dame de la Treille). The devotion to Mary under this title dates from the thirteenth century and a series of miraculous healings associated with a statue of Mary that had been installed behind a latticework grill in St. Peter’s Church in Lille, France. Today a replica of that original image is housed in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Treille.

For reflection

“Here is a wise virgin, from among the number of the prudent, who went forth with lighted lamp to meet Christ.”—Entrance Antiphon for the Mass in honor of Virgins

Prayer

Hear us, God our Savior, that, as we rejoice in commemorating the Virgin blessed Francisca, we may be instructed by her loving devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Virgins)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.