Mercedarian Nun (1565-1624)
Her life
+ Mariana was born in Madrid, Spain, and was remembered as a pious child.
+ When she was 23, she turned down an offer of marriage and became a nun of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (the Mercedarians).
+ Celebrated for her life of penance and her devotion to the Eucharist, and called “the Lily of Madrid,” Mariana died on April 17, 1624. She was beatified in 1783.
For prayer and reflection
“I am like a growing olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the mercy of God, for ever and ever. Alleluia.”—Entrance for the Mass of Holy Men and Women—For a Nun
Spiritual bonus
On this day, we also remember Saint Wando. Abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Fontenelle, France, he died around the year 756.
Prayer
O God, who called your handmaid blessed Mariana of Jesus to seek you before all else, grant that, serving you, through her example and intercession, with a pure and humble heart, we may come at last to your eternal glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Holy Men and Women—For a Nun)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...