Saint Rose of Lima
St. Rose's window is on the left side, 2nd from the front.
St. Rose of Lima is patroness of Latin America and the Philippines. Her real name was Isabel, but she was such a beautiful baby she was called Rose, and that name remained. As she grew older, she became more and more beautiful. But Rose had no desire to be admired, for her
heart had been given to Jesus. She became afraid that her beauty might be a temptation to someone, since people admired her. Therefore, she rubbed her face with peppers until it was red and blistered.
St. Rose worked hard to support her poor parents and she humbly obeyed them, except when they tried to get her to marry. That she would not do. Her love of Jesus was so great that when she talked about Him her face glowed and her eyes sparkled.
Rose had many temptations from the devil, and there were also times when she had to suffer a feeling of terrible loneliness and sadness, for God seemed far away. Yet she cheerfully offered these troubles to Him. In fact, in her last long, painful sickness, this heroic young woman use to pray, "Lord increase my sufferings, and with them increase Your love in my heart".
Many miracles followed her death. She was beatified by Clement IX, in 1667, and canonized in 1671 by Clement X, the first American to be so honored.
She was of the order of the Dominican tertiary. She was a Mystic, a Visionary and a Receiver of invisible stigmata. She was the Founder of social work in Peru. She had a great devotion to St. Catherine of Siena.
St Rose’s Feast day is Aug 30. Born in Lima Peru April 20 1586, she died there Aug. 30 1617.
Her stained-glass window shows her wearing a crown of thorns and holding flowers. The crown of thorns represents the suffering she endured and the flowers represent her inner beauty.
