Seventeenth-century Dominican tertiary of Lima, Peru, and the first canonized saint born in the Americas.
Life
Saint Rose of Lima was born in 1586 in Lima, Peru. Her baptismal name was Isabel, but from childhood she was called Rose because of her beauty.
Rather than follow her family's wish that she marry, she consecrated herself to God and became a Dominican tertiary. She lived a life of prayer and severe penance in a small room in the family garden, helped support her family with sewing and gardening, and cared for the poor and sick within her home.
She died in 1617 at the age of thirty-one. Canonized in 1671, she became the first saint of the Americas, and the Church remembers her on August 23.
Spirituality
Rose's spirituality is total love for Christ and mercy toward her neighbor. Her penances were severe, even startling, but at their center was a love that longed to be one with Jesus on the cross. That love showed itself in hands that cared for the poor close at hand.
Reflection
Rose became holy without ever leaving home. What is one small way you could show God's love right where you live, in your home and neighborhood?