Saint Rose Of Lima

Saint Rose of Lima’s original name was Isabel Flores de Oliva. She was born on April 20,1586 in Peru and died on August 24th, 1617. Rose spent her short life praying to God and helping others, especially the sick, poor, and homeless. Saint Rose of Lima is the patron saint of Peru, South America and the Philippines. She was the first canonized Saint who had been born in the Western Hemisphere. Isabel Flores de Oliva grew up in Lima, Peru. She was one of ten siblings in her house. Her family fell on hard times often so Rose was raised in poverty. At the age of five she would work on her needlework and her embroidery, then she would sell them. This proved to be a big part of her family’s income.
Isabel was given the name Rose when a housemaid said she looked lovely as a rose. She also chose the name Rose for her Confirmation name. Even as a young
To deter them she cut her hair and blistered her face with peppers and lime. She eventually took a vow of virginity, using Saint Catherine of Siena as her model.
Even thought Rose lived as a recluse she never lost touch with the outside world. Sometimes Rose went out and helped nurse the sick and the poor at hospitals. Without even trying, Rose became the public symbol of virtue. When people met her on the street and at her house they were very impressed by the love that radiated from her. Rose spent many hours before the Blessed Sacrament and received Holy Communion every day.
When she was twenty Rose’s mother allowed her to enter the Dominican of the Third Order but her parents did not let her live there. So Rose built herself a hut in her parent’s backyard so she could be in seclusion. There she practiced fasting, slept only two hours a night on a bed of potshards and regularly wore a crown of thorns like the one Jesus did. Even when she slept she experienced numerous visions especially of the devil. Rose limited her eating to a bare minimum and became a strict