Here at the National Shrine, we are proud to honor traditions of Latin American Catholicism amongst Marian devotions and saints from around the world. As Hispanic Heritage Month begins, we invite you to learn five little-known facts about Latin American saints and their contributions to the faith.
1. St. Martin de Porres started an animal shelter at his sister’s house to care for cats and dogs.
Though primarily remembered for his humanitarian efforts, Martin de Porres led a varied career – in addition to his compassion for animals, he also trained to be a barber – a profession which, at the time, entailed surgical procedures such as tooth pulling and bloodletting in addition to cosmetic services. He went on to join the Dominican Order and later served as head of the infirmary. Not only did Martin found an orphanage and a hospital for abandoned infants, but his medical services expanded to the streets of Lima, where he would pick up ailing vagabonds and nurse them back to health. Being of African heritage, he had a particular compassion for enslaved people, often fulfilling the basic needs their overseers neglected. Throughout all his endeavors, Martin demonstrated the utmost love and charity. Read more about St. Martin de Porres.
2. St. Rose of Lima was the first named saint in the Western Hemisphere.
Born as Isabel de Flores to Spanish parents in Peru in 1586, she was extraordinarily beautiful. But while countless young men sought Rose’s affections, she eschewed them for spiritual pursuits. Despite her parents’ wishes for her to marry a rich suitor, Rose took a vow of virginity and joined the Third Order of St. Dominic. Eventually, she decided to move into a garden hut, where she dedicated herself to prayer and cared for the ill and elderly. The faithful flocked to Rose for advice, prayer, and healing, and some even credited her with saving Lima from earthquakes in the surrounding region. Fondly referred to as “the New World’s first flower of holiness,” Rose is the patron saint of South America. Read more about St. Rose of Lima.
3. St. Juan Diego’s vision of the Blessed Mother was the only apparition where Mary is pregnant.
Born in 1474 near present-day Mexico City, Juan Diego was headed to Mass one day when he saw Mary asking him to go to the bishop and request a shrine be built on the side of Tepayac Hill, that she might bless those who called upon her. When the bishop demanded evidence of the apparition, Juan Diego was disheartened, but he returned to the hill to search for proof. There he found some roses miraculously blooming, though it was almost winter. He eagerly gathered the flowers up in his cloak, and when he presented them to the bishop, they fell to ground, leaving an image of the Blessed Mother imprinted on the garment where they had rested.
In the image, Mary was depicted with native features and dress, the moon at her feet and stars on her mantle. She was supported by an angel, and a black girdle around her waist accentuated her pregnant stomach as she bore the Christ Child. This depiction of her with child was believed to represent the gospel being born among the people of the New World. After the bishop witnessed the miraculous image, he gave his wholehearted support to the construction of a chapel. Read more about St. Juan Diego.
4. St. Peter Claver baptized over 300,000 converts in his lifetime.
Peter Claver was born close to Barcelona in 1581. Though little is known about his early life, he joined the Society of Jesus at age 20 and traveled to present-day Columbia in 1610. There, he became a priest and eventually settled in the port of Cartagena, where he dedicated himself to ministering to the 10,000 slaves that came through the city each year, providing them with medicine, food, and water.
He believed it was critical to meet people’s physical needs and not simply proselytize, and often worked with local authorities to ensure slaves were not maltreated. In addition to providing for the slaves’ material needs, Peter cared for their souls by sharing the Gospel with them. While the language difference presented unique challenges, with the help of seven translators and a series of pictures, he succeeded in drawing many of them to Christ. Read more about Peter Claver.
5. St. Mariana of Ecuador or Mariana de Jesús de Paredes was the first Ecuadorian saint to be canonized.
Born in 1618, St. Mariana lost both parents at age four, and grew up under her sister’s care. Her grasp of spiritual truths was so remarkable that an exception was made to give her First Communion when she was eight. (This was prior to the lowering of the age requirements for First Communion). She bloomed into an accomplished young lady who was musical, a talented seamstress, and a lover of prayer and meditation. Today, she is known as the “Lily of Quito,” beloved for her dedication to piety and spiritual education.
Bonus Fact: Father Juan Zumarraga was the first archbishop of Mexico, appointed as the official “Protector and Defender of the Indians” in 1528.
Though Father Zumarraga is not a saint, his work to protect indigenous populations in Mexico was significant. His role as protector in New Spain was not welcomed by the auditors and magistrates of the Audiencia (the Spanish court authorities), who sought to frustrate his efforts to carry out the duties of his office, and maltreated the indigenous people. In order to inform the Spanish government of these injustices, Juan de Zumárraga embarked on a clandestine mission to Veracruz, where he passed a letter to a Basque sailor “who in turn placed it in a piece of bacon, which he put in a keg of oil.” As a result of the bacon-wrapped letter, a new Audiencia was put in place.
Sources:
“Fray Juan de Zumárraga, Protector of the Indians,” Fidel de J. Chauvet, The Americas, Vol. 5, No. 3. (January 1949).
“Santa Mariana de Jesús,” EWTN.