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St Swithun Wells'Catholic Primary School

‘where the love of God is always present’

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Year 2

St Rose of Lima

St. rose of Lima was the patron saint of Peru - including all of South America and was one of the first people to be canonised by the Catholic Church.  She was born on in April 1586 as Rosa, to a noble family.  Her family did not want her to pursue a religious life - they wanted her to marry, yet Rosa did the complete opposite and cut off her hair and blistered her skin with hot peppers.  After some time, Rosa became a nun, taking St Catherine of Siena as her role model.

 

Rosa chose to live in a a strict enclosure, where she endured a life helping people such as treating the sick and making natural-remedy medicine.  she regularly wore a crown of thorns, practisied fasting, slept only a few hours a night on a bed of potshers and experienced numerous visions - particularly of the devil.

 

Rosa devoted her life to the sick and hungry in her community and often brought them to her care for the.  she was skilled needlework and sold her fine lace and embroidery and grew flowers in her garden to raise funds for the poor and to help her family.  She would pray long hours a day and ask God to allow her to suffer and endure pain. she fasted, not eating fruit or vegetables and lived off bread, water and herbs.

 

Rosa was gifted as she saw visions of other saints that spoke to her.  She was a nun who really cared for her community.  Event though good came from Rosa, she unfortunately died a very painful death of sickness in August 1671.  Later on, people said miracles were said to have occurred after her death.  She was later cononised in April 1971.  Her feast day is August 23rd. 

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