Who was Santa Rosa de Lima?

 By Cicero Moraes - Facial reconstruction of Santa Rosa de Lima from her digitized skull in Lima, Peru, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42706655.

The Catholic Church in Benavides is known as Santa Rosa de Lima. Before we get to a discussion on who this saint is, we will look at a brief history of the parish. First, the parish has not always been known as Santa Rosa de Lima.

One of the earliest mentions of a church in Benavides was in 1887 when the Corpus Christi Caller, on July 2, noted that A. L. Muel had finished building a Catholic Church in Benavides. It first appeared in the Official Catholic Directory (OCD) in 1890 as a “chapel” visited by priests from San Diego. The name of the church does not appear in earlier references. 

The first mention of the parish’s name came in 1916 when the OCD noted that the “mission” at Benavides, still attended by the priest in San Diego, was named St. Paul. This name remained the church’s moniker until 1941. 

On April 5, 1940, the Benavides Facts reported plans to build a new church. However, the newspaper makes no mention of a planned name change. By 1932, the Spanish Dominican priests had taken charge of San Diego and its missions, including Benavides. Fathers Juan Zabala and Alvaro Rodrigues tended to the Mission in 1942 when its name appeared as Saint Rose of Lima. 

Most likely, the Spanish priests sought to rename the parish in honor of a saint that might have more relevance to their Spanish and Dominican traits. Also, they may have felt their Spanish-speaking parishioners at Benavides might relate to this saint more personally. What better name than that of the first native-born saint from the Americas?

On April 20, 1586, in the Peruvian city of Lima, a baby girl was born to Gaspar Flores and María de Oliva y Herrera. They named her Isabel. She was one of many children born to this Spanish couple who were natives of the New World. Isabel, whose nickname was Rosa because of her beauty, formally changed her name to Rosa at her confirmation in 1597. 

Rosa showed an interest in religious life early on. However, her parents preferred she marry a man of means. In an effort to scare away admirers, Rosa cut off her hair and used hot peppers to blister her skin. For ten years, parents and daughter disagreed on Rosa’s future, but eventually, the parents gave in and allowed their daughter to enter the Third Order of St. Dominic. As a trade-off, her parents prohibited Rosa from living at a convent but made her a shed on their property available to her. 

“She regularly wore a crown of thorns, practiced fasting, slept only a few hours a night on a bed of potsherds, self-flagellated, and experienced numerous visions, particularly of the Devil.” Rosa was committed to caring for the sick and famished, and people often brought their loved ones to her in her shack. Rosa cared for the elderly, the homeless, and the sick, mainly Indians and slaves. She sold needlework, delicate lace she embroidered, and flowers from her garden to support her family after they experienced a financial downfall and to help the poor.

Her daily routine consisted of intense prayer, fasting, and penance. Once Rosa punished herself by burning her hands. On another occasion, she wore “a heavy silver crown, with spikes that could pierce her flesh,” as a reminder of Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Rosa died on August 25, 1617. She was 31 and, according to legend, predicted the date of her death.

Pope Clement IX beatified Rosa fifty years after her death, and Pope Clement X canonized her in 1671. Santa Rosa is the patroness of embroiderers, gardeners, florists, those who suffer ridicule for their piety, and people who suffer family problems.

Among some of the miracles attributed to her are: curing a leper; at the time of her death, the city of Lima smelled like roses with the flowers falling from the sky; and numerous miracles are said to have occurred as a result of her intercession after her death.

Notes:

 “Rose of Lima,” in Wikipedia, August 26, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rose_of_Lima&oldid=1106792338.

 “Saint Rose of Lima | Biography, Early Life, Patron Saint, & Facts | Britannica,” accessed August 27, 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Rose-of-Lima.

 Catholic Online, “St. Rose of Lima - Saints & Angels,” Catholic Online, accessed August 27, 2022, https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=446.