Mariana de Paredes, the patron saint of Ecuador, was born in Quito to aristocratic parents. As a child, she dreamed of joining a convent, or even carrying the Gospel to Japan. But after her parents died, she moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, and there, under the direction of a Jesuit confessor, spent the rest of her life. Upon receiving the habit of a Franciscan tertiary, she took the name of Mariana of Jesus.
It is painful to read of the austerities she imposed on herself: extreme fasting, long vigils, and a crown of thorns. As a reminder of death, she spent each Friday night sleeping in a coffin. In exchange of these sacrifices, she received many spiritual favors, including the gift of prophecy and the power to effect miraculous healings.
In 1645, Quito was struck by a series of earthquakes, followed by a terrible epidemic that claimed over fourteen hundred lives. When a preacher proclaimed that these sufferings were a result of people’s sins, Mariana publicly offered herself as a victim. Immediately the earthquakes ceased. But Mariana fell mortally ill and died on May 26, 1645, at the age of twenty-six. Hailed as a savior of her city, she was mourned by all of Quito. She was canonized in 1950.
Maria of Jesus spent her entire life within the confines of her family castle in Agreda, Spain, which her mother – when Maria was only twelve – had converted into a convent for herself and her daughters. In this Franciscan Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Agreda, Maria eventually served as abbess, renowned for her mystical writings and her ardor in prayer.
And yet, in the spiritual realm, she was anything but a stay-at-home nun. In her early twenties, she found herself repeatedly transported in prayer to the Indian settlements in New Spain, particularly to a tribe of hunter-gatherers called the Jumanos in present-day New Mexico. In the course of what she reckoned were five hundred trips, she was able to communicate with the Indians in their own language, instructing them in the faith, and urging them to seek baptism. This remarkable story gained credence when friars in New Spain encountered just such a tribe who requested baptism and claimed they had met frequently with a Lady in Blue (just like Maria).
These reports were taken seriously enough to justify a trip to Agreda by the Franciscan superior for New Mexico. Maria was also subjected to two inquiries by the Inquisition, resulting in no action. (Her defenders included King Philip IV of Spain.)
She died on May 24, 1665. Ten years later, she was declared venerable by Pope Clement X.
John of Prado was born in to a noble family in Spain. After studies at Salamanca University he became an Observant Franciscan. Though he wished to pursue mission work in North Africa, his superiors instead gave him preaching assignments at home. He filled various offices in his order, though at one time he was removed from office on account of some unfounded accusation. After his eventual vindication, he was given a new assignment as minister of the province of San Diego.
A number of Franciscans at the time were working in Morocco, particularly among Christian slaves. When they all died during an outbreak of plague, John asked permission to take their place. After being named apostolic missionary by Pope Urban VIII, he set off with two companions, In Morocco, he managed to gain access to the Christian slaves and ministered to them, bolstering their faith and providing the sacraments. When his activities were discovered, he was imprisoned in chains and forced to turn a grindstone. Brought before the sultan, he proclaimed his faith and refused to apostatize. After being scourged, he was again returned for examination. This time, John began to preach to the audience, which included a number of Christian apostolate. This enraged the sultan, who struck him to the ground and ordered his execution. He was burned alive in the public square, all the while singing Christ’s praises.
Humiliana was born in Florence to a noble family. Against her wishes, when she was sixteen, she was compelled by her father to marry a local nobleman. She subsequently bore three children, but it was an unhappy match. Her husband, who made his fortune through usury, treated her with disdain. She exacted private satisfaction through her acts of clandestine charity. When, five years later after their marriage, her husband fell ill and died, Humiliana announced her wish to devote herself, body and soul, to Christ. Ceding her husband’s fortune to his family, she requested only that they compensate all those he had defrauded.
Though she moved back to her father’s home, she chafed against the constant pressure on her to remarry. “Why do you torture me every day for a husband?” she demanded. “Bring me the one to whom you wish to hand me over, and on the other side, allow me to build a furnace, so that in the meantime, I shall choose in which of the two places I wish to be placed.” Defiantly, she put on the habit of Franciscan tertiary – becoming the first in Florence – and retired to a tower on her family’s property. This became her cell, which she left only to go to church, to care for the sick, or to beg alms for the Poor Clares.
She died on May 19, 1246, at the age of twenty-seven.
St. Felix was born to a peasant family in Cantalice. When he was twelve, he was hired out as a shepherd and plowman. He found such work conducive to meditation. A turning point in his life came when the team of oxen he was driving suddenly bolted, knocking him down and pulling the sharp plow across his body. When he found himself completely unharmed, he determined once to present himself for admission as a lay brother at the local Capuchin monastery of Citta Ducale.
Very quickly, Felix acquired a reputation for holiness. Even members of his community referred him as “the saint.” After making his final vows, he was sent to Rome, where he lived for forty years, serving the community’s official beggar for food and alms. People call him “Brother Deo Gratias,” for his habit of constantly giving thanks to God. Among his friends was St. Philip Neri, who read aloud to the illiterate brother the proposed rule for his new order and afterward incorporated his comments and amendments.
Felix was well know for his austerity. He walked barefoot, lived on little than bread crusts and table scraps, and was later found t have worn a shirt of iron links. If anyone insulted him he would reply, “I pray God that you may become a saint!”
He died on May 18, 1587, after receiving a vision of Our Lady. He was canonized in 1712.
