If someone asked you to name the first saint born in the Americas, who would you guess?
Perhaps St. Kateri Tekakwitha? St. Elizabeth Ann Seton? One of the North American Martyrs?
The answer is actually St. Rose of Lima.
Born Isabel Flores de Oliva in Lima, Peru, in 1586, Rose became the first person born in the Americas to be canonized a saint. She was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1671 and would become the patroness of the Americas.
And her life was anything but ordinary.
Rose was known for her beauty, but from an early age she wanted to belong entirely to Christ. She resisted her family's efforts to arrange a marriage and eventually became a Third Order Dominican, living a life of prayer and penance while remaining at home.
She also worked.
Rose helped support her struggling family by growing flowers and doing embroidery and needlework. She cared for the sick and poor in her own home, particularly those whom others were reluctant to help. Her charity became so well known that she was sometimes called "Mother of the Poor."
And here's another interesting connection: St. Rose and St. Martin de Porres knew one another. Two future saints were living in Lima at the same time, both Dominican tertiaries, both quietly serving Christ and the poor in the same corner of the New World.
Rose died in 1617 at only 31 years old.
Just over fifty years later, the young woman from Lima became the first canonized saint of the New World.
As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, it's a good time to remember that the Catholic history of the Americas reaches much further back than the founding of the United States. Long before 1776, the faith was already taking root throughout the New World—and producing saints.
Our God Bless America 250th Commemorative Candle celebrates this historic anniversary and offers a beautiful reminder to pray for our country. As Catholics, perhaps one of the best ways we can commemorate 250 years is to ask God to continue raising up saints here in the Americas. Purchase yours at The Catholic Company today!
