St. Rose of Lima: First Saint of the Americas, Life, Feast Day and Prayer
Quick answer
St. Rose of Lima (1586–1617) was a Peruvian lay Dominican who lived a life of prayer and penance in her family's garden and cared for the sick and poor of Lima. Canonized in 1671, she was the first person born in the Americas to be declared a saint. Her feast is August 23, and it is celebrated on August 30 in Peru.
Key takeaways
- Isabel Flores de Oliva was born in Lima on April 20, 1586, and was nicknamed Rose for her beauty.
- She refused marriage and became a Dominican tertiary, modeling her life on St. Catherine of Siena.
- She helped support her family with needlework and gardening and cared for the poor in her home.
- Her extreme penances are admired but are not an example to be copied.
The first canonized saint of the New World never left her hometown. She lived in a tiny hut in her family’s garden in Lima, and the whole city came to know her.
A Girl Called Rose
Isabel Flores de Oliva was born in Lima, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on April 20, 1586. Her family gave her the nickname Rose because of her beauty, and the name stayed with her.
From childhood she was drawn to prayer and looked to St. Catherine of Siena as her model. When her family’s finances worsened, she worked hard to help, growing flowers and doing fine needlework to sell. Her parents wanted her to marry well. She refused, despite years of pressure, because she had promised her life to God.
A Hermitage in the Garden
At about twenty, she became a Dominican tertiary, a lay member of the order who lived a religious rule at home. In a small hut in the garden she spent hours in prayer.
Rose practiced severe bodily penances, and the stories of them can be hard to read today. It is better to admire her love than to imitate those particular acts. The Church does not ask them of us.
She also endured long periods of spiritual dryness, as many great saints have done, and she was examined by Church authorities who tested her experiences and found them sound.
Service to the Poor
Rose did not hide from the world’s pain. She set up a room in her family’s house where she cared for the sick, the elderly and the abandoned, among them Indigenous people and enslaved Africans who had few to help them. This work is sometimes described as an early form of social service in Peru.
Her Death and Legacy
She became seriously ill and died on August 24, 1617, at the age of thirty-one. The whole city mourned her. Pope Clement X canonized her on April 12, 1671, and she became the first person born in the Americas to be declared a saint.
Words attributed to her are read by the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours on her feast. In them she teaches that the path to heaven passes by way of the Cross, and that grace grows along with suffering borne out of love.
A Prayer to St. Rose (Original Prayer)
St. Rose of Lima, flower of the New World, you loved God in a small garden and served Him in the poor at your door. Teach me to pray with a faithful heart and to see Christ in those who suffer. Amen.
Continue Reading
Learn how to live like a Catholic saint, or read about St. Gerard Majella, another saint who gave a brief life wholly to God.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast day of St. Rose of Lima?
August 23 in the General Roman Calendar. In Peru, where she is the patron, it is celebrated on August 30, which is a national holiday.
What is St. Rose of Lima the patron saint of?
She is a patron of Peru, Latin America and the Philippines, and also of gardeners and florists.
Why are St. Rose's penances so severe?
She lived in a culture in which severe bodily penance was widely admired. The Church honors her love of God and neighbor. Her penances are not a model for us, and anyone drawn to penance should be guided by a wise confessor.
Sources
- Roman Missal, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, August 23
- Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings for August 23
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1912), St. Rose of Lima
