Maria Vicenta Rosal
| Blessed Maria Vicenta Rosal | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 October 1820 Quetzaltenango, Guatemala |
| Died |
24 August 1886 (aged 65) Tulcán, Ecuador |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | May 4, 1997 by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | October 27 |
Maria Vicenta Rosal (María de la Encarnación del Corazón de Jesús; 1820–1886) was a Roman Catholic religious reformer from Guatemala who was a member of the Sisters of Bethlehem.[1] Rosal was an advocate of women's education and protection, a cause that was particularly significant in view of the machismo culture pervasive in the region at the time. She is buried in Pasto, Colombia. Rosal was the first Guatemalan woman to be beatified.[1]
Early life
Rosal (née María Vicenta Rosal Vásquez) was born in October 26, 1820, in Quetzaltenango, then the capital city of Guatemala.[1] Influenced both by her upbringing and another young woman, she entered the Sisters of Bethlehem on January 1, 1838,[2] taking on the name María de la Encarnación del Corazón de Jesús (Mary Incarnation of the Sacred Heart).[3] Rosal gave her vows to the order on January 26, 1840.[2]
Religious leadership
Although Rosal was frustrated with the religious standards by which the Bethlemites lived, she was appointed prioress of her convent in 1855. As prioress, she attempted to restore dedication to the original religious standards of her order. The resulting rancor with established members of her order caused her to found a new convent of Bethlemites in Quetzeltenango in 1851.[1]
Rosal's progress at reform in Quetzeltenango was interrupted when Justo Rufino Barrios ascended to the presidency in Guatemala and began expelling members of religious orders. On her subsequent exile from Guatemala, in 1877 Rosal founded the first school for women in Carthage, Costa Rica and also at Heredia, However, religious persecution spread to Costa Rica,[2] and Rosal fled to Columbia where she established an orphanage and a refuge for women in Pasto, Columbia.[4] Ultimately, Rosal settled in Ecuador, where she established convents for the Bethlemite sisters in Tulcán and Otavalo.[1]
Death and subsequent beatification
Rosal died on August 24, 1886, as a result of a horseback riding accident in Ecuador while traveling between religious institutions. Her remains are interred in Pasto, Columbia, where they are said to be uncorrupted.[2] She was beatified on May 4, 1997, by Pope John Paul II.[1]
External links
- Pictures and Images of Maria Vicenta Rosal can be viewed on-line.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Butler, Alban (1995). Butler's Lives of the Saints. A&C Black. p. 283. ISBN 0814623883.
- 1 2 3 4 "Blessed Mother Maria Encarnacion Rosal". Instituto de Hermanas Bethlemitas. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "Curriculum Division". Our Sunday Visitor. Harcourt Religion Publishers. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ "Santoral Latino". Santos y Beatos Latino America. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
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