Santa Rosa de Lima - La Segunda Patrona de Filipinas

Santa Rosa de Lima

In the our country, the Philippines, we are very fortunate that we are under the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

However, most Filipinos wrongly associate the Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico as the Secondary Patroness of the country, which in fact, her patronage was higher - La Patrona Celestial de Filipinas (The Heavenly Patroness of the Philippines) as declared by Pope Pius XI. If we are looking back at our own history, one might be surprised that our actual Secondary Patroness of the country were two: the Roman Martyr Santa Potenciana, and the First Saint of the Americas, St. Rose of Lima.

Though it is quite unlikely that she will be named as such yet if we look in our history, the Philippines was once considered as part of the Americas and when she was declared as the Patroness of the Americas, she was also declared as the Secondary Patroness in our country. Now we should have a look on the life of Santa Rosa de Lima and on how she became our Secondary Patroness and the enduring devotion of the Filipinos to her.

The Visage of Americas' Rose

The images of St. Rose of Lima is depicted as a Dominican Tertiary wearing the habit of a Professed Religious of the Order. She wears a crown of roses and holds a bouquet or sheaf of roses which became her diagnostic symbols due to the face she was nicknamed "Rosa" since as her biography tells that her cheeks were red as rose and a rose fell on it, hence the name. Oftentimes, she holds the Child Jesus in her arms

Sta. Rosa de Lima by Claudio Coello

The Life of a Beautiful Rose

Isabel de Santa Maria de Flores was born at Lima, Peru in 1586 of Spanish Indian parents and took the name of Rose at confirmation.  At a very early age, she made Saint Catherine of Siena her model and was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary.  Noted for her beauty, she resisted her parents’ efforts to have her marry and at a very early age made a vow of virginity, a resolution in which she persevered until death, despite the misunderstanding and persecution of her family.

She inflicted on herself, terrifying penances and suffered long periods of dryness and desolation, which were, however, balanced by many extraordinary graces culminating in the Mystical Espousals.

At the age of 20, Saint Rose became a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic.  She continued to live at home, assisting her impoverished family by doing needlework and raising flowers for the market.  She likewise cared for the poor and sick of the area in an empty room of their house.  Her garden became the spiritual center of the city.

The image of "El Doctorcito" once under the custody
of St. Rose of Lima

The Rose of the Child Jesus

On several occasions, the Child Jesus became part of the life of St. Rose. It was the Christ Child who taught her how to read and write and when she takes care of the seek, she asked her patients to pray before the image of the Child Jesus in her "hospital" and numerous cures were reported that they refer to the image as "El Doctorcito" (The Little Doctor). One of the most outstanding during those encounters with the Child Jesus is that years before her death, the Child Jesus appeared to her and ask her to be His spouse that led to her Mystical Marriage.

The entrance of Sta. Rosa de Lima to heaven as seen by a matriarch
on the day of the saint's death escorted by Sts. Gertrude the Great, Catheiine
of Alexandria, Barbara and Teresa of Avila.

Her Passing

In ill health, she accepted the offer of Don Gonzalo de Massa and his wife to take care of her and she spent the last three years of her life in their home in Lima.  So widespread was her reputation for sanctity that when Saint Rose died, on August 23, 1617, the day which she herself has predicted, the throngs of devotees surrounding her bier made it almost impossible to bury her.

An eyewitness account of a noble lady with a good reputation in Lima states that hours after the death of Sta. Rosa, she saw her beautiful soul raising up to heaven and suddenly, heaven opened, saw a golden gate and Jesus and Mary welcomed her and some Holy Virgin saints from Sts. Gertrude the Great, Catherine of Alexandria, Barbara and Teresa of Avila accompanied Rosa to the Holy gate and entered to Eternal Paradise. This account was verified and accepted during the inquiries for Rosa's beatification and Canonization.

The remains of Saint Rose lie in the Convent of Santo Domingo, located on the corner of Jirón Camaná and Jirón Conde de Superunda in the historic center of Lima (one block from Lima’s Plaza de Armas). Her remains are enshrined in that convent together with those of St. Martin de Porres and St. Juan Macias, the two fellow Lay Dominicans who became her friends and invoked as the Great Patron Saints of Peru.

Her Beatification and Canonization

Santa Rosa de Lima

Fifty years later, on April 15, 1667, she was beatified by Pope Clement IX and was canonized, along with St. Luis Beltran, on April 12, 1671 by Pope Clement X. Rose became the first Saint in the Americas to be declared a saint. Her liturgical feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1729 for celebration initially on August 30, because August 24, the date of her death, is the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and August 30 was the closest date not already allocated to a well-known saint. Pope Paul VI's 1969 revision of the calendar made August 23 available, the day on which her feast day is now celebrated throughout the world, including Spain, but excluding Peru and some other Latin American countries, where August 30 is a public holiday in her honor.

The Patronage of the Philippines

On  August 11, 1670, Pope Clement X issued the Bull "Sacrosancti apostolatus cura" confirming his earlier declaration of then Blessed Rose of Lima as patroness of Peru , and extending her patronage to each province, realm, and region of the whole American continent, of the Philippines, and of the Indies. Quoting the Bull:

"...I, Clement, (...) proclaims Blessed Rosa de Santa Maria (the saint's religious name) as the principal patroness of individual provinces and countries, islands and areas of the Americas, the Philippines, and the Indies, with the same prerogatives of the designated autority, notwithstanding.""

The devotion in the Philippines

The devotion was brought in the Philippines through the efforts of the Dominicans in the country and once she was canonized, several churches were dedicated in her honor and almost immediately, images of the saint became popular in the colony.

Sta. Rosa de Lima of the La Naval de Manila  procession

Vintage photograph of the processional image
of Sta. Rosa de Lima of the La Naval procession

One of the most popular images of St. Rose of Lima in our country is that of her processional image in the famed La Naval de Manila Processions. This particular image of Santa Rosa de Lima was one of the images that was, and still is, part of the original roster of Dominican Saints that is processed in the streets of Old Intramuros. The image survived the bombings and still can be seen in the annual October processions of the La Gran Señora de Filipinas.

One of the most popular stories about Santa Rosa in Old Manila is that during the sack of the city by the British in 1762, Madre Paula de la Santisima Trinidad assured the Beatas from the Beaterio y Casa Enseñanza (Colegio de Sta. Rosa, Intramuros) the protection of their patron saint. A group of British soldiers barged into the convent and one of them attempted to rape a beata. The woman fought hard forcing the soldier to draw his sword to kill her. Suddenly, before their very eyes, unseen hands twisted and bent the blade of the sword. Frightened out of their wits, the soldiers fled in terror leaving the sword behind. It was said that the twisted sword was on display in the convent before the building was destroyed during the Second World War.

Sta. Rosa de Lima of Pasig City

The image of Sta. Rosa de Lima of
Bagong Ilog, Pasig City

Other notable places where St. Rose is the Patroness were in Bagong Ilog, Pasig City and Santa Rosa, Laguna. The image of Santa Rosa de Lima in Bagong Ilog, Pasig City was a small image of the sant that is revered by the area as miraculous. Her discovery was shrouded with mystery where one day, two friends who are both fishermen, one from Sumilang (Celestino Cruz) and another from Bagong Ilog (Ubaldo Intalan) visited a beautiful girl in Mandaluyong. Going there, they tried avoiding the cave as they heard frightening stories about the place. However, they had to gather fire wood on their way back. This is the reason why they decided to go near the cave where wood was plentiful and just scattered around.

While doing so, they were surprised to smell a very fragrant scent all over the place, seemingly from a dame de noche flower. They started searching where the scent was coming from. They were astounded to see emerging lights from inside the cave and decided to go inside it. Astoundingly, they saw a very beautiful image which they didn’t recognize at first. Similar to a pirate who found a chest full of golds and diamonds, the two friends immediately and happily brought their newfound discovery to Bagong Ilog. There, they found out that the image was of Sta. Rosa of Lima, Peru. It is believed that through the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ, He has led Sta. Rosa de Lima to be discovered by the fishermen to guide the people of both barangays.

Sta. Rosa de Lima of Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Santa Rosa de Lima of Santa Rosa, Laguna

Another place where the devotion to her is known was in Santa Rosa, Laguna, one of the earliest places were the devotion to St. Rose of Lima flourished. The Dominican missionaries who arrived in the town was then a barrio of Biñan, and was named "Bucol" because some of the southern parts were hilly was headed by Fray Francisco Favie of the Dominican Order andbrought with them the Peruvian saint’s memory and legacy. And when the said barrio separated from Biñan some time in the late 1600s, it was renamed after Saint Rose of Lima. But the municipality itself was formally founded on January 15, 1792.

The church of Santa Rosa was made of solid adobe stones with lime and mortar mixed with albumin was constructed in 1796 and blessed on August 4, 1812. The first Mass was held on August 30, 1812 in honor of the Patron Saint, with Fray Francisco Favie, O.P the first Parish Priest and the devotion became part of the lives of the people of Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Santa Rosa de Lima was believed to have watched over the people and protected them during the Japanese occupation. Several evacuees that time have been saved from hunger through the miraculous appearance of a mysterious lady in a black and white habit which they later discovered it was their patroness who went down to her altar to help her people.

The devotion

The devotion and the Patronage of St. Rose of Lima might not be as known to most Filipinos yet to her devotees in some parts of the country, they have seen and experienced the powerful protection and intercession of this beautiful First Saint of the Americas that we should not taken for granted. In these times of tribulation in our society, we must also invoked her intercession to help us in our struggles and teach us to hate sin and vanity so we can meet our eternal reward in heaven.

Santa Rosa de Lima, Ikalawang Patrona ng Pilipinas, Ipanalangin mo kami!

References:

Clement X, (1670), "Sacrosancti apostolatus cura", Retreived from https://deipraesidiofultus.blogspot.com/2013/05/protectresses-of-philippines.html?m=0.
Dagohoy, Herminio, (2007), The Saga of La Naval, Triumph of the People's Faith, Dominican Province of the Philippines, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.
Joaquin, Nick (1979), Almanac for Manilenos, Mr. & Mrs., Manila
Ren, Lili (1993), Rose, The flower of Latin America, Translated by Leticia Deriada, Paulinian Publications, St. Paul Road, Makati City.
Santa Rosa City, Laguna - The Lion City of the South (2012) https://starosacitylaguna.wordpress.com/history/.
Santa Rosa de Lima Parish - A Brief History (2005), Retreived from http://sta.rosadelimaparish.tripod.com/id4.html.