Around 1935
Alexandrina received a series of messages from Jesus, warning that a second
world war would take place as a punishment for the sins of humanity, and
that this could only be averted by the consecration of the world to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Jesus urged Alexandrina, through her spiritual
director, to petition the Holy Father to perform this consecration.
Alexandrina was also requested to pray and offer her sufferings so that the
consecration might be achieved. From then on, she offered everything for
this intention. Fr Pinho was initially hesitant about carrying out this
request, but Our Lord’s insistence, relayed through Alexandrina and
accompanied by her pleas, finally convinced him to act. In September 1936
he wrote to Cardinal Pacelli, who was then Secretary of State of the
Vatican, later to become Pope Pius XII, passing on the request of Jesus
given through Alexandrina to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. In 1937 and again in 1939 the Holy See sent a prominent theologian to
Balasar, Fr Paul Durao, to investigate the claims being made by Alexandrina
and her spiritual director.
In 1938, Fr
Pinho had providentially been assigned to preach the Spiritual Exercises of
St Ignatius to all the bishops of Portugal who were gathered together in
Fatima. Alexandrina prayed and offered many sufferings that the bishops
would ask the Holy Father for the consecration of the world to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her prayers and sacrifices, and Fr Pinho’s powers
of persuasion had the desired effect, as the bishops made the following
petition to the Holy Father:-
“Humbly
prostrate at the feet of your Holiness, we earnestly implore you to
consecrate the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as soon as you
judge the moment opportune, so that through her mediation, the world can be
liberated from the dangers that threaten it on every side.”
Alexandrina
was overjoyed to hear of the bishops’ petition, but there was still a heavy
price to be paid for the consecration, and she was the one who had been
divinely chosen to pay it. Our Lord made this clear when He said to her:-
“As a
sign that it is my Will that the world be consecrated to the Immaculate
Heart of my Mother, I will make you suffer my Passion until the Holy Father
has decided to implement this consecration.”
War was soon
to break out in Europe and Jesus lamented this fact to Alexandrina, but told
her that he had no choice but to punish humanity in this way, because of the
innumerable and terrible sins being committed throughout the world. This
confirms part of Our Lady’s message given at Fatima, when She revealed that
God was going to punish the world for its crimes by means of “war,
famine, persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father”. Alexandrina
once again offered herself as a victim of atonement for the sins of
humanity.
Pope Pius XI
died and in March 1939 Cardinal Pacelli was elected to the papacy, taking
the name of Pope Pius XII. Jesus told Alexandrina that he would be the Pope
who would perform the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. So now the stage was set. Jesus had made his desire for the
consecration known, and the Holy Father had been made aware of this. The
only thing needed to hasten the consecration was Alexandrina’s suffering of
the Passion.
After having
consented to undergo Christ’s Passion to help bring about the consecration
of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Alexandrina received a series
of alarming revelations from Jesus, in which she saw the perilous state of
souls and the enormity of sin in the world. She was also shown horrific
visions of World War II. Jesus said to Alexandrina:-
“Every
moment countless sinners are provoking the wrath of God on the world - the
most tremendous wrath. Unhappy ones if they are not converted! Poor world,
whatever will become of it! Penitence, penitence throughout the world!
Penitence! Oh world, acknowledge your crimes or you will be destroyed! Woe
to the world! Divine Justice cannot support it any more.”
Alexandrina
valiantly responded to Jesus’ request for reparation on behalf of sinners,
crying out:-“O my Jesus, I want to suffer all! I want to be crushed by
you! I am your victim . . . but do not punish the world. I wish to be the
lightning conductor of your wrath.”
The day
before Alexandrina’s mystical suffering of the Passion was to start, the
tension in her home was palpable as no one knew what to expect. She wrote
of her anxieties:-
“On the
morning of 2 October 1938, Our Lord told me that I would have to pass
through all of his Passion from Gethsemane to Calvary . . . He confirmed
that I would begin on the following day and that I would repeat these
sufferings every Friday immediately after midday, until three o'clock in the
afternoon. I did not say no to the Lord. I warned my spiritual director of
everything and waited anxiously for the morrow because neither of us could
imagine what was going to happen. During the night of 2-3 October, my agony
of soul was intense, but the suffering of my body was even greater. I began
to lose blood and felt fearful pains. And it was in this suffering that I
entered into my first crucifixion. That horror I felt deep inside. Oh, how
unspeakable were my afflictions!”
On the 3rd
October 1938, the Passion ecstasies started. Jesus said to Alexandrina:-
“See my daughter, Calvary is ready. Do you
accept?” She willingly accepted and then went
into ecstasy. All those present in the room were astounded by what happened
next. This woman, who had lain in her bed completely paralysed for over 14
years, suddenly got up and was able to move around the room. In this way,
the Passion of Christ was re-enacted through her. A local woman, present at
one of the Passion ecstasies, wrote the following account:-
“At the
hour fixed by Jesus, our ‘seraph of love’ began to suffer for us and for
many sinners whom she wanted to save. I was present at that agony, but I do
not know how to describe it. She suffered from the Garden to the Cross. Oh
how everything was reproduced in that frail body of Alexandrina! When Jesus
told her that the hour was drawing near that everything was prepared for her
via dolorosa, step by step, as far as Calvary, she replied very
courageously, "Yes Jesus, for you and to save sinners, I will do
everything." It was then that she suffered the agony, the scourging, the
crowning with thorns, the prison and the meeting with Our Lady at whom she
gazed with a sorrow such as my eyes have never before seen. The falls under
the cross were so visible that they left no room for any doubt ... In my
opinion, her agony intensified when she presented her little white hands and
then her feet to be nailed. Then the cross was fixed in the earth… what a
heart-rending scene! What sadness flooded our souls! There followed the
agony on the cross with her sad and penetrating groans. And her gaze! It was
indescribable! She sighed repeatedly and in the end, closed her hollow eyes
in the violet sockets, bent her head and died. What a faithful replication
of the death of Jesus!”
Alexandrina’s falls during the Passion ecstasies often caused quite severe
bruising on her body, but these were the only signs of what had taken place,
as for reasons of humility, she had begged Jesus not to give her the
stigmata or any other visible sign of the Passion. Alexandrina underwent
these ecstasies each Friday from midday to 3pm around 180 times. During
them she did not see or hear anything around her, and even when vigorous
efforts were made to disturb her she did not react in any way. She did,
however, respond to verbal commands from Fr Pinho, her spiritual director,
and miraculously, even responded to mental commands made by him. Prior to
undergoing the Passion each week, Alexandrina suffered a mounting sense of
terrifying fear as the hour for the ecstasy drew nearer.
Alexandrina’s physician, Dr Azevedo, tended her from 1941 until her death in
1955. He became a close friend and was present at many of the Passion
ecstasies, and wrote down much of what occurred during them. Other doctors
were sent by the Church authorities to determine the cause of this
phenomenon, but none who came were able to explain these mysterious events.
An interesting phenomenon occurred during the Passion ecstasies which is
worth mentioning. When Alexandrina was undergoing the carrying of the cross
to Calvary, it was found to be completely impossible to lift her up from the
floor – even one inch. At other times during the ecstasies she could be
lifted with the greatest of ease, as she did not weigh very much. Fr Pinho
asked Alexandrina about the weight of the cross, and she replied that it had
“the weight of the whole world”.
Fr Pinho and
the family had felt it best not to tell too many people about the Passion
ecstasies, and for some years only a few outside the family were aware they
were taking place, until a priest who had been present at one of the
ecstasies had an article published about them in a widely read journal. The
inevitable surge of interest in Alexandrina caused her great suffering. She
had wished to remain hidden, but now thousands descended on the small home,
each wishing to see this extraordinary woman and ask her prayers for their
various intentions.
In Holy Week
of 1942, Alexandrina’s pain greatly increased and once again she appeared to
be on the verge of death. On the evening of Maundy Thursday, she felt
slightly better, and noted that she wasn’t experiencing her customary
mounting fear of the Friday Passion ecstasy. She didn’t know the reason for
this, but felt sure that she wouldn’t undergo the Passion the next day. The
reason was made known to her the following morning. On Good Friday, Jesus
told her that the Holy Father had decided to consecrate the world to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope Pius XII actually performed the consecration
on 31st October 1942. Although Alexandrina was overwhelmed with
joy that the consecration had been done, her mission of suffering was not
yet over. In fact, it was to enter a new and even more astounding phase – a
thirteen year fast in which she would miraculously live on the Holy
Eucharist alone.
6
Jesus gave
Alexandrina the following message to prepare her for the new phase of her
mission:-
“You will
not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your blood will be
my Divine Blood, your life will be my Life. You receive it from me when I
unite my Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter. You will not be
crucified any more as in the past ... And now a new trial awaits you, which
will be the most painful of all. But in the end I will carry you to Heaven
and the Holy Mother will accompany you.”
On Good
Friday 1942 Alexandrina started the total fast which continued for thirteen
years until her death. During all this time she took no food or drink
whatsoever, but received Holy Communion with great devotion each day. This
phenomenon is not unique, as a few saints have received this special calling
from God, but such occurrences are extremely rare in the life of the Church.
People came
in increasing numbers to visit Alexandrina, which added greatly to her
sufferings, but she always maintained a cheerful disposition and received
everyone most courteously. Her constant silent prayer was:- “O Jesus,
place on my lips a deceiving smile in which I can hide all the martyrdom of
my soul. It is enough that only you know of my endurance.” While many
thousands came to see Alexandrina and implore her intercession, she was not
without her detractors. Some disbelieved that she lived on the Holy
Eucharist alone, and rumours were circulated that she was fraudulent, which
caused her and her family further suffering.
A medical
examination of Alexandrina took place, which she accepted in a spirit of
obedience and resignation. One of the doctors performing the examination
asked her:- “Why do you not eat?” She replied, “I do not eat
because I cannot. I feel full. I do not need it. However, I have a longing
for food.” The results of this examination were inconclusive, and so it
was suggested that Alexandrina go to a hospital in Porto to have the fast
medically certified. She agreed to the proposal on three conditions; that
she would be able to receive the Holy Eucharist each day, that Deolinda
could accompany her, and that she be there only for observational purposes
and not have to undergo any more medical examinations. These conditions
were agreed and Alexandrina went to the hospital in Porto by ambulance,
offering up all the sufferings that this journey would inevitably bring.
She said:-
"I
embraced my family and friends and only Jesus knew the sorrow it cost me to
separate myself from them. I looked only into his Sacred Heart and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, and implored them to give me courage and strength
to bear this new affliction. As they levered my stretcher downstairs I
murmured to my weeping family, 'Courage! All for Jesus and for souls!' I was
unable to say more. There was such a tightening of my heart that I felt it
would be impossible to keep back the tears.”
After a very
difficult journey Alexandrina arrived at the hospital on 10th
June 1943 and was put under the strictest supervision. Two people kept her
under intense scrutiny around the clock, all the time she was in hospital.
Alexandrina said that she found Dr Enrico Gomes de Araujo, the doctor in
charge of conducting the observation, to be strict “even to the point of
harshness”. Dr Araujo visited Alexandrina several times each day and
interrogated her, and she underwent many other trials and indignities during
her stay in hospital. Alexandrina’s own physician, Dr Azevedo, visited her
on occasions, and his support and company afforded her some relief. After
thirty days of being constantly monitored, another physician, disbelieving
the genuineness of Alexandrina’s fast, insisted that she remain for a
further ten days. On 19th July 1943, the day before she left
hospital, all the children of the hospital gathered around Alexandrina’s bed
and she prayed with them. Later, over 1,500 people arrived to catch a
glimpse of the ‘Victim of Balasar’ and the police had to be brought in to
control the crowd. Dr Araujo told Alexandrina that the observation was
concluded and said “In October, I will come to visit you at Balasar, not
as a doctor-spy, but as a friend who respects you.” Dr Araujo’s
official report confirmed Alexandrina’s fast as scientifically inexplicable.
It stated:-
“It is
absolutely certain that during forty days of being bedridden in hospital,
the sick woman did not eat or drink . . . and we believe such phenomenon
could have happened during the past months, perhaps the past 13 months . . .
leaving us perplexed.”
A further
report by Drs Lima and Azevedo confirmed the above:-
“We the
undersigned, Dr C. A. di Lima, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of
Oporto and Dr E. A. D. de Azevedo, doctor graduate of the same Faculty,
testify that, having examined Alexandrina Maria da Costa, aged 39, born and
resident at Balasar, of the district of Póvoa de Varzim ... have confirmed
her paralysis ... And we also testify that the bedridden woman, from 10 June
to 20 July 1943 remained in the sector for infantile paralysis at the
Hospital of Foce del Duro, under the direction of Dr Araujo and under day
and night surveillance by impartial persons desirous of discovering the
truth of her fast. Her abstinence from solids and liquids was absolute
during all that time. We testify also that she retained her weight, and her
temperature, breathing, blood pressure, pulse and blood were normal while
her mental faculties were constant and lucid and during these forty days,
she did not have any natural bodily functions”
While this
phenomenon was inexplicable to everyone else, Alexandrina knew the cause of
it, for Jesus had already told her:- “You are living by the Eucharist
alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and
the power of my life in souls.”
7
Alexandrina
returned home to yet another trial. It appeared that her detractors had
been busy again, and as a result of their interference, Fr Pinho had been
ordered to stop being her spiritual director and was sent to Brazil where he
remained until his death in 1963. After Alexandrina lost Fr Pinho as her
spiritual director, a woman from Póvoa de Varzim, Irene Gomes, went to Tuy
in Spain to visit the Fatima seer Sister Lucia, and told her
about Alexandrina's trial. Sister Lucia wrote a note of comfort to
Alexandrina on a holy picture, assuring her of prayers that she might obtain
a new spiritual director.
Alexandrina’s physical condition greatly worsened at this time, and again
she received the last sacraments. As in the case of the man who killed St
Maria Goretti, Alexandrina’s assailant also repented of his sin, and joined
the crowd of people waiting to visit her. Upon seeing her he cried and said
“She is a saint – and to think she is crucified on that bed of pain
through my fault!”
In 1944 help
arrived for Alexandrina in the form of Fr Umberto Pasquale, a renowned
priest of the Salesian Order. Shortly after meeting her he became her
spiritual director and encouraged Alexandrina to continue to dictate her
diary. Thoroughly imbued with the Salesian charism of service to youth, he
asked if she would offer some of her sufferings and prayers for the
salvation of youth. She consented and on 26th February 1945
became a Salesian Cooperator, offering her sufferings and prayers in union
with Salesians all over the world, for the salvation of all, but especially
for youth. Alexandrina had her certificate of enrolment as a Salesian
Cooperator hung on the wall of her room, and she said “How many times I
look at my certificate and offer my sufferings united to all of you for the
salvation of the young”. Fr Pasquale was also a close friend of Sister
Lucia of Fatima.
In her final
years Alexandrina increasingly prayed for the Church, as Jesus told her that
it was facing a “great crisis”. He said:- “Tell my ministers to
be vigilant, for the devil is preparing a massive assault on the Church . .
.” She also underwent an astounding array of profound mystical
experiences, such as a mystical marriage with Jesus, a coronation by Our
Lady, and a piercing by darts of unspeakable love from a flight of angels.
An incredibly beautiful fragrance emanated from her that was even noticed in
other parts of the village. Alexandrina was unaware of this, but Jesus told
her that it was the perfume of her virtue.
Thousands of
people continued to visit Alexandrina on a daily basis, and she constantly
exhorted them to live the message of Fatima, crying out:-
“Make
reparation to Our Lord in the Adorable Eucharist! Penitence! Penitence!
Penitence! Pray the Rosary devoutly every day. Practise the First Saturday
devotion. Consecrate yourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the
Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”
Alexandrina
pleaded with people to practise the First Saturday devotion and to
consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Brown
Scapular for very good reason, as Our Lady Herself has promised to assist
with the eternal salvation of those who practise these devotions. Our Lady
revealed the First Five Saturday devotion on December 10th 1925
to Sister Lucia of Fatima, saying:-
“ . . . I
promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for
salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months,
shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary,
and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen
mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”
The Brown
Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was given by Our Lady in the 13th
century to St Simon Stock of the Carmelite Order at Aylesford in Kent, with
the promise that those who die wearing it shall not suffer eternal
damnation, and it has been worn ever since by millions as a sign of
consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a pledge of Her Motherly
protection. Countless saints have recommended its use, and it has
consistently received Papal approbation, including that of Pope John Paul
II, who said in a message of 25th March 2001 to the Carmelite
family on the 750th anniversary of the Bestowal of the Brown
Scapular:
“ . .
.
two truths are evoked by the sign of the Scapular: on the one hand, the
constant protection of the Blessed Virgin, not only on life's journey, but
also at the moment of passing into the fullness of eternal glory; on the
other, the awareness that devotion to her cannot be limited to prayers and
tributes in her honour on certain occasions, but must become a ‘habit’, that
is, a permanent orientation of one's own Christian conduct, woven of prayer
and interior life, through frequent reception of the sacraments and the
concrete practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. In this way
the Scapular becomes a sign of the ‘covenant’ and reciprocal communion
between Mary and the faithful: indeed, it concretely translates the gift of
his Mother, which Jesus gave on the Cross to John and, through him, to all
of us, and the entrustment of the beloved Apostle and of us to Her, who
became our spiritual Mother . . . I too have worn the Scapular of Carmel
over my heart for a long time!”
Formerly,
only Carmelite priests could enrol people in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel, but now the Holy See has extended the faculty to all
priests, so that as many as possible may reap the benefits of this great
devotion.
In 1948 Fr
Pasquale was sent by his superiors to do other work, which meant that
Alexandrina had to rely on other priests to bring her daily Holy Communion.
She recorded in her diary that on occasions when no priests were available,
Jesus Himself used to bring her Holy Communion. In early 1955 her health
rapidly deteriorated and she lay for several months in agonising pain -
worse than anything she had suffered before. Towards the end of
September 1955 the pain subsided somewhat, and on October 2nd she
heard a voice saying to her:- “Who will sing with the angels? You, you,
you! In a little while, in a little while.” Taking this as a sign that
her time on earth was coming to an end, Alexandrina started to prepare for
death. In the evening of the 12th October, Mass was celebrated
in her room and she received Holy Communion. Towards the end she said:-
“My God, I have always consecrated my life to you and I offer you now its
end, accepting death with resignation, with all its pains, for your greater
glory.” After thanking everyone present for all they had done for her
over the years, she cried out:-
“O Jesus!
I can no longer stay on earth! Oh Jesus, life is dear, Heaven is dear! I
have suffered so much in this life for souls! I am crushed, I am consumed in
this bed of pain. Forgive everyone! Pardon, pardon the entire world . . . Oh
I feel so happy! I am so happy because I am going to Heaven at last!”
On the
morning of the 13th October, the 38th anniversary of
Our Lady’s last appearance at Fatima and the day on which the miracle of the
sun took place, Alexandrina received a vision of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary who said to her “I am about to take you”. She received Holy
Communion for the last time at 8am, and afterwards delivered her final
poignant message to those present in her room, and to all humanity, crying
out:- “Do not sin. The pleasures of this life are worth nothing. Receive
Communion. Pray the Rosary every day. This sums up everything.”
Alexandrina suffered extreme pain throughout the whole day, which she bore
with great fortitude to the very end. At 8pm, she kissed the crucifix for
the last time, and died at 8.29pm.
Fr Pasquale
was in Italy at this time and was unaware that Alexandrina had died. On the
day after her death, he offered Mass in the morning as usual, and afterwards
was approached in the sacristy by an elderly woman. Thinking that she
wanted confession, he asked her to wait in the confessional and said that he
would be with her shortly. He was amazed when this woman told him that she
didn’t want confession, but that she had a message from Our Lady for him.
The woman said:- “When you were saying Mass, Our Lady appeared to me and
asked me to tell you that Alexandrina is dead and is in heaven”. The
woman said that she didn’t know who Alexandrina was. She also informed Fr
Pasquale that Our Lady had told him not to worry, and that Alexandrina was
with him. Three days later he received a letter from another Salesian
priest confirming her death.
8
The news of
Alexandrina’s death spread quickly throughout Portugal and a multitude came
to venerate her and pay their last respects. An all-pervading deep sense of
loss affected the entire region. The funeral took place on the 15th
October and was attended by thousands, including dozens of priests.
Alexandrina was buried in a humble tomb, with her face turned towards Jesus
in the tabernacle, as she had requested. Two years after her death, a small
chapel was built over her tomb, and 12 years after her death, on 14th
January 1967, the diocesan investigation into the cause for her
beatification was solemnly opened. It was completed on 10 April 1973 and
sent to Rome. In 1978 the diocese transferred Alexandrina’s remains from
the small chapel to a place of honour inside the parish church of St Eulalia,
next to the high altar, where her remains are kept to this day. She had
previously predicted that her body would turn to ashes, without decomposing,
and when she was disinterred, this was indeed found to be the case. There
was no body or bones – just ashes. These have been known on occasions to
exude the same heavenly fragrance that used to emanate from Alexandrina
during her life.
Sister Lucia
of Fatima wrote to Fr Pasquale, saying “May the Lord grant that
Alexandrina's cause of beatification advance as quickly as possible, for the
glory of God. It is necessary that such a materialistic world sees that
there are still souls capable of being raised into the realms of the
supernatural.”
A plea to
sinful humanity, which Alexandrina originally dictated in 1948, was engraved
on her tomb at her request:-
“Sinners:
If the ashes of my body can be useful to save you, approach; if necessary,
pass on the ashes, trample on them until they disappear; but never sin
again, never offend Jesus again.
Sinners:
There is so much that I would like to tell you. This vast cemetery could not
contain all that I would like to write. Be converted. Do not offend our
dear Lord any more. Do not lose Jesus for all eternity. He is so good.
Enough of sin! LOVE HIM! LOVE HIM !”
Rome
approved Alexandrina’s writings in the late 1970’s, and issued a decree for
the introduction of the cause for her beatification on 13th
January 1983. She was declared Venerable on 12th January 1996.
In the previous year, a miracle took place through the intercession of
Alexandrina, and the evidence of this was used for her impending
beatification. The miracle, the complete cure of a woman named Maria
Madalena Azevedo Gomes Fonseca, from a type of incurable Parkinson’s
disease, was approved by Rome in 2003. To the great joy of her devotees
throughout the world, Alexandrina was beatified on 25th April
2004 by Pope John Paul II, who decreed that her feast be celebrated each
year on the 13th of October.
Cardinal
José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
was asked by the international journal Inside the Vatican about the
significance of Alexandrina’s beatification for Portugal and for the world.
He told them:-
“Because a
Saint does not belong to this or that country, but rather to the Church of
Christ, firstly the Beatification of Alexandrina da Costa is a great event
for the Church in Portugal, but even more so for the Universal Church
because Pope John Paul II is going to propose a special role model for the
world today and especially for today's youth, and that is the great message
of the beatification of Alexandrina da Costa. Firstly, she was a great
heroine when she defended her virginity by jumping from a window and ending
up a paraplegic. This was a heroic act. Today there exists a great
spiritual laziness. A lack of courage in today's youth that should always
have present a strength of conviction in the values of the Faith. Therefore,
Alexandrina da Costa is a model of purity and perseverance in the Faith for
today's youth.”
The
centrality of the Holy Eucharist in Alexandrina’s life, and her call for our
lives to be centred on the Eucharist is highlighted by Fr Joaquim Mendes,
Salesian Provincial of Portugal, in an article on the Salesians of Don Bosco
website. When asked what specific contribution Alexandrina had made to
Salesian spirituality, he said:-
“The
first particular contribution is love of the Eucharist. She lived this love
for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. She spent the greater part of each day
praying, with her eyes fixed on the tabernacle in the church of Balasar. As
well as this she received Holy Communion each day, and for thirteen years
took no other food. She also wanted her tomb to be directed towards the
tabernacle”
It is
fitting that the 50th anniversary of Alexandrina’s death
coincided with the year pronounced by Pope John Paul II to be The Year of
the Eucharist.
One of the
most moving tributes to Alexandrina, written ten years after her death in
1965 by her second spiritual director, Fr Pasquale, is held in the archives
at Balasar. The following is an excerpt:
“Being
frequently questioned about Alexandrina, I confirm that in my long clerical
life I became close to many people of all kinds, but I have never found
anyone (even religious or priests) so spiritually and humanly perfect, in
all aspects, as Alexandrina. Never. When I recall the frequent meetings I
had with that exceptional soul, illuminated by ascetic knowledge that I have
learnt from spiritual readings throughout my priestly life, I cannot
discover the least shade of imperfection in her. On the contrary, I
discover beauty, refinement and heroism in her virtue. I admire the
wonderful action of God’s grace in that soul more and more. If I had to
point out the virtue in which she most distinguished herself, I could not,
because she did not have one that shone more than the others: she was
excellent in all, in a perfect harmony, even in those that were more
visible: for example, in her obedience to ecclesiastical authority and her
directors; in the patience so often tested by her illness or by troublesome
people that came to see her; or in her charity to others, especially to
those who had caused her serious sorrow. Her truly giant personality was
assisted by a spirit of genuine and evident humility that arose from her
lips and more so from her inner attitudes, which can easily be deduced from
the careful reading of her daily notes: by complete indifference to her own
will, always anxious in seeking and fulfilling the will of God, through a
total resignation of her desires and personal wishes. She was a creature
truly and totally consecrated to her God, in a spirit of immolation and
reparation for the offences continuously committed against Him, and to save
all souls for Him. Such a consecration cannot be explained without an
eminent degree of love of God: insatiable, burning, overwhelming love.
This love could not be better defined than by applying to it the adjective
‘seraphic’, in the most complete sense of the word . . .”
Model of
purity and perseverance in the Faith for today’s youth; ardent adorer of
Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament; inspiration and help for those
suffering in any way; faithful Fatima messenger: Blessed Alexandrina is all
these things and much more. Many have already benefited from the graces won
by her sufferings and prayers, and undoubtedly, many more will benefit in
the future. Let us pray that her
canonisation may take place soon.
Official Novena Prayer
for the
Canonisation of Alexandrina
O Jesus, who
art pleased with simple and humble persons, who are so often ignored,
forgotten and despised by men, raise to the glory of Thy altars Thy humble
Servant Alexandrina, who always desired to live hidden from the world and
aloof from its vanities and praises. Thou well knowest, Lord Jesus, how in
our times there is need of lessons in holiness, which is the true fulfilment
of every human and Christian vocation and, consequently, the elevation of a
creature to the supreme height of moral beauty. Invest then, O Jesus, Thy
Servant with the immortal halo of glory and hear our prayers, which we
through her intercession offer to Thee; especially grant us the favour which
we ask ( . . . here mention your petition ) if it be for the honour
of Thy Blessed Name, the glory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the
salvation of sinners, on whose behalf the pious Alexandrina so wholly and
generously offered herself a victim. Amen.
Nihil
Obstat
Braga, 14th April 2005
P. Manuel Moreiras da Costa Santos |
Imprimi potest
Braga, 14th April 2005
D. Jorge da Costa
Ortiga
† Archbishop of Braga |