Alexandrina Maria da Costa
Encyclopedia
Alexandrina Maria da Costa (30 March 1904 – 13 October 1955), also known as Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar, was a Portuguese
mystic
of the Eucharist
, who was born and died in Balasar
(a rural parish of Póvoa de Varzim
). Alexandrina left many written works, which have been studied mainly in Italy
by Fr. Umberto Pasquale
and Signorile couple
. On 25 April 2004 she was declared blessed by Pope John Paul II
who stated that "her secret to holiness was love for Christ".
At 14 years old, in March 1918 an incident changed her life. Her former employer along with three other men tried to break into her room. To escape them, Alexandrina jumped 13 feet down from a window, barely surviving. Her spine was broken from the fall and she suffered gradual paralysis
that confined her to bed from 1925 onward. She remained bed-ridden for about 30 years.
, asking him to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
, based on the request of Alexandrina Maria da Costa. At that time Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII
) was the secretary of the state of the Vatican, and he later performed the consecration of the world. However, there is no specific evidence at the Vatican that Pius XII acted on behalf of Alexandrina Maria da Costa.
According to her Vatican biography, from March 1942, for about 13 years until her death, she received no food except for the Holy Eucharist, and her weight dropped to about 33 kilograms (i.e. approximately 73 pounds). She was examined by medical doctors, with no conclusion.
Based on the advice of a priest, her sister kept a diary of Alexandrina's words and mystical experiences. According to her Vatican autobiography Jesus spoke to her, at one point saying: "You will very rarely receive consolation... I want that while your heart is filled with suffering, on your lips there is a smile". In 1944, she joined the "Union of Salesian Cooperators", offering her suffering for the salvation of souls and for the sanctification of youth.
In Ireland
there is an Alexandrina Society that spreads knowledge of her life and teachings.The aims of the Society are 1) To spread devotion to Alexandrina and make her known, 2) To pray for the conversion of sinners, 3) To pray for Priests and acknowledge any favours received, 4) To pray for members' intentions.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, who was born and died in Balasar
Balasar
Balasar or Balazar is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim. As of the 2001 census it had a population of 2,475 and a total area of 11.57 km².-History:...
(a rural parish of Póvoa de Varzim
Póvoa de Varzim
Póvoa de Varzim is a Portuguese city in the Norte Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2011 estimated population of 63,364. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. The urban area expanded, southwards, to Vila do Conde, and there...
). Alexandrina left many written works, which have been studied mainly in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
by Fr. Umberto Pasquale
Umberto Pasquale
Umberto Pasquale was a Salesian priest and writer.At the beginning of the 1930s, he went to Portugal and on 1944 he met the Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, who is the main subject of his books...
and Signorile couple
Signorile couple
Chiaffredo Signorile, Chiaffredo Signorile, Chiaffredo Signorile, (9 October 1913, Stroppo, province of Cuneo-13 October 1999 and his wife Eugenia Signorile, (born 9 September 1914), have become known as the Signorile Couple...
. On 25 April 2004 she was declared blessed by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
who stated that "her secret to holiness was love for Christ".
Early life
In her teens she started to work, sewing garments along with her sister in Balasar.At 14 years old, in March 1918 an incident changed her life. Her former employer along with three other men tried to break into her room. To escape them, Alexandrina jumped 13 feet down from a window, barely surviving. Her spine was broken from the fall and she suffered gradual paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
that confined her to bed from 1925 onward. She remained bed-ridden for about 30 years.
Later life
In June 1938, based on the request of Father Mariano Pinho, several bishops from Portugal wrote to Pope Pius XIPope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, asking him to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary originally The Sacred Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God, her maternal love for her Son, Jesus, and her compassionate love for...
, based on the request of Alexandrina Maria da Costa. At that time Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
) was the secretary of the state of the Vatican, and he later performed the consecration of the world. However, there is no specific evidence at the Vatican that Pius XII acted on behalf of Alexandrina Maria da Costa.
According to her Vatican biography, from March 1942, for about 13 years until her death, she received no food except for the Holy Eucharist, and her weight dropped to about 33 kilograms (i.e. approximately 73 pounds). She was examined by medical doctors, with no conclusion.
Based on the advice of a priest, her sister kept a diary of Alexandrina's words and mystical experiences. According to her Vatican autobiography Jesus spoke to her, at one point saying: "You will very rarely receive consolation... I want that while your heart is filled with suffering, on your lips there is a smile". In 1944, she joined the "Union of Salesian Cooperators", offering her suffering for the salvation of souls and for the sanctification of youth.
Legacy
Based on her request, the following words were written on her tombstone:- "Sinners, if the dust of my body can be of help to save you, come close, walk over it, kick it around until it disappears. But never sin again: do not offend Jesus anymore! Sinners, how much I want to tell you.... Do not risk losing Jesus for all eternity, for he is so good. Enough with sin. Love Jesus, love him!".
In Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
there is an Alexandrina Society that spreads knowledge of her life and teachings.The aims of the Society are 1) To spread devotion to Alexandrina and make her known, 2) To pray for the conversion of sinners, 3) To pray for Priests and acknowledge any favours received, 4) To pray for members' intentions.
See also
- Anne Catherine EmmerichAnne Catherine EmmerichBlessed Anne Catherine Emmerich was a Roman Catholic Augustinian nun, stigmatic, mystic, visionary and ecstatic....
- Maria Domenica LazzeriMaria Domenica LazzeriMaria Domenica Lazzeri also known as la Meneghina was an Italian mystic. The cause for her beatification was started in 1943. She was born in in Capriana, Italy but as of 1833 became bedridden most of her life...
- Marthe RobinMarthe RobinMarthe Robin was a French Roman Catholic mystic and reported stigmatist. She became bedridden when she was 21 years old, and remained so until her death. According to EWTN she reportedly ate nothing for many years except receiving Holy Eucharist.In 1928, she entered the Franciscan Third order...
- Marie Rose FerronMarie Rose FerronMarie Rose Ferron often called the Little Rose was an American-Canadian Roman Catholic mystic and stigmatist.She was born in Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, Quebec, as the tenth child of a large family which moved to Massachusetts 1906 and then to Woonsocket, Rhode Island in 1925, where she lived the...
Further reading
- "Alexandrina: The Agony and the Glory". Francis Johnston 1949 Tan Books, Rockford, Illinois)
- "Alexandrina da Costa: The Mystical Martyr of Fatima". Leo Madigan. 2005. (Fatima Orphel Books, Fatima, Portugal.