Laywoman (1832-1869)
Her life
+ Narcisa was born in Nobol, Ecuador. Her parents were farmers and died when she was still a child.
+ After their death, Narcisa moved to Guayaquil and she worked as a seamstress for the next 15 years to support her younger siblings.
+ She was dedicated to her life as a single woman, devoting herself to prayer and the care of the poor.
+ In 1868, Narcisa moved to Lima, Peru, where she worked for a convent of Dominican nuns. She never took religious vows, but she lived as faithfully as the sisters she served.
+ Saint Narcisa de Jesús died on December 8, 1869, and was canonized in 2008.
For prayer and reflection
“St Narcisa of Jesus shows us a path of Christian perfection obtainable for all the faithful. Despite the many and extraordinary graces that she received, she lived her life with great simplicity, dedicated to her work as a seamstress and to her apostolate as a catechist. In her passionate love for Jesus, who led her on a path of intense prayer and torment and to identify herself increasingly with the mystery of the Cross, she offers us an attractive witness and a perfect example of a life totally dedicated to God and to her brothers and sisters.”—Pope Benedict XVI, homily at the canonization of Saint Narcisa de Jesús
Prayer
Hear us, God our Savior, that, as we rejoice in commemorating the Virgin blessed Narcisa de Jesús, we may be instructed by her loving devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Virgins)
Saint profiles prepared by Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
