Saint Who?
Saints Who Achieved Sanctity Young
Blessed Maria of Saint Cecilia
Religious († 1929) Feast: September 4
Maria Dina Adelaide Bélanger was always called Dina by her parents. Her only sibling died young, so she grew up as an only child in a comfortable home in Quebec, Canada. She was a sensitive and devout girl, but she was still an ordinary child who got bored during long sermons, threw tantrums when she was young, and got homesick when she was sent to be educated in a boarding school run by nuns.
She studied music in school and learned to play the piano. At the age of nineteen, she traveled to New York City to study music, living at a residence for young Catholic women. But throughout her teenage years, she also struggled with a common problem for devout souls: a period of spiritual darkness. But she persevered in prayer until it lifted. She returned to Canada after graduation.
Although she was a gifted pianist and began performing in public concerts, Dina knew that God was calling her to become a religious sister. She entered the Religious of Jesus and Mary at the age of twenty-four and served as a piano teacher. A few years later, she contracted scarlet fever, which developed into tuberculosis. As her health declined, she spent her last few years writing her spiritual autobiography and inspiring others with her peaceful acceptance of God’s will.
Almighty God, show us how to use our gifts
for your greater glory.
