Saint Who?
Saints Who Taught about Prayer
Saint Mariana de Jesús de Paredes
Religious († 1645) Feast: May 26
Mariana was the youngest child of aristocratic parents in Quito, Ecuador. Her parents died when she was only four years old, so she was raised by an older sister and her husband. In their home, she was treated with as much affection as if she were their own child. Mariana was precociously devout and enjoyed praying more than playing.
She also imposed many mortifications upon herself, and her relatives offered to send her to a convent to see if she truly had a religious vocation. But those plans unexpectedly fell apart, and Mariana patiently chose to live with her family as a Franciscan tertiary. She only left home to go to church, spent her days in prayer, and practiced many penances, wearing a hair shirt and a metal crown on her head, sleeping only three hours per night, and eventually living solely on the Eucharist. These severe mortifications were inspired by her desire to draw close to the suffering Christ and to thank him for his sacrifice on the cross for our salvation.
Shortly before Mariana’s death, the city of Quito was struck by earthquakes and an epidemic. So many people were dying that Mariana felt called to offer her life for the sake of the city. Soon afterward, she became ill and died—and the plagues and earthquakes ended.
Jesus our Savior, give us loving hearts, ready to make sacrifices for you and for others.
