St. Rose of Lima (1586-1617), Patroness of the Americas, is the first canonized saint of the New World. She was the tenth of thirteen children, and her mother experienced no pain at her birth. Though exquisitely beautiful (hence her nickname, Rose), she refused to marry, and while helping support her family by needlework and growing flowers, she practiced heroic charity and lived as a Dominican Tertiary in her parents’ home. Rose tenderly cared for the sick, even those with repulsive wounds, and she often obtained miraculous cures for people from the Child Jesus. On other occasions, she worked miracles in order to feed the members of her family, and became known as “Mother of the Poor.” Rose continually prayed and offered her sufferings for the conversion of the idolatrous Incas. In the year 1615, through her prayers, the Blessed Sacrament and the people of Lima were spared attack by savage pirates. St. Rose was a friend and confidant of St. Martin de Porres, who lived in the same city. Her mystical experiences caused an ecclesiastical inquiry. Though dead at only 31, St. Rose’s love of God was so intense that she was recognized as a saint in her own time and was canonized by the Church just 54 years later, in 1671. St. Rose of Lima has captured the imagination of the world and stands as one of the most popular saints in the history of the Church.

A book celebrating the rededication of the historic Santa Rosa de Lima Catholic Church. The church cornerstone was laid in 1907.Church restoration efforts were completed in January 2010. A Mass was held to rededicate Santa Rosa de Lima. The Mass celebrant was Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe.

"The child's name is Isabel! That's all there is to it!" Grandma Isabel's voice showed she was in no mood for argument. But Rose's mother was just as insistent: "Her name is Rose!" "It's Isabel!" "Rose, I tell you!" "Isabel!" Mary Fabyan Windeatt Sometimes Senor Flores lost patience with his wife and mother-in-law. "Call the child anything you like," he pleaded-"only let a man have some peace in his own house!" The matter of Rose's name finally got settled, but then there were other things to cause puzzlement and misunderstanding. Why, for instance, did Rose have to turn part of the house into a hospital? And why did she want to live in a tiny little hut in the backyard? Why didn't she just go to a convent and become a nun? This book gives the answers. It also relates what happened when Rose tried to become a nun, describes how she cared for the sick, and tells what happened in the end to Rose's mother. All in all, this is the beautiful story of the little Rose of South America, the first canonized Saint of the New World.