Alessandrina Maria da Costa

Today is the feast of Blessed Alessandrina Maria da Costa. I first became familiar with her when Ma'am Mila, a Salesian cooperator from Cebu mentioned her in one of our sessions of DB Clay. I remember that her voice was cracking when she was sharing with us how Alessandrina became a victim of paralysis for many years. Despite this, she became a model of a person who was totally in love with God, offering her suffering to Him and in the latter years of her life “took no food or drink of any kind, other than daily communion.”

I forgot about her until yesterday, when I was researching for the prayer we’d use for our liturgical celebration this morning. I thought that her cause of paralysis was congenital, but I was surprised to find out that she was 14 years old when “she leaped into the garden from a window in order to protect her purity which was under threat.”

The fall resulted to his paralysis for more than thirty years. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in April 25, 2004.

The Vatican has a relatively brief account of her life.The quotations and the photos I used here are found in the site of the Salesians.