El verdadero rostro de Laura Vicuña.
El
verdadero rostro de Laura Vicuña.
Bienheureuse Laura Vicuña
Née à Santiago du Chili,
elle vécut surtout en Patagonie (Argentine). Elle était élève de l'Institut de
Marie-Auxiliatrice à Junin, dans la Cordillière des Andes. Enfant, elle offrit
sa vie pour la conversion de sa mère. Celle-ci avait un concubin qui infligeait
de tels mauvais traitements à Laura qu'elle en mourut en 1904, pardonnant à sa
mère et à cet homme. Elle avait à peine 13 ans.
Bienheureuse Laura Vicuna
jeune martyre (+ 1904)
Née à Santiago du Chili,
elle vécut surtout en Patagonie - Argentine. Elle était élève de l'Institut de
Marie-Auxiliatrice à Junin, dans la Cordillère des Andes. A treize ans, elle
offrit sa vie pour la conversion de sa mère. Celle-ci avait un concubin qui
infligeait de tels mauvais traitements à Laure qu'elle en mourut pardonnant à
sa mère et à cet homme. Elle avait à peine 13 ans.
Béatifiée le 3 septembre
1988 - homélie
de Jean-Paul II - en italien
Laura Vicuna sur le site
des salésiens
de Don Bosco.
Site ouvert le 22 Janvier
2004, pour le Centenaire
de la mort de Laura Vicuña.
À Junin dans les Andes en
Argentine, en 1904, la bienheureuse Laure Vicuña, vierge. Née à Santiago du
Chili, élève dans l’Institut de Marie Auxiliatrice, elle offrit à Dieu sa vie à
treize ans pour la conversion de sa mère.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/5325/Bienheureuse-Laura-Vicuna.html
Bienheureuse Laure VICUÑA
Nom: VICUÑA
Prénom: Laure (Laura del
Carmen)
Pays: Chili - Argentine
Naissance:
05.04.1891 à Santiago du Chili
Mort: 22.01.1904 à
Junin des Andes (Argentine)
Etat: Laïque
Note: Elève des Sœurs
Salésiennes, elle doit combattre pour sa pureté, et offre sa vie pour la
conversion de sa mère. La tuberculose l’emporte alors qu’elle n’a pas encore 13
ans.
Béatification:
03.09.1988 à Colle Don Bosco (village natal de Don Bosco - Piémont)
par Jean Paul II
Canonisation:
Fête: 22 janvier
Réf. dans l’Osservatore
Romano: 1988 n.37
Réf. dans la Documentation
Catholique: 1988 p.1090
Notice brève
Née en 1891, à Santiago
du Chili, Laura Vicuna est orpheline de père à 2 ans. Sa mère émigre en
Argentine et vit avec le propriétaire de la ferme où elle s’est engagée comme
domestique. Laura est placée à Junin des Andes, chez les Sœurs de
Marie-Auxiliatrice qui assurent son éducation scolaire et chrétienne. Elle fait
sa première communion à 10 ans et reçoit la confirmation l’année suivante.
Elle désire entrer chez les sœurs, mais ne le pouvant pas, elle fait des vœux
privés. À plusieurs reprises, lorsqu’elle revient à la maison, elle doit
résister aux avances de Manuel Mora, le propriétaire. Elle offre sa vie pour la
conversion de sa chère maman, et le lui révèle peu avant de mourir. Bouleversée
par tant d’amour, celle-ci se convertit aussitôt, et Laura meurt en
disant : "Merci, Jésus, Merci, Marie, je meurs contente". Elle
avait presque 13 ans.
Notice développée
Laura del Carmen Vicuna
naît à Santiago du Chili en 1891. Son père est un militaire, plein de bonté et
d’une grande valeur. Sa mère, d’une famille pauvre, s’appelle Mercedes
Pino ; elle est une jeune femme éveillée, capable de se débrouiller dans
la vie. Peu après la naissance de Laura, le père, avec sa famille, doit se
déplacer de Santiago à Temuco sur les hauteurs des Andes, alors minuscule
village, aujourd’hui grande ville chilienne. Le papa meurt peu après d’une
pneumonie foudroyante, alors qu’une seconde fille, Amanda, vient de
naître ; Laura n’a que deux ans. Pour vivre, la mère, couturière, ouvre,
en plus, un petit magasin de mercerie. Mais, après avoir été dévalisée, elle
passe la frontière de l’autre côté des Andes avec ses deux filles, espérant y
faire des affaires et elle arrive sur le territoire argentin de Neuquen, dans
la localité de Chapelco, à une quinzaine de kilomètres du village de Junin des
Andes. À l’époque, la région, peuplée d’Indiens, vient d’être ‘pacifiée’ et
beaucoup d’immigrés arrivent ; mais ce milieu d’aventuriers est bien peu
moral. Mercedes échoue finalement dans l’estancia de Quilquihué, vaste
domaine concédé par l’État à Manuel Mora, lui aussi d’origine chilienne. C’est
un gaucho brutal (N’a-t-il pas marqué au fer rouge comme pour les bêtes son
ex-compagne avant de la chasser ?) Mercedes s’engage chez lui comme
domestique, mais en fait, elle devient sa ‘chose’. Mora la brutalise. Elle s’en
plaint mais elle n’a pas la possibilité d’aller ailleurs.
À la même époque, les
Salésiens, audacieux missionnaires, viennent de parvenir en Argentine. Et peu
après suivent des Salésiennes (ou Filles de Marie-Auxiliatrice fondées, avec don
Bosco, par sainte Marie-Dominique
Mazarello 2 (+1881).
Elles viennent d’arriver à Junin des Andes, en janvier 1899, et là, près de
l’école des Salésiens, elles fondent une école de filles qui commence dès le
mois de mars avec dix-neuf élèves. Leur nombre croîtra rapidement. L’année
suivante, en janvier 1900, Mercedes y envoie ses deux filles, Laura et Amanda.
C’est Manuel Mora qui paye la pension, mais son but n’est pas altruiste ;
il veut donner cette éducation à Laura pour en faire sa femme, car il la
préfère à sa mère.(À cette époque, beaucoup de filles se marient très jeunes.)
Dans cette école, avec de jeunes institutrices animées de la ferveur des
débuts, Laura est d’emblée très heureuse, malgré la souffrance d’être séparée
de sa mère. La supérieure, Mère Piai, seule religieuse professe, témoigne dans
son testament en 1922 : «Dès les premiers jours au collège, on remarquait
chez Laura un jugement supérieur à son âge, et une véritable inclination à la
piété. Son cœur innocent ne trouvait la paix et la quiétude qu’en Dieu, et sa
dévotion, bien qu’il s’agisse d’une petite fille, était sérieuse, sans
affectation ni aucune exagération. Réalisant d'emblée que j’avais en face de
moi une créature aussi exceptionnelle, j’eus comme un sentiment de peur, et je
me demandai si je ne risquais pas de ruiner l’œuvre du Seigneur en elle. C’est
pourquoi je la confiai particulièrement à don Crestanello, (l’aumônier
salésien) qui plus que moi dut avoir l’intuition immédiate du trésor de cette
âme angélique, puisqu’il ne se limita pas à en admirer la beauté, mais
qu’il l’instruisit pendant 4 ans avec une sagesse spirituelle et une paternité
salésienne.» Un évènement marquera la vie de Laura. Il est ainsi relaté par
Sœur Azocar: «Je me souviens que la première fois que j’ai expliqué le
sacrement du mariage, Laura s’est évanouie, sans doute parce qu’elle comprit à
mes paroles que sa maman était en état de péché mortel aussi longtemps
qu’elle resterait chez ce monsieur. En ce temps-là à Junin, une seule famille
vivait conformément à la volonté de Dieu.» Dès lors, Laura multiplie prières et
pénitences pour sa maman. Elle fait sa première communion le 2 juin 1901 avec
une grande ferveur ; elle écrit les résolutions suivantes : “1.
Je veux, mon Jésus, t’aimer et te servir durant toute ma vie ; pour cela
je t’offre toute mon âme, tout mon cœur et tout mon être. - 2. Je préfère
mourir plutôt que de t’offenser par le péché ; je veux donc m‘éloigner de tout
ce qui pourrait me séparer de toi. - 3. Je promets de faire tout mon possible,
même de grands sacrifices, afin que tu sois toujours plus connu et aimé, et
afin de réparer les offenses que, tous les jours, t’infligent les hommes qui ne
t’aiment pas, spécialement celles que tu reçois de ceux qui me sont proches. -
Oh, mon Dieu, accorde-moi une vie d’amour, de mortification et de sacrifice ! »
Mais sa grande joie est assombrie en voyant que sa mère, présente à la
cérémonie, ne communie pas. Elle a dix ans et désormais, sa piété et sa
perfection s’affirment encore davantage. Le 12 décembre de la même année, en la
fête de l’Immaculée Conception, elle a la joie d’être admise comme ‘Fille de
Marie’. Elle porte ce ruban bleu qui figure sur son portrait.
Quand vient le temps des
vacances, Laura souhaiterait rester chez les Sœurs où elle reçoit l’eucharistie
et tant d’autres grâces, mais les Sœurs partent à ce moment-là. Sa maison étant
devenue un danger pour elle, elle obtient de son confesseur, dans le but de
défendre son innocence, la permission de porter un cilice. En effet, elle doit
résister avec un courage au-dessus de son âge à deux agressions de Mora, la
deuxième en public. Vexé d’avoir été vaincu par une fillette devant tout le
monde, celui-ci déclare qu’il ne paiera plus la pension. Laura ne se tient pas
pour battue et prenant courageusement les choses en main, elle envoie une amie
plaider pour elle, et les Sœurs décident de l’accepter gratuitement.
Lors de sa confirmation,
le 29 mars 1902, elle a la douleur de ne pas voir sa maman assister à la
cérémonie. Elle a onze ans, elle demande d’entrer comme religieuse. Mais on lui
refuse l’entrée au postulat. Elle demande alors à faire des vœux privés ;
son confesseur, le Père Crestanello, l’y autorise et la prépare avec soin.
Entendant un jour dans l’Évangile qu’il n’y a pas de plus grand amour que de
donner sa vie pour ses amis, Laura offre sa vie au Seigneur pour le salut de sa
maman. Alors qu’elle était en bonne santé, elle tombe rapidement malade,
frappée de diverses maladies, notamment de phtisie à une époque de grand froid.
Sa mère la soigne à Junin des Andes dans une pauvre maisonnette acquise pour la
circonstance, non loin du collège ; mais celui-ci est fermé pendant
l’absence des Sœurs et du Père, ce qui constitue une grande souffrance pour
Laura. Elle se sent seule. Furieux que Mercedes ait quitté l’hacienda, Mora
vient à Junin avec l’intention d’y passer la nuit. Après avoir cruellement
frappé sa mère liée à un poteau, il rejoint Laura et la malmène. Morte de
frayeur mais victorieuse, Laura se recouche et désormais ne se relèvera plus.
Quelques heures avant de mourir, elle appelle sa maman près d’elle. Celle-ci,
comprenant que c’était le moment suprême, s’exclame : «Ma fille, ma fille ! Tu
vas me laisser ?» – «Oui, maman, je vais mourir. C’est moi qui l’ai demandé à
Jésus et j’ai été exaucée. Il y a presque deux ans que je lui ai offert ma vie
pour ton salut, pour la grâce de ton retour. Maman, je n’aurai pas la joie de
voir ton repentir avant que je ne meure?» Bouleversée, sa maman promet :
«Demain matin, j’irai à l’église avec Amanda et je me confesserai». Laura
cherche des yeux le prêtre présent (qui remplace le Père Crestanello) et lui
dit : «Père, ma mère en cet instant promet d’abandonner cet homme ; soyez
témoin de sa promesse !» Puis elle ajoute: «Merci Jésus, merci Marie !
Maintenant je meurs contente !» C’est avec ces mots qu’elle expire,
le 22 janvier 1904 à 6 heures du soir. À son enterrement, beaucoup de ses amies
sont là et tout le village l’accompagne. Elle est revêtue de ses habits de
‘Fille de Marie’ avec le ruban et la ceinture bleues qu’elle avait reçus
vingt-six mois auparavant avec tant de joie. Elle avait douze ans et neuf mois.
SOURCE : http://www.abbaye-saint-benoit.ch/hagiographie/fiches/f0301.htm
Laura Vicunia
Laura Vicunia est une jeune chilienne, élève des sœurs salésiennes à la fin du XIXe siècle. Morte à 13 ans, elle est béatifiée en 1988.
Laura nait à Santiago le 5 avril 1891. Peu de mois après, son père doit, pour
des raisons politiques, s'éloigner avec sa famille de la capitale. Il meurt en
exil laissant deux petites orphelines, Laura qui avait 2 ans et sa sœur encore
bébé.
Leur mère,
Mercedes, passe en Argentine et se fixe à Junin, dans les Andes. Elle
confie amours ses deux enfants aux Filles de Marie Auxiliatrice qui ont dans
cette ville une petite école. Laura a 9 ans, et se distingue tout de suite par
la ferveur de sa piété, par son obéissance et sa charité envers ses compagnes.
Laura fait sa première
communion en 1901. Elle est admise dans le groupe des Filles de Marie. Mais le
propriétaire de la maison dans laquelle ils habitent, terrorise toute la
famille et s'en prend à Laura. Celle-ci réagit avec courage. En 1902,
Laura offre sa vie pour sa mère tombée sous la coupe du propriétaire, et
qui a perdu la foi. Elle multiplie prières et privations pour obtenir sa
conversion.
Minée par la maladie,
Laura meurt le 22 janvier 1904, à 13 ans, dans les bras de sa mère, qui
retrouve alors la foi, et le courage de s'enfuir à nouveau, loin de leur
tortionnaire.
SOURCE : http://www.don-bosco.net/index.php/qui-est-don-bosco/biographies-de-la-famille/59-lauravicuna.html
BIENHEUREUSE LAURA VICUÑA
Coopératrice salésienne 1891-1904
La famille salésienne, à
la suite de Don Bosco, sait susciter la sainteté chez les jeunes. Après
Dominique Savio, découvrons Laura Vicuña, jeune sud-américaine décédée avant
ses 13 ans, et proclamée Bienheureuse par Jean-Paul II.
LA CRUELLE VÉRITÉ
Au collège des Sœurs
Salésienne de Junin, Laura découvre le bonheur. Dès le premier contact, lorsque
sa maman Mercedes a laissé les deux fillettes aux mains de Sœur Angèle, elle a
goûté le sens de la famille. C’est vrai, Mandina (c’est le surnom d’Amanda), s’était
agrippée à elle. La pauvre ! À 7 ans elle ne pouvait pas comprendre
pourquoi sa maman la laissait là, seule avec sa grande sœur.
Pour Laura, tout est
neuf. Elle a fui, il y a près d’un an, le Chili en pleine révolution. Et
maintenant, elle commence à se faire de nouvelles amies dans les montagnes
d’Argentine.
Les Sœurs sont devenues
sa nouvelle famille. Car, depuis la mort de son papa, il y a sept ans, Laura
n’a guère connu ni la paix, ni la joie d’un foyer.
LA LUMIÈRE SE FAIT SUR L’INACCEPTABLE
Justement c’est le thème
de l’entretien de ce jour. Sœur Angèle explique le mariage à sa petite classe
attentive. Les filles sont partagées entre inquiétude et fascination. En effet,
dans le pays beaucoup d’entre elles sont mariées vers 12-13 ans. Il n’est donc
pas trop tôt de commencer à en parler !
“L’amour c’est ce qu’il y
a de plus beau. Et c’est encore plus vrai quand on peut le partager”.
Au fur et à mesure des
explications de la Sœur, un sentiment étrange envahit le cœur de Laura.
Autour d’elle, les copines
ne sont pas avares de questions et Sœur Angèle répond avec délicatesse et
exactitude à tous leurs soucis. Soudain Laura saisit le pire. Elle vient de
comprendre la vie de sa mère, pauvre veuve abandonnée qui se réfugie dans la
ferme de Manuel Mora. Un homme redoutable, qui traite son monde en esclave. Le
regard triste de maman et la gêne devant ses enfants... Et maintenant
l’internat chez les Sœurs loin de la ferme. Son cœur s’emballe. Laura
s’évanouit. La vérité du scandale vient de tuer l’innocence de l’enfant.
Comme les autres fillettes accueillies au Collège des Sœurs salésiennes de Junin (Argentine), elle vit dans un climat qui favorise la maturation spirituelle et la connaissance des choses de la foi
LA SECRÈTE PRIÈRE DE LAURA
Tu pourras faire ta
Première Communion cette année, si tu le veux », propose-t-on à
Laura.
Elle se prépare avec
enthousiasme à cette fête. Très vite, elle construit un projet secret dans son
cœur. En effet, Mercedes Vicuña, sa mère, n’est plus à l’aise avec la pratique
religieuse. Depuis son arrivée en Argentine, elle vit une relation ambiguë avec
son protecteur Manuel Mora. Ce dernier ne s’embarrasse pas de “bondieuseries“.
Mercedes n’avait-elle pas conseillé à ses enfants de prier en cachette pendant
les dernières grandes vacances ?
« Seigneur, le jour
de ma Première Communion, je voudrais tant que maman s’avance pour communier en
même temps que moi, ce serait mon plus précieux cadeau ».
Laura, pleine de
lucidité, connaît le cœur de sa mère. Elle sait que celle-ci a concédé beaucoup
de ses convictions à cet homme qui la domine.
Le 2 juin 1901, les
chants de fête dans la petite chapelle et l’atmosphère de gaîté des enfants de
Junin (collège) ne réussissent pas à combler le désir de Laura. Sa maman reste
à l’écart et ne communie pas. Laura est triste et inquiète à la fois. Le mal qui
ronge sa maman est donc plus lourd qu’il n’y paraît…
La deuxième année passée
à Junin, au collège des Sœurs salésiennes, se termine. Mercedes Vicuña regarde
sa fille Laura avec étonnement. Elle est devenue grande et belle, avec ses yeux
foncés et ses cheveux ondulés. Les fossettes qui se forment sur ses joues,
quand elle rit, attirent la sympathie.
« Au revoir !
Au revoir ! »
En partant pour le
domaine de Quilquihué où sa mère a établi son gîte auprès du riche propriétaire
Manuel Mora, Laura a le pressentiment de ce qui l’attend. D’ailleurs, Mercedes,
sa mère, en fait l’amère expérience. C’est un patron arrogant, grossier et
despotique. Elle avait cru pouvoir s’appuyer sur lui pour améliorer sa
situation, mais aujourd’hui, elle reconnaît que sa vie s’est transformée en
esclavage.
Cela fait deux jours à
peine que les deux fillettes, Laura et sa sœur Amanda, sont de retour à la
ferme. De la véranda où elle reste durant la journée, Laura voit Manuel arriver
et attacher son cheval au poteau, près de l’entrée de la maison. Il exige de
rester seul avec la jeune fille et chasse la mère qui se réfugie dans la
maison. Mais Laura se débat et se sauve. L’homme vaincu médite un autre coup.
Il ne peut accepter qu’une enfant de 11 ans lui résiste
LA DÉTERMINATION FACE À
LA VIOLENCE
Quelques jours plus tard
a lieu la fête du marquage des animaux nés dans l’année. Le domaine prend
l’aspect d’un village au jour de foire. Les gardiens de troupeaux se mélangent
aux serviteurs et à leurs familles. Les amis du patron et les propriétaires
voisins sont là aussi. On boit, on joue, on chante jusqu’à la tombée de la nuit
qui annonce l’ouverture du bal. Les danses vont commencer.
Manuel signale le début
des danses en s’apprêtant à esquisser les premiers pas. Laura le voit s’avancer
vers elle. Elle répond par un “non“ fier et décidé. L’homme est fou de
rage : il insiste en se voulant charmeur. Mais c’est sans compter sur la
détermination de Laura. Les invités observent. Le patron rougit, il est chez
lui ici !
« Ah oui, elle ne
veut pas danser, la sainte nitouche ? »
Il saisit l’adolescente
par le bras et la jette dehors avec les chiens.
Manuel Mora s’en prend
maintenant à la mère qu’il couvre d’injures, et lui ordonne de rappeler sa
fille pour qu’elle vienne s’excuser et danser. Mercedes sort, mais elle
n’arrive pas à convaincre sa fille. Tout à coup la porte s’ouvre, Manuel sort
et saisit la pauvre maman par le poignet. Elle est liée au poteau. Les danses
s’arrêtent. Personne, pas même les frères du patron, n’ose intervenir. Manuel Mora
fouette Mercedes jusqu’au sang. Les amis enfourchent leur cheval et s’en vont.
Laura, blottie derrière
les arbres, pleure. Elle assiste dans la nuit à l’humiliation de sa mère.
Laura Vicuña et sa sœur
Amanda ont eu toutes les peines du monde à rejoindre leur école pour cette
nouvelle rentrée de février 1902 au collège des Sœurs salésiennes. Le terrible
propriétaire Manuel Mora qui héberge la mère et les deux fillettes s’opposait à
ce qu’elles retournent chez “ces bigotes de bonnes sœurs”.
— Alors, comment se
sont passées ces vacances ?
Les questions fusent de
toute part entre les jeunes filles qui se retrouvent après les congés d’été.
Laura ne veut pas parler de ses mésaventures estivales. Manuel Mora s’était
vengé sur la petite famille de ce qu’elle l’ait publiquement éconduit. Il
s’était opposé à ce qu’elle reprenne ses classes chez les Sœurs. En effet,
n’est-ce pas à cause de ces dernières et de leur morale que Laura, jeune
adolescente de 11 ans, avait refusé ses avances ?
La mère s’était
révoltée
— Ce sont mes
filles. Je veux qu’elles retournent à la pension chez les Sœurs ! Je ne
suis pas ici comme une esclave !
— Ou esclave ou
morte. Quant à ces deux, on verra bien !
Il avait fallu, sous
l’insistance de Laura, que la mère aille demander aux Sœurs de reprendre les
deux élèves gratuitement, faute de ressources.
Maintenant, l’école
reprend. Personne n’imagine le drame qui se joue dans le cœur de Laura. Elle
cache tous ces problèmes sous une allure joviale et un enthousiasme contagieux.
Merceditas Vera est de
trois ans plus âgée que Laura. Elles sont pourtant devenues amies. Il est vrai
que Laura est si mûre de caractère, et douée d’une forte intériorité. Elle sait
être une compagne agréable. Ce qui rapproche les deux filles, c’est un même idéal.
Elles désirent donner toute leur vie au Seigneur. Peut-être comme une de ces
Sœurs salésiennes qu’elles fréquentent au collège ? D’ailleurs, la sœur
aînée de Merceditas Vera vient de faire une démarche en ce sens.
Lorsque Sœur Anne-Marie,
enseignante auprès des deux jeunes filles, vient à mourir, elles prennent une
résolution importante :
— Un jour, nous prendrons sa place !
Le 1er avril 1902, Merceditas laisse éclater toute sa joie. Elle vient de manière tout officielle de revêtir la pèlerine de postulante, en signe d’un premier pas pour devenir Sœur salésienne. Laura imagine le jour où elle pourra vivre le même engagement.
VERS UNE VIE NOUVELLE
Mercedes Vicuña vit une
véritable souffrance chez Manuel Mora. Sous prétexte qu’il est le propriétaire
du domaine de Quilquihué, littéralement “le repaire du faucon”, profitant de la
fragilité de cette veuve, mère de deux fillettes et expatriée, il songe à en
faire une esclave par un jeu de séduction de plus en plus subtil et
entreprenant. Maintenant qu’il tient la mère, il convoite l’aînée, Laura.
Pourtant cette enfant
s’avère être une proie insaisissable pour le bourreau ! Non seulement elle
a déjoué tous ses pièges et refusé ses avances, mais elle veut sauver sa mère.
Son confesseur, le Père Crestanello est dans la confidence :
“As-tu bien réfléchi ?
Donner ta vie pour ta maman, c’est le plus grand acte d’amour. Mais c’est très
dur”.
Laura sait ce qu’elle
veut. Dans la chapelle du collège des Sœurs salésiennes de Junin au Chili, en
ce 13 avril 1903, elle offre sa vie à Dieu pour que sa maman se libère de ses
chaînes.
L’hiver n’en finit plus.
Il fait froid. Laura tombe malade. Malgré les soins et l’attention des Sœurs,
elle ne guérira pas. Sa maman vient la chercher et décide, à la grande fureur
de Manuel Mora, de se réfugier dans une petite maison louée à Junin, loin du
domaine et de son faucon. Un après-midi de janvier 1904, à l’improviste, les
sabots d’un cheval retentissent dans la petite cour. Manuel saute à terre et
entre en maître : “Je veux passer la nuit ici”. La mère est
glacée de frayeur. Laura rassemble ses forces, se lève et sort. Mora, qui
craint un esclandre public, se jette sur elle, fou de rage, la saisit par le
bras, la ramène à la maison et se met à la frapper sauvagement. Des gens
accourent. Laura ne peut se défendre, mais ses yeux ne manifestent aucune peur.
L’homme cède et enfourche son cheval pour s’éloigner au galop. Il est vaincu.
Mercedes, la mère, est
désemparée. Elle n’a pas trouvé la force de protéger sa fille. Laura
l’appelle :
“Viens, maman. Je veux te
parler. Je ne guérirai pas, tu sais. Je vais bientôt mourir. C’est moi-même qui
l’ai demandé à Jésus. Je lui ai offert ma vie pour toi… Pour que tu retournes à
Lui. Je t’aime”.
Mercedes est anéantie.
C’est donc pour elle que sa petite souffre ? C’est pour elle qu’elle
meurt ?
Le 22 janvier 1904, Laura
meurt paisiblement, elle n’a pas encore 13 ans. Le jour même, Mercedes se
confesse et communie. Une nouvelle vie commence en elle. Il n’est pas facile de
casser la chaîne qui la liait à Mora. Elle s’enfuit en retraversant les Andes.
Laura, son enfant, lui a redonné la vie. Elle repart seule, mais elle n’est
plus désespérée : elle a rencontré Dieu.
Daniel FEDERSPIELwww.revueenroute.jeminforme.org
Site produit par
"Les Amis de la Croix d'Amour".
Autorisation de diffuser ce document, avec mention de la source.
SOURCE : http://www.revueenroute.jeminforme.org/bse_laura_vicuna.php
Toussaint : Taïssir
Tatios l’Egyptien et la bienheureuse Laura Vicuña, du Chili (I)
Entretien avec Dom
Guilmard
OCTOBRE 22, 2008
00:00ZENIT STAFFARCHIVES
ROME, Mercredi 22 octobre
2008 (ZENIT.org) – Le jeune égyptien Taïssir Tatios et la bienheureuse
chilienne Laura Vicuña ont inspiré deux biographies illustrant la sainteté des
enfants évoquée au début du mois dans un premier entretien avec le père
Jacques-Marie Guilmard, vice-président de l’association « Enfance et sainteté
».
Ces deux livres peuvent
inspirer les jeunes au moment où l’Eglise se prépare à vivre la fête de la
Toussaint. Dom Guilmard les présente (Cf. « Le petit chantre de Jésus,
Taïssir Tatios », de Marie-Dominique Poinsenet, version refondue par Dom
Jacques-Marie Guilmard, coll. « Sentinelles », 25, Téqui, 2007 ;
« Bienheureuse Laura Vicuña, l’héroïsme de l’amour filial », par Dom
Jacques-Marie Guilmard et l’abbé Edmond Samson, coll. « Témoins de
l’amour », Téqui, 2008).
Zenit – Vous venez
d’éditer deux livres sur des jeunes dont la vie a été exemplaire. Or les jeunes
ont déjà des saints patrons, comme Dominique Savio, alors pourquoi ces deux
livres ?
Père Guilmard – Les
jeunes ont besoin de modèles qui les élèvent et les conduisent à Dieu en leur
montrant comment pratiquer l’Évangile dans le quotidien de la vie. Il faut que
de nombreux jeunes amis de Jésus déjà entrés au ciel deviennent les amis des
jeunes d’aujourd’hui dans toutes les parties du monde.
Zenit – Est-ce un souci
d’universalité qui vous a fait choisir vos deux héros dans deux continents différents ?
Père Guilmard – Oui,
l’universalité de l’Église nous oblige à sortir des cadres étroits de notre
vision personnelle, pour avoir un regard dilaté comme jadis saint Benoît qui
vit le monde entier ramassé en un seul regard.
Zenit – Votre
premier jeune est un Égyptien…
Père Guilmard –Taïssir
Tatios est né au Caire en 1943, mais ses parents étaient des Libanais
originaires d’Arménie. Cela évoque une partie de l’Afrique et le Moyen Orient.
Taïssir évoque aussi la France, car il suivit des cours dans une école primaire
française, et il lisait Tintin en français. Mais il est plus sage de reprendre
au début. Taïssir est le deuxième de sa famille. Comme son père qui est
violoniste, il fera de sa vie une œuvre d’art pleine de charme et aussi de
rire. Vers l’âge de 8 ans cependant, l’enfant avait du mal à se tenir debout,
et l’on diagnostiqua une myopathie.
Zenit – C’est une
maladie incurable ! Taïssir a dû abandonner l’école ?
Père Guilmard – Oui, et
c’est pour cela que son français ressemblera à du « sabir », et qu’il
aura une orthographe à la « chinoise ». Mais partout où il passait, à
l’école ou autour de chez lui, il se faisait aimer et il avait beaucoup d’amis.
La profondeur de son regard reflétait le besoin d’harmonie qui faisait le fond
de son cœur. C’était un artisan de paix ; il savait apaiser les différends
par un mot glissé à l’oreille ou rendre l’espérance à sa mère.
Zenit – Comment
occupait-il ses journées ? Il avait certainement des camarades de son
âge ?
Père Guilmard – Il en
avait beaucoup. Car souvent, on l’installait dans sa chaise sur le balcon à
trois mètres à peine du sol. Les enfants, qui sont nombreux dans les rues du
Caire, s’assemblait en bas pour rire avec lui et se partager les bonbons qu’il
leur lançait.
Un jour, il avait lancé
une poignée de bonbons. Il avait vu les visages s’illuminer. Alors, il avait
recommencé. Sous le balcon, quelle ruée ! Après les friandises, ce sera
les jouets qu’il va faire descendre par une corde, à moins que les enfants ne
fassent allègrement la courte échelle.
Zenit – Et ses
souffrances, comment les supportait-il ?
Père Guilmard – Il les
supportait sans presque jamais se plaindre, même quand son corps sera rongé
d’escarres ; il consolait même sa mère qui devait faire les pansements.
C’est que Jésus était dans sa vie. Il lui offrait ses souffrances. « Il
était tout le temps en union avec Dieu », affirmera un témoin.
« Quand il priait, il n’était plus là. » Il y avait surtout la
Communion apportée par des prêtres de passage. Sa joie, c’était de communier au
Corps du Christ. « Maman, je veux communier : la communion me
soulage. »
Zenit – Que
pensaient de lui les musulmans ?
Père Guilmard – On le
conduisait parfois chez les commerçants musulmans des alentours. Il savait leur
parler de Dieu, sans les blesser, et en faire des amis. On disait : Cet
enfant a « Allah » en lui; il ne parle que d’amour. D’ailleurs tout
le monde était impressionné, et il en imposait à tous. Les adultes avaient
recours à lui pour être consolés. « Son père a révélé : Il y avait
une force en lui ; c’était comme de la rosée. »
Zenit – Taïssir était
tout proche de Jésus, mais quelle place a la Sainte Vierge dans sa vie ?
Père Guilmard – La sainte
Vierge s’occupait de lui ! Un matin, après une crise particulièrement
douloureuse, Taïssir montra à sa mère un coin de la chambre, en ajoutant :
« La Sainte Vierge était là, et elle m’a dit : Il ne faut pas que tu
te plaignes. Tu vas voir la joie que tu auras bientôt ! » Et
d’ajouter : « Je ne me plaindrai plus, puisque ça fâche la Sainte
Vierge. » C’est Marie qui viendra le chercher au moment de sa mort.
Zenit – Quelle est
« la » leçon de sa vie ?
Père Guilmard – Mère
Poinsenet a répondu à cette question : « Et si Taïssir nous avait été
donné pour réfuter les arguments de Nietzsche et de ceux qui refusent le
mystère de la souffrance, celle des hommes et celle de Dieu fait homme pour les
sauver ? Ceux pour qui la croix sera toujours scandale,
folie ? » Cette âme limpide comme le cristal a connu le moment de sa
mort ; il a accepté lucidement son sacrifice. Avant de perdre
définitivement conscience il avait dicté une prière à Jésus : « O
Jésus ; ô mon Roi, rendez-moi la joie, car j’ai toujours la foi, petit
frère, grand Roi. » Il meurt le 19 juin 1956, à 13 ans.
Zenit – Et Laura
Vicuña ? (à suivre)
Toussaint : Taïssir Tatios l’Egyptien et la
bienheureuse Laura Vicuña, du Chili (I) | ZENIT - Français
Toussaint : La sainte
enfance de la bienheureuse Laura Vicuña, du Chili (II)
Entretien avec Dom
Guilmard
ROME, Jeudi 23 octobre
2008 (ZENIT.org)
- Le jeune égyptien Taïssir Tatios et la bienheureuse chilienne Laura
Vicuña ont inspiré deux biographies illustrant la sainteté des enfants évoquée au
début du mois dans un premier entretien avec le père Jacques-Marie Guilmard,
vice-président de l'association « Enfance
et sainteté ».
Ces deux livres peuvent
inspirer les jeunes au moment où l'Eglise se prépare à vivre la fête de la
Toussaint *. Voici le second volet de cet entretien (cf. Zenit du 22 octobre
pour Taïssir Tatios).
Zenit - Et Laura
Vicuña ?
Père Guilmard - Cette
jeune chilienne (1891-1904) a été béatifiée par Jean-Paul II. C'est le
premier fruit de sainteté produit par l'évangélisation effectuée à partir de
1875 par les missionnaires salésiens italiens en Argentine où sa famille avait
émigré. L'évangélisation n'avait pas été vraiment engagée avant l'arrivée des
fils de Don Bosco. Laura fut élève à l'une des premières écoles fondées alors.
Zenit - Comment s'est
manifestée sa sainteté ?
Père Guilmard - Ce
qui frappe dès l'abord chez Laura Vicuña, c'était sa disponibilité entière à
l'action de la grâce : elle mettait immédiatement en pratique les conseils
donnés par les religieuses. Elle était aussi disponible pour rendre service à
ses jeunes camarades. Elle les aidait de mille façons, non pas seulement pour
leur apprendre le catéchisme, mais aussi pour les petites choses de la vie.
Elle voyait arriver des enfants, qui quittaient pour la première fois leur
famille très pauvre mais accueillante, pour vivre dans l'univers inconnu et
redoutable d'un pensionnat. Laura était leur ange protecteur. Elle habillait
les tout-petits. Elle donnait le bon exemple, l'exemple de la prière et de
l'obéissance surtout.
Zenit - Laura était jeune
comme sainte Maria Goretti, y a-t-il des points communs entre ces deux
fillettes ?
Père Guilmard - Maria
Goretti est morte le 6 juillet 1903 à 12 ans 1/2, et Laura est morte le 22
janvier suivant au même âge. Laura toutefois n'est pas morte martyre. Elle a
résisté aux avances de l'amant de sa mère, et ainsi elle a témoigné de la
chasteté, mais elle n'a pas subi de violences directes d'un homme. En fait,
Laura a voulu consacrer sa vie à Dieu dans la vie religieuse. Ensuite, elle est
allée plus loin et s'est offerte à Dieu en holocauste. Elle voulait ainsi
obtenir le salut de sa mère, qui était dans une situation irrégulière. Laura
voulait lui éviter l'enfer. Ainsi, elle fut à la fois le témoin de l'amour
filial et le témoin du caractère sacré du mariage. Son offrande a été acceptée
par Dieu, puisque, peu après, la tuberculose s'est déclarée chez la fillette et
l'a terrassée.
Zenit - Quelle est la
mission de la bienheureuse Laura aujourd'hui ?
Père Guilmard - Nous
commençons seulement à découvrir la sainteté de Laura Vicuna, mais nous voyons
déjà qu'elle est multiforme : les enfants, les écoles, les familles, le
mariage surtout. Il faut faire connaître la jeune bienheureuse. Elle est tant
aimée en Argentine et au Chili que l'avenir nous révélera certainement
l'immense étendue de sa prière et de son exemple.
Zenit - Vous nous
avez parlé il y a quelque temps de l'association « Enfance et
Sainteté ». Quels sont vos projets ?
Père Guilmard - Taïssir
Tatios et la bienheureuse Laura Vicuna sont des modèles que nous devons offrir
aux enfants pour les conduire à la sainteté. Les 26-30 octobre, nous irons
à Paray-le-monial,
où le Seigneur Jésus a manifesté son Cœur à sainte Marguerite-Marie Alacoque.
C'est là que se tiendra notre 4e colloque sur la sainteté de l'enfance. Le
thème choisi est « l'adoration et le sens du sacré », comme nous
l'avons dit dans l'entretien publié dans Zenit les 8 et 9 octobre derniers.
* « Le petit
chantre de Jésus, Taïssir Tatios », de Marie-Dominique Poinsenet, version
refondue par Dom Jacques-Marie Guilmard, coll. « Sentinelles », 25,
Téqui, 2007 ;
« Bienheureuse Laura
Vicuña, l'héroïsme de l'amour filial », par Dom Jacques-Marie
Guilmard et l'abbé Edmond Samson, coll. « Témoins de l'amour »,
Téqui, 2008.
(23 octobre 2008) ©
Innovative Media Inc.
Monumento
a Laura Vicuña, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile
Laura Vicuna
Laura Vicuna fut une
adolescente qui n’a vécu que 12 ans 9 mois mais d’une existence remplie de
courage et d’amour du christ ; Cela se révèle plus tard à travers le
don de sa vie pour la conversion de sa mère.
Elle est née le 5 avril
1891 à Santiago du Chili d’une famille de 2 enfants ; Ses parents
s’appellent Mercedes Pino et José Domingo Vicuna ; elle a été une
élève des Sœurs Salésiennes ; c’est à leur collège qu’elle a appris les
dimensions d’un amour vrai et enraciné dans le Christ à travers la
catéchèse et ses rencontres avec les autres filles. Ayant découvert
un jour durant la catéchèse jusqu’à quel point sa maman était loin du
Christ, elle décida héroïquement de favoriser ce rapprochement au prix de
sa vie.
Le jour de sa première
communion, Laura voyait sa maman à ses côtés mais elle la sentait très loin
parce qu’elle ne pouvait pas se communier ; pour cela elle décida de
demander pardon au Seigneur pour cet égarement ; elle prit
donc 4 résolutions pour s’aider dans ce don de soi :
1- Mon Dieu, je veux vous
aimer et vous servir toute ma vie ; par conséquent, je vous donne mon âme,
mon cœur et tout mon être.
2- Je veux mourir plutôt
que de vous offenser par le péché ; par conséquent j’entends me
mortifier en tout ce qui m’éloignerait de vous
3-J e me propose
de faire tout ce que je sais et je peux pour que vous soyez connu et aimé,
et pour réparer les offenses que vous recevez des hommes, spécialement des
personnes de ma famille.
4-Mon Dieu
donnez-moi une vie d’amour de mortification et de sacrifice.
Le jour de sa mort elle
dira à sa petite sœur Julia Amanda : « Je te recommande
maman ; aime-la, respecte-la, aide-la ; sois bonne et charitable
envers tous et sois fidèle au Seigneur.»
A sa maman, elle
dira : « Je sais que je vais mourir ; j’ai offert ma vie à
Jésus pour toi, pour que tu reviennes vers lui. Je t’ai toujours aimée,
maman ; ma vie est peu de chose, pourvu que tu retournes vers le Seigneur.
Je m’en vais mais je voudrais tant avoir la joie de te savoir de nouveau dans
l’amitié de Dieu. » Après ces mots, elle s’est endormie sans la paix du
christ le 22 janvier 1904.
En 1988, le Pape Jean
Paul II l’a proclamée Bienheureuse et la présente aux jeunes comme « signe
et guide sur la route vers la sainteté ».
SOURCE : http://www.espritmissionnaire.org/LAURA--VICU-A.html
Laura
del Carmen Vicuña Pino, o Laura Vicuña (Santiago, Chile, 5 de abril de 1890 –
Junín de los Andes, Argentina, 22 de enero de 1904), es una beata chilena, patrona
de las víctimas de abusos, víctimas de incestos, huérfanos, mártires de Chile y
de Argentina. Su día de memoria es el 22 de enero.
Profile
Daughter of Jose Domingo
Vicuña and Mercedes Pino. Her father was
a soldier,
and Laura was born three months after the outbreak of civil war in Chile.
With her husband in arms, and herself and her infant in
peril, Laura’s mother moved
across the Andes to raise the girl in
Las Lajas, Argentina.
Laura’s father was killed soon
after, and to survive, Mercedes became the mistress and common-law wife of a
man named Manuel Mora.
Mora paid for Laura to
attend a boarding school run
by the Salesian
Sisters, where the girl was
extremely happy and helpful. She made her First Communion on 2 June 1901,
a decisive moment in her life. “Oh my God, I want to love you and serve
you all my life,” she wrote in
her notebook. “I give you my soul, my heart, my whole self.” She
tried then, at age ten, to join the Salesians,
but her bishop recommended
that she wait.
Home for Christmas holidays,
Laura had to fend off the repeated amorous advances of Mora, finally being
forced to flee the house to avoid him. She prayed to
be spared the life her mother was
leading, offered her own life if they could escape from it, and asked her confessor again
for permission to join the Salesians.
Because he knew of that no matter how inconvenient it was, Laura had a true
call to the religious
life, he permitted it. She joined the Sodality of the Children of Mary on 8 December 1901.
In late 1903,
Laura became severely ill,
and returned to her mother.
On 14
January 1904,
in a drunken rage, Mora began ordering the mother and
daughter around. Laura tried to run from the house, but Mora caught her and
beat her unconcious. Though she recovered conciousness, Laura never recovered
her health, dying eight
days later from a combination the disease and
abuse. When Mercedes learned of her daughter’s offer to die for
her, Laura’s mother left
Mora and returned to the Church.
Born
5 April 1891 in
at Santiago, Chile
22 January 1904 at
Junín de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina
5 June 1986 by Pope John
Paul II (decree of heroic
virtues)
3 September 1988 by Pope John
Paul II
Additional
Information
other
sites in english
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi
spletne
strani v slovenšcini
MLA
Citation
“Blessed Laura
Vicuña“. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 July 2023. Web. 8 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-laura-vicuna/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-laura-vicuna/
Bl. Laura Vicuna
Feastday: January 22
Patron: of abuse victims, Argentina, incest victims, loss of parents, martyrs
Birth: 1891
Death: 1904
Beatified: Pope John Paul II
Laura was born on April
5, 1891, as the first child of Senora Mercedes Pino and Jose Domingo Vicuna, a
soldier who belonged to a noble Chilean family. A civil war broke out and her
father had to flee his country. A few days after the birth of the second child
Julia Amanda, Senor Vicuna, worn out physically and mentally, died, leaving his
wife and children alone.
Seeing that she could not
survive there, she decided to leave the country. She finally found work at a
large "hacienda" owned by Senor Manuel Mora. He was a typical
Argentine "gaucho", a dreamy Latin lover and a shady character.
Senora Mercedes let
herself be won over by his promises of help, and accepted his protection. His
financial support would allow her to enroll her two girls as pupils in the Salesian
Sisters' school in Junin, but at what price!
Laura was very happy
living under the serene guidance of the young Missionary Sisters. She
discovered God, His love, and allowed herself to be surrounded by it.
God's love stimulated her
to love in return. Thus, Laura made herself available to all, helping them in
any way she could. She was a leader and everyone's friend. Laura accepted God's
love. Laura was fascinated by the ideal of the Sisters and secretly hoped to
consecrate herself to God in the service of her brothers and sisters.
"I wish Mamma would
know you better and be happy," she often prayed before the tabernacle.
Laura was distressed about her mother's situation with Senor Mora; her mother
was indeed far away from God and Senor Mora was the cause. The struggle for
living and providing for her daughters had wearied her. In a moment of stress
and discouragement, she had given in to his demands.
But Laura would do her
best to give her mamma God's friendship once again.
Love is stronger than
death, love creates and maintains life. Deeply believing this, Laura said to
the Lord: "I offer you my life for that of my mother."
The winter of 1903 in
Junin was extremely severe, with persistent rain and dampness. Laura became
weaker with each passing day; she was wasting away. Although her mother took
her home to Quilquihue, where the climate was more pleasant and helpful, there
was no improvement in her health. Laura knew she would not recover. God had
accepted her offering... her self-immolation.
Laura's mother remained
day and night at her bedside, surrounding her with care and attention. Laura
kept looking at her tenderly. Now it was time to reveal her secret.
"Mamma, I'm dying,
but I'm happy to offer my life for you. I asked Our Lord for this." Her
mother was shocked. She fell on her knees sobbing. She instantly understood
everything.
"Laura, my daughter,
please forgive me... O dear God, please forgive my life of sin... Yes, I will
start again."
Laura's face was now
serene and at peace.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=513
Arecaceae
in the Philippines Laura Vicuña Replica & Brick (John
Bosco's House-Birthplace, Becchi, Castelnuovo d'Asti Exterior (Main facade,
Garden, Saints' Altar, Roozen Hall, Parish Center & Religious Store) of
Saint John Bosco Parish Church, Pio del Pilar, Makati City Resurrection Grotto
Stations of the Cross (Saint John Bosco Parish Church, Pio del Pilar, Makati
City) Amorsolo Creek & Bridge (San Lorenzo, Makati City). Sculptures of
Laura Vicuña in the Philippines - Sculptures of
Dominic Savio in the Philippines - Sculptures of Don
Bosco in the Philippines
Blessed Laura Vicuna
(1891-1904)
Laura Carmen Vicuna was
born in Santiago, Chile, in 1891. When her father died suddenly, her mother
took Laura and her sister to Argentina. In 1900 Laura entered a school run by
the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The following year she made her first
Holy Communion and, like Dominic Savio, she made resolutions to love God with
all her strength, to do penance and die rather than sin, to make Jesus more
widely known and to make reparation for sins against him.
When she realised that
her mother was living in a sinful situation, she offered herself to the Lord to
bring about her conversion; she increased her penances and, with the permission
of her confessor, took private vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Worn
out by sacrifices and sickness she confided in her mother “Mummy, I am dying!
Some time ago I asked Jesus to bring you back to God and I offered my life for
you… Mummy, before I die, can I have the joy of seeing you turn back to him?”
Her request was granted and she died peacefully on the evening of 22nd January
1904.
Her remains are in the
chapel of the Salesian Sisters at Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Laura, whose life
was a poem of innocence, daughterly love and sacrifice, was beatified on 3rd
September 1988 at Colle Don Bosco, near Castelnuovo, Asti.
Salesians of Don Bosco UK
is a Registered Charity. Number 233779.
Bl. Laura Vicuna (1988)
Venerable: 5-6-1986
Beatified: 3-9-1988
From Chile to Argentina
Laura Carmen Vicuña was
born in Santiago, in Chile, on April 5, 1891 to Joseph Domenico and Mercedes
Pino. The Vicuña family were Chilean aristocrats, forced into exile by the
revolution. They took refuge in Temuco in a poor house, but soon after, Joseph
Domenico died suddenly, and Mercedes had to take refuge with her two daughters
in Argentina. They came to Junín de los Andes. Mercedes came to know the rather
pushy Manuel Mora and accepted working for him, but also living with him.
Boarding with the Sisters
In 1900, Laura went to
board with her sister, Julia Amanda, with the Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians at their school. She was a model pupil: prayerful, listened to the
Sisters, available to her companions, always happy and ready to make
sacrifices.
On the model of Dominic
Savio
The following year, she
made her first communion with the same fervor and ideals as Saint Dominic
Savio, whom she had taken as a model. She entered the Children of Mary. While
one of the Sisters was explaining the sacrament of marriage during catechetics,
Laura began to understand her mother’s sinful state, and fainted. She also
understood because during the holidays on the farm her mother made her pray in
secret, and never went to the sacraments. From then on, Laura increased her
prayers and sacrifices for her mother’s conversion. During the holidays in
1902, Manuel Mora threatened Laura’s virtue; she firmly refused him, sending
him into a rage.
Request denied – prayer
for mother
She went back to school
as a student assistant, because he would no longer pay her fees. With all her
heart, she asked if she could become a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, but
she was denied this because of her mother’s living in sin. She offered her life
to the Lord for her mother’s conversion, became more self-sacrificing, and with
the consent of her confessor, Fr. Crestanello, made private vows. Her health
suffered from sacrifices and from other sickness, and she was beaten by Mora
for refusing him yet again. On her final night, she confided: “Mama, I am
dying! For a long time I have asked Jesus, offering my life for you, so you
will return to God…Mama, before I die, will I have the chance to see you
repent?”
A prayer answered
Mercedes answered, “I
promise I will do what you ask.” With this joy, Laura died the evening of
January 22, 1904. Her body lies in the chapel belonging to the Salesian Sisters
in Bahía Blanca. At the centenary of Don Bosco’s death, this chosen daughter,
who had given her life for the virtue dearest to the Master, was proclaimed
Blessed.
Declared Venerable: 5-6-1986
Beatified by John Paul II il 3-9-1988
Blessed Laura Vicuña A patroness for abuse victims
2/7/2017
Blessed Laura Vicuña
A patroness for abuse
victims
1891-1904
Feast Day Jan. 22
The life of Blessed Laura
Vicuña has many modern-day resonances. She was raised an immigrant by a single
mother who had an irregular relationship with a man who was not her husband.
From an early age, Laura’s life seemed destined for perseverance in difficulty
as it began in the midst of the turmoil of civil war in Chile, where her father
was a soldier of noble background. Dire political difficulties necessitated
that the family leave their homeland, but before they could, Laura’s father
died suddenly. And so it was left to her mother, Mercedes, to pack up her small
family — consisting of two daughters — and make the move to Argentina. The move
would prove to be providential since it brought about the circumstances in
which Laura would prove her holiness. Often quoted as saying, “Suffer silently
and smile always,” Laura models a love that perseveres.
Eventually, Mercedes
found work at a large hacienda in Quilquihue owned by Manuel Mora, an Argentine
man of questionable character. Mora found it easy to win over the unemployed
widow with the promise of aid and protection, even if it came with the price of
being his lover.
With Mora’s financial
assistance, the two Vicuña sisters could enroll at a school operated by the
Salesian sisters at Junin. It proved to be a true gift as Laura’s spiritual
life blossomed there. Life at the convent school allowed Laura to discover God
and his love. But, all of this was possible because of her mother’s relationship
with Mora.
Though their family life
was hardly ideal, Mora would make it worse with advances toward Laura. She
refused them resolutely, publicly denying his request that she dance with him,
which came with physical abuse and an end to his financial assistance for the
Vicuña sisters’ education. Faced with the likelihood of not returning, the
Salesian sisters accepted them without tuition.
Back at school, Laura’s
personality mirrored God’s love, and she became known as a friend to all. In
response to learning of God’s love for her, Laura yearned to share that love
with all she encountered, desiring to do so especially with her mother. Young
Laura often prayed for her mother’s situation with Mora to go away. It brought
about great distress for her since she knew her mother was far away from God’s
ideal of spousal love. Laura wanted to restore her mother’s relationship with
God. Under the counsel of a spiritual guide, Laura vowed to the Lord: “I offer
you my life for that of my mother.”
Winter 1903 was
particularly rough; great rain and damp air caused Laura’s health to grow weak
from tuberculosis. Although her mother took her to a better climate, it became
clear that her health would not recover. A visit of Mora brought even more
suffering; filled with rage when Laura resisted his insistence that they return
home with him, he took the young girl outside and beat her severely.
Laura decided to make her
death an offering of her life for her mother, who stayed at her bedside
constantly. Once back in her bed, Laura looked at her mother and revealed,
“Mama, I offer my life for you, I asked our Lord for this. Before I die,
Mother, would I have the joy of seeing you repent?”
Not knowing what to do,
her mother fell to her knees in tears, praying for God’s forgiveness, pledging
to reform her life. With that, a serene and peaceful 12-year-old Laura said,
“Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Mary! Goodbye, Mother! Now I die happy!”
Michael R. Heinlein is a
graduate of The Catholic University of America. He is editor of The Catholic Answer
magazine and teaches high school theology.
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LAURA
VICUÑA (1891-1904): DYING FOR EVERY WOMAN's DIGNITY
The topic for the
religion class that day was marriage. Sr. Rosa Azocar delivered her prepared
lessons to the young girls in the room. “A man and a woman are joined together
in God through the sacrament of matrimony… they have to be faithful to each
other… it is a very grave sin for a man and a woman to live together when they
are not married.”
One of the girls was
frozen. The words of her teacher were a terrible shock. She fainted. Sr. Azocar
and the other students quickly attempted to revive Laura. When she recovered,
she was still visibly shaken. She realized that her mother was in a state of
grave sin.
Thrust by poverty and war
from her native Chile into northern Argentina's world of gauchismo, the
adolescent Laura Vicuña defied the societal dictates of that macho environment,
at the cost of her life, to strengthen another woman’s resolve – that of her
mother’s.
***
The eldest child of Jose
Domingo Vicuña, a soldier with an aristocratic root, and Mercedes Pino was born
on April 5, 1891 in Santiago. She came at a very violent period for Chile. The country
was in a state of war. A coalition of political forces, who called themselves
“Congressionalists”, and allied with the Roman Catholic clergy, revolted
against the administration of President Jose Manuel Balmaceda. Chile was torn
between the forces of the followers of the president and the revolutionaries.
National quandary forced the child’s baptism to be delayed until May 24. She
was christened Laura del Carmen.
The war reached the
capital city by August. The conflict and deaths that ensued were terrible. On
the twenty-eighth day, Santiago fell to the rebels. A few days later, the
important city of Valparaiso likewise yielded to the rebels, ending the war
with them victorious.
Reprisals were dreadful.
The family of Jose Domingo was identified with Claudio Vicuña, a staunch
supporter of the ousted president. Jose Domingo was tagged as a Balmaceda
sympathizer. Fearing for his life and those of his wife and daughter, he
decided to flee into exile.
The family settled in the
southern town of Temuco. It was here that Julia Amanda was born on May 22,
1894. She was to be the last child. The father, shamed by the war, lost his
vitality. He became sick, and just a few months after the birth of his
youngest, he died of pulmonitis.
Mercedes was left alone
to raise her two daughters. The shock was overwhelming. Laura was only three
when this occurred. All that she knew about her father was tritely summed up in
her words: “He was very good.”
* * *
The situation in Santiago
kept the widow from returning. She was a Vicuña, and that family was loathed.
She remained in Temuco until 1899, supporting herself and her daughters with
her trade as a dressmaker.
Laura was growing up as a
fine young girl. “Even as a small girl,” her mother testified, “Laura was
obedient and peaceful.” During her stay in Temuco, she met for the first time
the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters). That chance
meeting would not be their last encounter.
Their abject condition in
Chile forced Mercedes to seek better opportunities away from her homeland. They
crossed the eastern border and entered Argentina, finding themselves in the
province of Neuquen. One of Laura’s biographers remarked: “Doña Mercedes left
Chile for Argentina to escape the terrible condition they were reduced to; however,
her condition worsened there.”
* * *
The immigrants settled at
various areas during their first year in Argentina. They stayed at Ñorquin for
some months and then at Las Lajas. These areas were not fully evangelized. One
missionary wrote: “Without a permanent priest and without a church, the
inhabitants of Las Lajas neglected their religion and morals; they were
inclined to leave the practice of their faith.” Despite the cultures she was
exposed to, Laura, nevertheless, left a very good and lasting impression on
those she encountered.
After a brief stay in Las
Lajas, the three transferred, again, at Junín de los Andes. The unfortunate
circumstances her two daughters were forced to accept weakened the maternal
heart of Mercedes. She wanted something better for them, at any cost. Because
of this, she chose to be involved in an illicit affair with Manuel Mora, a
landowner of Quilquihué.
The paramour of Mercedes
was very rich. He owned two estancias (cattle ranches): one at Quilquihué,
another at Las Mercedes. Manuel Mora, a typical Argentine gaucho, was a bold
and quarrelsome man. Other witnesses sketched him more unkindly: a man with no
regard for morals and a diabolic character.
Mercedes could not be
entirely culpable. Mora had no intention of marrying her but she was forced by
dire needs. Without resources, and with two daughters to support, she made a
choice that many other women in the same circumstances would have chosen, too,
despite its immorality.
It was not certain how
Laura reacted initially to the current lifestyle of her mother. It was clear
though that she was already aware of what was happening but seemed to be
ignorant of its morality. Nevertheless, Mercedes, even as she was conscious
that her state prevented her from participating in the sacraments, saw to the
Christian education and formation of her daughters.
* * *
The time came when the
Vicuña sisters had to be sent to school. Financed by Mora, the girls were
brought by their mother on January 21, 1900 to the recently established Mary Help
of Christian School at Junín de los Andes. Laura once more met the Salesian
Sisters she encountered at Temuco.
The following were
entered in the official school register: “Julia Amanda Vicuña, six years old;
Laura Carmen Vicuña, nine years old: Chileans; parents: Domingo and Mercedes
Piño, Chileans. Fifteen pesos monthly fee paid each.” Laura knew how to read a
little and had been instructed in religion by her mother when she entered. The
two girls were to stay in this boarding school during the school year.
Understandably, the separation brought tears on mother and daughters.
The school was opened on
March 6, 1899. It had an initial enrollment of nineteen students: ten interns
and nine externs. The setting offered a picturesque view of the Cordillera of the
Andes mountain range. Not far away was the Chimehuín river. The school was,
naturally, at the mercy of both mountains and river. Assisting the sisters in
the religious upbringing of the students were the Salesian Fathers. Sr. Rosa
Azocar, one of the sisters who influenced Laura, wrote: “I considered that
solitude as an earthly paradise of peace and tranquility.”
* * *
Given the limited number
of students, the sisters were able to observe keenly the behavior of each girl.
“In general,” they reported, “they were docile and pious, but they can be proud
and unpredictable.” Concerning Laura, the Italian directress of the school, Sr.
Angela Piai, noted: “Among the defects of Laura, I noticed that she was a
little impatient with Julia Amanda when she was misbehaving. With her
companions, Laura was always good and compliant.” Laura was accustomed to
regard herself humbly: “I have been and am very bad; but time will come that I
will be very good.”
This was Laura’s first
formal exposure to the faith and she cooperated well with the works of the
Spirit. She assiduously followed the written regulations of the school that,
among others, expected the students to develop modesty, humility, charity, and
joy.
Laura was strongly
attracted to the religious activities of the school. She spent many moments in
the school chapel, praying especially for her mother in Quilquihué. On December
8 of that year, she was accepted as an aspirant of the Sodality of the Children
of Mary of the school; a year later she had the joy of being accepted as a full
member. Laura also took the school’s chaplain, Salesian Fr. Augusto
Crestanello, as her spiritual director.
Among the mandates of the
Salesians was to imbibe in their schools a strong atmosphere of Christian joy
and studiousness. The classmates of Laura noted that she was always bubbling
with life notably during recreation and play. She gained many friends with her
attractive personality. Among them, she developed a healthy intimate
relationship with Mercedes Vera. Throughout their friendship, they strove to
assist each other in attaining holiness of life. By the end of the school year,
the school records showed that Laura excelled in her studies, especially in
religion and conduct.
* * *
The time came when Laura
realized the moral danger her mother was in. Sr. Azocar noted: “The first time
I explained the sacrament of matrimony, Laura fainted. Without doubt it was
because my words showed that her mother lived in a state of sin.” It was a
painful reality for a girl who was devoted to her mother.
Henceforth, the sisters
paid close attention to the life of their model student. Sr. Azocar commented:
“I do not remember having seen the mother of Laura in church, except the day
she made her first communion.” Sr. Luisa Grassi, notwithstanding, added: “Doña
Mercedes showed very much to her daughters her affection.” Laura’s mother was
thirty-five at this time.
Mercedes took her
daughters with her to Quilquihué at the end of the schoolyear, January 1901. An
otherwise happy vacation turned out to be “a true sacrifice” as Laura described
it to Fr. Crestanello. Although Mora treated her kindly, Laura was terrified
with him. She did not understand why her mother would not join her in prayer
and why she had to do it secretly. Clearly, her return to school was a big
consolation: “I am back in heaven.”
* * *
For her excellent
behavior and her good grades in religion, it was decided that Laura, despite
being only ten, was to join in that school year’s first communion rite. Laura
was unable to restrain her tears of joy.
“Laura, you’re crying,”
affectionately remarked Sr. Piai. “Aren’t you happy?”
“Oh, yes, I am happy!”
replied Laura. “I am thinking of Mamma. Poor Mamma!”
Laura received her first
communion on June 2, 1901. It was a great day for her, an opportunity for her
to respond to the grace of God more intimately. To stress the occasion, she
wrote the following resolutions:
First. My God, I want to
love and serve you all my life; therefore, I give you my soul, my heart, my
all.
Second. I would rather
die than to offend you by sin; therefore I intend to avoid all that would make
me far from you.
Third. I propose, as far
as possible, to make reparations for the offenses you received from mankind,
especially from my family.
My God, give me a life of
love, mortification and sacrifice.
Laura had mixed emotions
that day. She was profoundly happy to receive Christ. At the same time, she
found herself alone in the communion rail, unlike the other girls who were
accompanied by their parents. Her mother was present in the ceremony, but she
could not receive Christ alongside her daughter.
Laura was resolved to
bridge this painful gap. With a sweet insistence, she would invite her sister
to the chapel with her: “Come Julia. Let us pray for Mamma.”
* * *
The schoolyear once more
ended. Laura passed her subjects excellently. Moreover, she had persevered in
her resolution to be totally for God. Her best friend recalled what she once
said: “Merceditas, I want to be a saint like Dominic Savio.1” The time came
when she had to give witness to her beliefs.
The vacation at
Quilquihué that year caused her greater dread than in the previous one. Laura
was growing up to be a tall and beautiful girl. Mora noticed this. He began to
show undue attention to the eleven year old. Laura was aware of this and she
armed herself with her Child of Mary medal. The attitude of Mora was explained
by one witness: “He wanted Laura. Manuel Mora paid for her education in order
to marry her.”
On the occasion of a fiesta
at that time, Mora organized a ball. He obliged Mercedes and Laura to be
present. As the night passed, the festivity was transformed into a wild spree.
Mora, drunk by this time, approached Laura and tried to force the child to
dance with him. Laura adamantly refused, knowing what the consequences would
be. Insulted by her blunt refusal, Mora brutally seized Laura and flung her
outside the house into the terrible Andean cold. He then fiercely snatched
Mercedes and tied her to a hitching post. Venting his fury for Laura on her, he
mercilessly branded her like a cattle. All this occurred before Laura’s
horrified eyes.
The consequences of her
refusal were no less painful. Mora no longer wanted to pay for the schooling of
the two girls; instead, he ordered them to work as servants in the ranch.
“They are mine,” argued
Mercedes, “and I am not your slave!”
“Slavery or death!”
rebutted Mora. “As for those two, we will see!”
Doña Mercedes informed the sisters about the situation and Mora’s decision. Sr. Piai understood the gravity of the issue and the danger awaiting Laura in Mora’s ranch. “We proposed to Doña Mercedes that Laura come back to school as a free student. She was to provide for their clothing and shoes.” To help defray the cost, Laura performed menial services for the sisters. Julia, meanwhile, remained with her mother.
* * *
On March 29, 1902, Laura
was confirmed by Mons. Giovanni Cagliero. Her mother was purposely not present,
nurturing the emotional pain that her eldest caused her. Laura suffered in
silence.
The Salesian community
had much reason to rejoice the following April 1. Sr. Azocar made her vows, and
Sr. Maria Vera, the elder sister of Merceditas, was given the habit. Merceditas
herself, then fourteen, was accepted as a postulant along with Maria Briceño.
Laura, who wanted to be a Salesian sister herself, approached Sr. Piai and
requested that she, too, be accepted as a postulant. Despite her strong
Salesian spirit, the directress refused Laura for two reasons. The first was
her age - she was only eleven. The second was because of the condition of her
mother, a serious impediment at that time.
The reasonable rejection
hurt Laura deeply. The Salesian sisters had become her second family and her
devotion to them was indubitable. Fr. Crestanello noted: “It was one of the
greatest sorrows of Laura.” Despite this, Laura pursued with her desire to be
consecrated to Christ. Hence, with the permission of Fr. Crestanello, she made
a private vow of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Laura would do anything
for the deliverance of her Mamma. But what could she do in front of an arrogant
and terrible character like Mora? In the silence of her spirit, she clearly
understood that she could offer her life for mother. It was an invitation that
could not be subdued. And so she sought once more her spiritual director’s
counsel and approval. Some time later, her petition was approved. “She went to
the foot of the altar,” he wrote, “and with tears of joy and hope she offered
herself as a holocaust to Jesus and Mary for the salvation of her mother.”
* * *
As the years passed,
Laura’s ascent to holiness became most discernible to the religious and
students of Mary Help of Christian School. “She appeared like an angel when she
prayed in the chapel. Seeing her there is enough to move one to fervor.” A
gentleman who had not practiced the faith for a long time testified that he
returned to the practice after seeing her in the chapel. Laura became more
patient with her companions and heroically accepted the sneers of those who
envied her. She spoke of spiritual matters so clearly, moving one witness to
state: “You would not think that she was only twelve. How could a child speak
of such deep things?”
From July 16 to 18, 1903,
the waters of Chimehuín overflowed. The school was inundated, and the religious
and the terrified students had to be evacuated. Laura consoled her peers
throughout the frightening ordeal. The cold and the humidity she was exposed to
had a devastating effect on her delicate health.
No regular doctor was
available to check the weakening health of Laura. All symptoms pointed to
tuberculosis. Exhaustion and anxiety further aggravated her condition. She
always assured her classmates that she was feeling better. To the sisters,
though, she was very forthright about her state. By September, she languished
further.
Doña Mercedes, informed
of Laura’s condition, expressed her decision to bring her to Quilquihué. She
hoped that the rest would enable her daughter to recover. Laura, however, was
convinced that this was a sign that her offering was accepted: “All medicines
are useless. This is my last illness.”
The departure from Junín
was another sacrifice for Laura. “This is what Jesus asks of me: may his will
be done!” On September 15, Laura left Junín with her mother. She would never
come back to her “paradise”.
* * *
Mora was not sympathetic
to the girl’s state nor did he dare to make any advances to the intrepid child.
The change of climate did not at all make the child better. By November,
Mercedes rented a poor house in Junín and settled there with the two girls. Its
proximity to the school and the availability of spiritual assistance delighted
the deteriorating girl. More than that, she was far from Mora.
By January 1904, Laura’s
health ebbed further. She could not go out of bed and seek spiritual solace in
the chapel. Fever racked her body and she suffered from severe coughs. In spite
of this, she remained happy.
Then, one night, Mora
barged in the quarters of Mercedes and her daughters. He manifested his
intention to spend the night there. Mercedes vehemently protested, but Mora was
adamant. He hurled tirades on the santita.
The pallid girl was
equally resolute: “If he stays, then I go to the sisters!” And with the little
strength she had, Laura rose and proceeded to the door.
Mora was incensed. He
seized the sick child and beat her ruthlessly. Laura tried in vain to free
herself. Mercedes intervened but Mora continued to strike the child.
When it was all over, and
with Mora gone, the ill-fated girl was brought to her bed. As soon as she
recovered, Laura begged her mother: “Mamma, please leave that man.”
* * *
Because of her ordeal,
Laura came closer to the doors of death. On January 22, Laura received the
sacraments for the last time from Fr. Zaccaria Genghini. Doña Mercedes remained
constantly at her dying daughter’s bedside.
Then Laura revealed her
secret to her mother. She spoke haltingly, but with so much affection and
tenderness: “Yes, Mamma, I am dying. I have asked Jesus for this… For almost
two years I have offered my life for you… to obtain the grace for your return…
Oh, Mamma, before I die, will you not give me the joy of seeing you repentant?”
The revelation shocked
her mother. Tears of anguish fell: “Then I have been the cause of your long
suffering, and now of your death! Oh, poor me… My dear Laura, I swear from this
moment that I shall do what you ask. I repent. God is the witness of my
promise.”
Laura turned to Fr.
Genghini: “Father, my mother promised at this moment that she will leave that
man: be the witness of her promise.”
Mother and daughter then
embraced each other crying. “Yes, hija mia, tomorrow morning, I will go to
church with Amandina and I will confess.”
Her mission was
completed. Laura expired gently. “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Mary! I die
happily now.” She would have been thirteen after two months.
* * *
Doña Mercedes kept her promises
to Laura. She was reconciled to the Church during the Requiem mass for Laura
the next day.
Mora continued to harass
Mercedes. “I will not let you escape from my hands! I will not be contented
until I see you dead!” But escape she did a week later, concealed by the
darkness of the night. Leaving Julia Amanda to the sisters, Mercedes fled to
Chile.
The drama ended some time
between 1906 and 1907. Mora was at a horse race at Flores. A brawl ensued when
he hit two brothers with his whip. In turn, they killed him. Mora died
unreconciled with God. Doña Mercedes was finally free.
* * * * *
THE DECREE ON THE HEROIC
PRACTICE OF VIRTUES OF LAURA VICUÑA WAS PROMULGATED ON 5 JUNE 1986.
SHE WAS BEATIFIED ON 3
SEPTEMBER 1988.
Bibliography
Castano,
Luigi. Tredicenne sugli Altari: Beata Laura Vicuña. Turin: Editrice
Elle di Ci, 1988.
Grassiano, Maria
Domenica. For Love of My Mother: Laura Carmen Vicuña. Translated by
Mary Doran. Turin: Editrice Elle di Ci, 1983.
Copyright 2002 © the
Hagiography Circle.
SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20090308153219/http://newsaints.faithweb.com/biographies/Vicuna.htm
The Life Story of Blessed
Laura Vicuna
Part 1: The Child
Laura "Carmen" Vicuña, Entrusted to the Queen of Saints
The aristocracy of
Santiago had a particular devotion to Our Lady of Carmen. Even the army
considered her its patron. Possibly because of this, on that 24th May
1891, Fr. Bernardo Aranguiz, when baptizing the child, added the symbolic name
of "Carmen" to her first name "Laura". The tender bud
now open to the life of grace, was in this way entrusted to the maternal care
of the Queen of Saints. The baptismal register records that Laura Carmen
was the daughter of Joseph Dominic Vicuña and Mercedes Pino.
He was an officer in the
army. He belonged to a distinguished family, perhaps to one of the lesser
branches, but he was always proud of his famous name of Spanish origin.
His wife, Mercedes, was Chilean, high-spirited and very beautiful.
There was a touch of nobility about her. Although the daughter of
ordinary farming people, she had a knowledge of music and sewing. Here
begins the tragic history of this family. In fact at the Baptism only the
godfather, Wenceslaus Calderon, and the godmother Rosaria Rojas were present,
no one else. The Vicuña family had disowned Joseph because he had married
beneath him.
As far as they were
concerned, Mercedes Pino did not exist. Notwithstanding this, her joy was
very great as she held in her arms the little one to whom the priest had said:
"Receive the white garment and carry it without stain to the
tribunal of God, to gain eternal life...". Indeed, in spite of her
unfortunate desiny, Mercedes guarded her child's 'stole of innocence' as if it
were a most precious coat of arms.
Chile was going through
days of dramatic change. The President of the Republic, Joseph Emanuel
Balmaceda, who was supported by the Vicuñas of the conservative party, had to
abdicate because he was unable to break with the rigid position of the old regime.
In a desperate effort to avoid civil war, he proposed as candidate fro
the Presidency a Vicuña, Claudio, but it was already too late. The
revolution broke out because of the action taken by the navy.
Santiago was experiencing
days of martyrdom, through steel, fire, and bloodshed. Joseph and
Mercedes, living in the city center near the Church frequented by the nobility,
quickly became aware of the danger.
Laura, born on the 5th of
April, could be baptized only fifty days after her birth, on account of the war
which raged relentlessly. With the fall of President Balmaceda, there
erupted a violent reaction against his supporters, among the first of whom were
the Vicuñas.
On August 28th the rebels
entered Santiago and mowing down hundreds of victims, they seized power.
One eyewitness who
remembers those days says, "It was sufficient to be called a Vicuña
or a Balmaceda to be persecuted to the death." Having first been
disowned by his family, Joseph is now on the run, rejected by the fatherland
which he had passionately and loyally served. Mercedes follows him into
exile. Laura rests close to her heart and would never know the desolation
of those frightening months and months of fleeing from one countryside to
another with few belongings, just the bare essentials.
Nights in the open,
endless days on horseback over impossible roads, always searching for a way to
the south, as far as Temuco, over 500 kilometers beyond Santiago. As the
road lengthened under the footsteps of the refugees, Joseph, a loving and tender
husband and father, lost the will to soldier on, but a spark of the old hope
was rekindled as he entered the provincial town of Cautin, Temuco. It
consisted of little hovels, and was the haven of those persecuted for their
politics, of those condemned by the civil courts, of those exiled, as they
waited for a turn of the tide which might relaunch them to power...
Laura Carmen, already
eighteen months old, became seriously ill at Temuco. The anxiety of
Mercedes and Joseph grew. Life was hard and poor and the climate was
severe.
1893 dawned and saw the
birth of a little sister for Laura, Julia Amanda. The joy
experienced for this gift of life was short-lived. In Santiago the new
government (non-conciliatory in approach), had got to power and the leader
of the insurrection, George Montt, was nominated President of the Republic.
Joseph, cut off from the life and happenings in the capital, alone and
hopeless, felt like dying. He was a good, gentle type of man, dignified
in bearing, and rather small in stature. This was how Mercedes later
described him to Laura. He died of pneumonia within a few days.
Part 2: Laura's
Mother, Mercedes
Emanuel Urrutia López,
still alive in 1955 and a witness during the process for the beatification of
little Laura, gives us this description of Mercedes Pino: "She was
born like myself in Collipullí, in the province of Bìo-Bìo, so I knew her from
her infancy. She was a self-possessed young lady who knew how to get on
in life." But now, on account of this recent misfortune, her life
again began to show the signs of tragedy. For love of Laura and Julia,
the young widow -- barely twenty-eight years old -- began to spend long hours
sewing. She took up dressmaking again. Then with the savings, she
bought a shop, a haberdashery store, like those generally found in centers
scattered in the deserts and out-of-the-way places. She was courageous
and strong. She took in hand the tiller of her tattered boat and steered
it through very difficult waters, careful of her two little ones, whom she
tenderly protected. Laura reminded her, each time more clearly, of the
features and gentle character of her lost husband. Julia instead
reflected the liveliness of her own temperament. To go back to Santiago
was out of the question. She did not search out either the Vicuña family
or her own relatives. She worked and smiled for her customers, but in her
heart she wept. Temuco was for her a terribly sad place, a land of
exile, full of violent memories.
One night -- we are
already in 1899 -- unknown thieves broke into the store and cleared everything.
Who would claim justice for a widow in that country of outlaws? No
one! Mercedes, defenseless, saw snares and threats increasing all around
her. So she decided to leave for ever that land which had increased
her sorrow and had placed her in the way of such dangers.
During the fine season,
caravans of emigrants passed from Temuco towards the Neuquén in Argentinian
away the key, Mercedes set off with her two children towards a new future.
She was full of hopeful optimism but without any definite goal, without
anyone to lean on. Was it inexperience on her part which made her do such
a thing?
It was being said that
the Neuquén offered great wealth in the newly growing centers. These
spread out along the valleys, where races (estancias) were being marked out,
with lands stretching away as far as the eye could see. All she needed to
do was cross the Cordilllera of the Andes. Mercedes set out in the
southern summer of 1899, joining up with a caravan of business people. A
few weeks previously, along those very same mountain roads there had passed
another caravan, and Mercedes knew about it. Fr. Milanese, a courageous
Salesian, had then reached Temuco in 1898 with two Sisters and a young aspirant.
They had intended reaching Junin de los Andes by crossing the Cordillera,
but the early and long drawn-out winter prevented them.
They remained for nine
months at Temuco, where they zealously sowed the seed of the Gospel. They
left in January 1899. The whole town had watched that departure
consisting of horses, guides, mountaineering equipment and a conquest for the
Lord in the person of a young girl of Temuco, Frances Mendoza, who had followed
the Sisters, attracted by their ideal.
Perhaps Laura Carmen,
already eight years old, had seen and got to know the Sisters. One was
Italian, Sr. Angela Piai, and she was in charge. The other was Chilean
with the lovely name of Rose Azócar. The aspirant was Carmel Opazo.
Mercedes was going right into the very heart of the mountains in search
of a more tranquil life and an easier one, but the storm clouds were
already closing in on top of her.
The good God was
preparing a haven for Laura, but for her mother a 'lightening conductor'!
The haven was to be the Salesian College (children's school) of Junin de
Los Andes, and the lightning conductor was non other than Laura herself.
However, while Fr.
Milanese's caravan was heading southwest towards the lakes, Mercedes went
northwest. She crossed the Andes, made a first stop at Norquin, one of
the few cities of Neuquén area, also called 'the strange land of the Triangle'.
It was territory only recently opened up, and to it came those seeking
adventure, speculators of every kind, traders avid for a quick haul of money,
evaders and deserters of every race and nation.
The missionaries used to
say: "Were it not for some women and girls who had a Christian education
in Chilean schools, and served as a beacon in the middle of such moral
darkness, Norquin would be a place of perdition." The Christian
sense of the family had been lost and when this happens, everything collapses.
The undaunted Mercedes
immediately senses the gamble, the risk of finding herself alone in this
strange, unknown land, and without anyone to support her. She set off
again, in search of better fortune at Las Lajas, towards the south. It
seems that there she made friends with some people who were reputed to be more
trustworthy and honest in their dealings, and whom Laura, later on, recalls
with affection. However, the hard, uncertain life forced Mercedes to move
a third time. Towards the end of 1899 we find her near Junín de Los
Andes.
Understandably, from the
human point of view, after so much effort, after such journeys, after pain and
loneliness, Mercedes felt the need of support, of a shoulder to lean on...
Part 3: The
Falcon's Haunt
The winter of 1899 was a
severe one for southern Patagonia and the Neuquén area. Las Lajas was
situated on the banks of the forceful waters of the Neuquén from which, in
fact, the region gets its name. Torrential rains and heavy snows along
the whole chain of the Andes resulted in swollen rivers whose angry waters left
destruction in their wake.
This deluge of water from
a love and below is a vivid image of Mercedes's own state. In a desperate
effort to get on top of misfortune, she clung to a man, who in her eyes seemed
to be a raft in the swirling vortex of her own insecure life. How did she
get to know him? We do not know. He was a certain Manuel Mora, a South
American cowboy (gaucho) of ill repute.
He came from Chos-Malal
where he had served prison sentences for crimes unknown. he frequently
had recourse to the dagger and the revolver. He stopped off at Las Lajas
and 'swooped down' like a condor, a bird of prey, on the victim. he had
belonged to a well-off family of Buenos Aires and had obtained from the
Governor a permit to work a fine stretch of land along the folds of Chapel --
the chain of mountains which encloses the panorama towards the Andes.
He was a perverse
individual, but capable and ruthless. He had built up two ranches
(estancias) for raising cattle in a short time. Then he invited his two
brothers to join him, to share his wealth and to accumulate more.
When Mercedes came to
know him he was about forty; a good-looking, handsome man. On horseback,
elegantly dressed, armed with a long dagger which had a silver hilt, he
appeared superior to everyone else. He treated the natives like slaves,
as he did the servants, horsemen, and shepherds, and used the whip on men and
dogs alike.
This self-made lord knew
how to be chivalrous and charming when he wanted to. Mercedes clung to
him as though he were her anchor of salvation. She thought he would be
the protector for herself and the children, so she followed him.
Perhaps she thought she
could rebuild a home life. She dreamed of wedding bells, but she was
deluding herself. In those out-of-the-way places, unfortunately similar
cases were not infrequent at the time. Manuel Mora, intact, had no intention
of marrying her.
Another woman, Tomasa
Catala, had been his mistress at the Quilquihué ranch and she had been
subjected to outrageous treatment. When Mora was tired of her, he tied
her to one of the horses' posts. Then branding her flesh with the red hot
iron used to mark his herds, he drove her away! These were the hands into
which Mercedes was about to fall.
The wealthy ranch owner
smiled in the direction of the widow as he crossed the threshold of the ranch.
Finding again a home, perhaps Mercedes smiled too. Did Lura smile?
No, it seems unlikely. Julia yes, for she was still very small.
Anyone witnessing this step would pity the woman's fate and would fear
for the two little girls, still so innocent.
All over the Neuquén area
the world had spread that the FMA (abbreviation for the Daughters of Mary Help
of Christians, popularly known today as the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco)
were opening a school at Junín de Los Andes, to provide for the education of
young girls. Certainly Mercedes remembered the Sisters she had seen at
Temuco. She would have known something about them. She wanted to
put Laura and Julia into their care. Manuel Mora was willing to pay the
monthly fee. He also paid for their clothes which were even elegant; they
lacked nothing. For a short while the two children stayed at the
Quilquihué ranch, "Quilquihué" meaning the 'home of the falcon'.
Only a few days, yes, but already the alarm sounded for Laura. She was
nine years old, but was a precocious child. She was fair skinned with
dark eyes, and chestnut wavy hair.
Her deportment was that
of a well-educated child. The ups and downs of her early years had
brought Laura to a maturity extraordinary for her age. Innocent as the
angels, she sensed, as though by an innate perception, that her mother's
situation was anything, but healthy. Mora, the "condor" was
already meditating how one day he would 'sink his claws' into that innocence
too. In the meantime he willingly paid the fees for the school.
Part 4: Junín de
Los Andes
The renowned Salesian
missionary of South America, Mosignor Cagliero, having considered the location
of Junín de Los Andes from his vantage point on horseback, drew up a plan of
action. He proposed to Fr. Milanese that they open schools there to meet
the needs of both boys and girls.
Junín was a border town.
780 meters above sea level in the folds of the Cordillera. This
town had continued to expand through many difficulties and changes of climate
from 1879 onwards. The following extract from the Salesian Bulletin of
September 1899 gives a vivid description: “The building of these two
schools cost us much fatigue and heartache, more easily imagined than
described. The great distances, the means of transport which consisted
solely of beasts of burden, the roadways which were almost impassible, the
extreme poverty of the place and the hardships of the times, all these of
themselves speak of the huge difficulties we had to overcome.
The river Chimehuin added
a picturesque touch to the little city, and its abundant waters fertilized the
surroundings. However, it also presented a danger, because its sudden
floods made it treacherous.
That little center, then
assumed great importance in the missionary’s eyes as he directed his thoughts
towards the many inhabitants scattered on the high plains and in the
surrounding valleys: natives and settlers, without schools or church,
without help of any kind. And this area covered a radius of more than 100
km.
Monsignor Cagliero
planned to make Junín de Los Andes a base from which to transmit civil and
Christian values, a base much more important for Argentina than the military
one set up there to guard the last outpost of the Aracauni who had fled into
the mountains.
Within the raids of those
100 km were the two ranches of Manuel Mora. Mercedes traveled on
horseback the 20 km separating Quilquihué from Junín, she introduced herself to
Sr. Angela Piai and asked for two places for her daughters. She spoke
little, and the Superior, Sr. Angela, did not ask questions. The lady had
on an elegant silk cape and looked young and full of life. She gave the
particulars necessary for the register as follows: Julia Amanda, six
years; Laura Carmen, nine years, both Chilean; Parents: Dominic and
Mercedes Pino, Chileans.
At that time almost all
the houses in Junín were made of wood and rough bricks and the school of Mary
Help of Christians was not different. It was among the poorest of
mountain dwellings with a zinc roof, narrow doors and low windows. It was
in the form of right-angle and had a garden and well in the center and an
uncultivated vegetable garden facing the open country. In the house
everything was primitive. The sofa on which Mercedes sat was none other
than the trunk they brought from Chile covered with a cloth. In the whole
house there was only one table which served every possible need and this meant
that it was continually being moved about. They also had a chair and some
benches, and that was the sum total of the furniture they possessed.
A ‘school’ with a
difference one could say! From this ‘border refuge’, as someone called
it, a transformation was taking place. It was becoming a ‘center of
virtue’ because the Sisters who had come from far away, lived solely to love
and served God in their neighbor. Junín de Los Andes with its solitude,
silently draped in the virgin-green of the conifers, with the magic spectacle
of its white, snow-covered peaks, seemed to be given added splendor and
importance by that poor and somewhat drab building which was the school — a
splendor and glory far superior to that of the marble constructions and
enchanting squares of the grandest metropolis. Young Sr. Azócar wrote:
“I began to consider myself as in an earthly paradise in that solitude,
because of the peace and tranquility I enjoyed there.”
And she reveals the source of her peace as she adds: “Spiritual help was more available than the School in Chile. They lacked nothing a religious needed to be faithful to her sacred commitment.” The Salesians had the boys’ school; it was beside the girls’ one, and so spiritual assistance was not lacking.
The FMA (Salesian Sisters) arrived in Junín carrying with them their
priceless possessions — the Crucifix and Don Bosco’s motto: “Give me
souls.”
Laura sensed this
charity, rooted in the Gospel, from the moment she first entered the College.
At Junín there were plenty of opportunities to practice a spirit of
sacrifice. For example, the washing was done int he waters of Chimehuin;
the bread was kneaded and baked at home once a week; the vegetables often
consisted of wild grass taken from the fields.
Poverty, extreme poverty!
However, as Sr. Azócar shrewdly noted: “The rooms were painted
bright green and that cheered our hearts!” Then, with her missionary
enthusiasm, she continues: “What consoled us most of all was to see how,
little by little, the people of Junín, originally so far from God, gradually
moved towards Him, through their frequenting the Church and being won by
kindness and persuasion.”
Part 5: The
Wonderful Discovery
Laura and Julia had
arrived at the school on January 21st. It was summer and holiday time.
Why did Mercedes not wait for the beginning of the school year before
parting with her daughters? Her heart was broken, but she had to do it. The
ranch at Quilquihué, the ‘falcon’s haunt’, would never be home for them.
Those two children were always the center of her life; the living
heritage of Dominic Vicuña to whom she was devoted and whose memory could not
have been for her in her situation, anything but a bitter reproof. He
would have had them educated in a manner worthy of their ancestors. So it
was better that they left Quilquihué immediately.
Julia, or Amandina as she
was called in the school, burst into tears as she clung to her mother’s dress.
Laura too seemed sad and thoughtful, but for other reason. She
threw her arms around her mother, assuring her that she would take care of her
little sister. When the moment of parting was over, Laura felt happy as
her inner feelings of anguish quietened, and so she set out to face a new life.
Fr. Crestanello assures
us: “She was overjoyed.” And he tells how Mercedes was amazed at
her reactions when she knew that she was going to the school.
Laura then confessed to
the priest that she could not explain the reason for this deep joy which took
over like a fountain of clear water. “It's true, however, that I was
happy,” she used to say. “Baby Jesus must have been pleased with my
mother’s decision.” Mercedes, therefore, must have given God a place in
the hearts of her children.
“Laura was happy because
Jesus would be pleased.” This is something to be said for Laura’s mother
in such a difficult position. Sr. Azócar assures us that Laura could read
and write a little and could say some prayers. She had very little
religious knowledge, but she had plenty of what could lead her to understand
the Divine.
Her Innocent heart was
ready to discover God, that most fascinating of all discoveries. We could
compare her first days at the college to an ‘overture’. One breathed in
the poor college of Junín an air of Gospel love, an atmosphere of fervent piety
and serene joy, all of which is the result of the family spirit which is
typically Salesian.
Being holiday time, the
days passed happily, and the rhythm was not too regular. There were only
the Superior and Sr. Azócar in the house, and Laura followed them everywhere
and chatted spontaneously with them. She noticed their patience with
Julia who was moody and at times capricious. She admired their serenity
and peace, and was drawn by their pleasant ways, since she found them always
available and approachable.
Soon she learned to live
according to a timetable, to look after herself and her personal belongings as
well as those of her sister. But above all she learned to follow the
Salesian Sisters into Chapel for prayer. It was there that she made the
marvelous discovery of a personal God, who is above all Father; of the Son,
God made man, a victim of love for man and put to death because of sin. On
her knees in the plain little room, which served as the Chapel and housed the
Blessed Sacrament, the innocent child repeated the prayers she knew and those
she was learning.
The Superior says that
“from her first days in the school, they noticed Laura a sense of judgement
well beyond her age and a real inclination to piety. her devotion, for a
child, was serious without affectation or exaggeration of any kind.”
February and March passed
by quickly and the scholar began on April 1st. Laura listened to the
reading of the school rules: “Remember that we are created to love and
serve God our Creator and that knowledge and all the wealth of the world are
nothing without the fear of God.”
So there was a serious
meaning to life. Santiago, Temuco, Norquin, Las Lajas were only stepping
stones along the way to this discovery. And she also heard: “Try to
practice virtue from your earliest years because to wait for old age is to put
yourself in very grave danger of being eternally lost.” Eternally lost!
Because of Sin!
And immediately her
thoughts flew to her mother, to Quilquihué. What had the child seen at
the ranch? A pure soul is capable of deep intuition. It can
distinguish between what is opportune and what should not be done. It
reacts instinctively to evil.
Laura would not have been
able to put into words the very big change she had seen taking place from the
time her father was alive in Temuco. Yet in a confused way, she
understood that her mother had gone far away from God. Alongside the
first wonderful discovery, the terrifying fact of eternal perdition pierced her
soul like a dagger.
Love for Laura, meant a
desire for the loved one’s peace with God, the priceless gift called grace!
The crucifix from the altar spoke to her more clearly every day, of cruel
martyrdom and she did not realize yet that Junín was going to be for her the
mountain of sacrifice!
Part 6: God in
First Place
In the little School of
Junín, they taught a variety of subjects, both academic and practical.
There was reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as domestic science,
home-management and the first elements of civic education. The students,
fourteen boarders and seventeen day-students, were all girls “who found it
easier to handle the horse’s reins than the pen and the needle.” They
came from the Cordillera, from as far as six hundred miles away. Used to
the free life of the vast open spaces, they opened up and grew strong, almost
like wild plants, usually docile and inclined to piety, but self-centered and
inconstant.
They were taught singing
too, for its refining influence, and so that they would be able to perform in
Church and at the little family celebrations. But above all Christian
formation was given first place in the education of these girls, on whom
depended the first announcing of God’s message in the Neuquén. Laura
drank deeply at the spring of religious knowledge. Sr. Azócar was her
teacher since the child had been admitted to a course for the older girls.
It would correspond to our second or third class in the elementary
school.
Part 7: A Crown of
Three Stars
The school year finished
with solemn prize-giving on January 1st, 1901. Laura got the one and only
prize for conduct as well as the prize for hard work and application.
Then the children set off in the direction of the Cordillera and their distant
homesteads. Mercedes, who had come for the prize-giving, brought back her
daughters to the ‘estancia’ at Quilquihué.
Fr. Crestanello assures
us that Laura had not wanted to go. The college was for her a ‘paradise.’
But it is easy to understand that her hesitation to follow her mother was
through her fear of the ‘sparrow hawk.’
She had been told that at
the ranch she would be able to pray… that God was near to those who call
him. The Salesian Sisters at Junin were not really aware of Mercedes’s
true situation.
Laura returned to
Quilquihué in fear and trembling. The herdsmen, horsemen, shepherds and
their families all looked at her with great admiration.
Mercedes was rather
anxious, but for that summer, Manuel Mora treated Laura with respect.
She, however, shivered at the very sight of him! As often as she could
she sought refuge in prayer. But her mother obliged her to pray in
secret. Why?
The long rides on
horseback, life in the open, the plentiful food helped her health immensely, so
that her physical development seemed to speed up to keep pace with her
precocious spirit.
The days followed each
other without great variety and yet they only served to increase in the child
an indefinable torment. She feared for herself and she felt a great
compassion for her mother.
When she was told that it
was time to go back to the college she jumped for joy. “I am going back
to my favorite place!” She was thrilled to get back there.
Right away she wanted to
go to confession. She opened her heart to Fr. Crestanello and renewed her
commitment to grow in virtue. She enjoyed meeting her teachers and
companions again.
Laura was a happy child
and she willingly took part in the lively recreations. However, a keen
eye could notice a trace of sadness in her. The Superior understood, a
secret sorrow was gnawing at her soul. And to give her comfort, the only
comfort possible, she admitted her with two other companions to her first Holy
Communion. When she told her the good news, Laura remained
speechless. But immediately her thoughts flew to Quilquihué, to her
mother and she broke into sobs.
“Crying, Laura? Are
you not happy?” asked Sr. Piai. “O yes, I am happy, “ stuttered the
child. “I am thinking of my mother, my poor mother.”
Fr. Crestanello says,
“She had always been obedient and submissive, affable and humble, but after
that day one noted a greater perfection in her actions.”
Laura loved to think
often of the presence of God. Does not scripture say: “Walk in my
presence and be perfect.”
She had a special love
for Confession. Rising from the confessional her face was full of the joy
and contentment which flooded her heart. When her sister poked fun at her
for these frequent confessions she replied, “Afterwards I feel stronger against
temptation, and everything becomes easier.”
There was a new teacher
at Junín, Sr. Anna Maria Rodriguez, who had the job of preparing her for the
great day. She did it in a manner worthy of the One who was coming and of
the soul who was waiting.
The ground was well
prepared and the seed was first-class. The solemn function took place on
June 2nd and it was the first time such a celebration took place in the school.
Mercedes arrived in Junín
on the eve. She brought Laura a white gown, sewn by her own hands; there
were many other little gifts too, like soaps, perfume, sweets. The child
would have wished for something very different. When she was told that
her mother was in the parlor, she ran and threw her arms around her joyously.
“Mother!” she said,
“tomorrow I will be making my First Holy Communion. Forgive the
displeasures I have given you. If in the past I have been naughty, from
now on I want to be your consolation. I will pray for you.” And she
began to cry.
Then she received the Lord,
and began preparing herself to be a ‘little host.’
These are her
resolutions:
1. O my God, I want to
love and serve you all my life, so I give you my heart and my soul, my whole
being.
2. I want to die
rather than offend you by sin, so I intend to mortify myself in all that might
take me away from you.
3. I propose to do
all I can that you may be known and loved, and to repair the offenses which you
receive each day, especially from the members of my own family.
4. My God, give me
a life of love, of mortification, of sacrifice!
Francesca Mendoza, the
young lady of Temuco who had joined the Sisters, afford, and then repeated it
under oath, that observing Laura as she came back to her kneeler after
Communion, dignified and composed, she noticed a crown of three stars on her
head.
Everyone noticed this
singular child, who they said, seemed like a little queen, but no one else saw
what Francesca maintains she saw. Mercedes, lost among the crowd, was
measuring the abyss which separated her from her little angel!
Part 8: Nothing is
Ready-Made
A sculptor is not born
such, neither is a surgeon, a teacher, a seamstress, and much less a
saint. Who was it that said, "Saints are born that way?"
It is not true. We are all born sinners. The grace of Baptism
opens the way towards great heights, but it does not substitute for nature
which down the years carries its old wound.
Laura felt humiliation
deeply. The three stars which Francesca Mendoza had seen shining on her
head could not have been an impression, but it is true that in the life of this
young Chilean girl every virtue shone as a star and acquired greater splendor
from humility. It in turn maintained its own radiance because of her
heroic spirit of mortification.
Her appearance and early
physical development were no indication of excellent health, in fact she was
rather delicate. Actually, if we remember her infancy and early
childhood, this is not surprising: always on the move, poverty, fears,
had been her lot.
She suffered from a
humiliating discomfort which became worse in winter. At Junín de los
Andes there was no heating and in the cold season the temperature went down
below zero. Laura suffered from enuresis (bed-wetting). How many
humiliations because of this weakness!
While the boarders were
getting up a young girl acted as vice-assistant, as the Sisters were in Chapel
for meditation. That young girl forced Laura on more than one occasion,
to carry the wet sheet on her shoulders. The affair was mentioned to the
Superior and she intervened and forbade such a cruel punishment.
And Laura? She was
extremely sensitive. From her expression one could sometimes see the
effort it cost her to be silent and humble herself, as attested Sr. Grassi, who
belonged to the Junín community in 1901.
One morning Merceditas
Vera, one of the first boarders and already aspiring to Salesian religious
life, burst out crying while Laura underwent the humiliating punishment.
The two girls were great
friends. They shared the same aspirations. Merceditas was a few
years older. Laura, however outshone her where spiritual formation was
concerned.
The following dialogue
proves it:
"Why are you," asked Laura "Did you by chance cause some
displeasure to Jesus?"
"I'm crying because
of what they did to you," replied Merceditas.
"It's not worth
it," said Laura. "Didn't they dress Jesus up as a fool?
Why shouldn't I accept a little humiliation, being so naughty?..."
Neither Laura nor
Merceditas liked beetroot. Sr. Piai, knowing their virtue and wishing to
prepare them for religious life, ordered beetroot for the two of them three
times a week. At table their little friends offered to eat their share
instead.
Merceditas questioned
Laura with a glance, "Will I? Won't I?"
"No," replied
Laura with a firm voice, "our obedience must be perfect. Jesus
suffered so much for us on the Cross!"
It happened that once the
two friends were in the workroom, Laura asked, "Merceditas, who are you
working for?"
"For Jesus and
Mary," replied Merceditas.
"Right! Let's
do like Mother Mazzarello and make every stitch an act of love of God!"
It was evening, after
supper when Laura and Merceditas asked permission to leave the game to run and
say a prayer at the statue of the Sacred Heart, which stood on a fairly high
pedestal near the entrance. The statue was so high that the two, even
though they wanted to, could not reach the feet that evening to kiss them.
How were they to do it?
Twenty-five years later,
Sr. Merceditas recalls, "Laura prayed with such fervor and trust that the
statue came down to us, giving us the joy of paying it that homage..."
Naturally such things
were told to no one...
Each of the older
boarders had the privilege of cultivating a flower-bed in the garden and she
could pick the flowers to decorate the altar. Laura and Merceditas had
their flower-bed side by side. One day Sr. Piai ordered Merceditas to put
down a stake to support a climbing plant in her plot.
"Will you help
me?" asked Merceditas. While putting the dry stick into the ground,
Laura mused, "From sticks planted in obedience roses bloom. I
believe it is easier for a stick to bloom than for the words of a Superior not
to be the will of God."
Some time afterwards, in
fact, the stick blossomed. It was called the "stick of
obedience." Monsignor Cagliero who came to Junín a year later, on a
pastoral visit, listened to the unusual story. He wanted to see the
stick. It was bearing the last flowers of the season, since the winter
was coming. These flowers were picked, at Monsignor's request, and place
near the tabernacle for his intentions.
After Laura's death, her
school friends vied with one another to have her flower-bed, and it was an
ardently-desired prize to be allowed to gather the first blooms from the 'stick
of obedience."
Such as life, a bit like
the "little flowers of St. Francis," and perhaps much more.
Someone, who knows who,
suggested that Laura be given cold baths to cure her of her organic weakness.
Outside, a pure mantle of
snow extended over the mountains and valleys. The severe temperatures made
one dream of a warm hearth! When the infirmaries had prepared the cold
bath, she called the heroic child, who put up no resistance whatever.
Laura humbly and calmly undressed, and, in spite of teeth chattering and
her body trembling all over, she went into the water, without a word! She
accepted this repeatedly, even though the harsh "remedy" was doing
her no good. On more than one occasion she fainted.
However, nothing is
"ready-made." From her frequent visits to Chapel, Laura drew
strength to conquer herself, to mortify herself.
Had she not made up her
mind to do all in her power to make up for the offenses against God, especially
from members of her own family? Her mother! Her mother was the
"thorn in her flesh."
For her no sacrifice
seemed too great. Her continual penance was leading her with giants
strides towards perfection.
The Superior of the
college affirms, "No one could ever accuse Laura of consciously breaking
the rule. Everyone noticed her constant effort to grow in
perfection."
Julia was asked if it
were true that her sister was "a little impatient" with her.
She replied, during the informative process for the Cause of
Beatification, "She was always loving and patient with, ready to forgive
my weaknesses, my bursts of anger, my flightiness."
But virtue costs.
It is not to be had "ready-made."
Part 9: The Condor
and the Dove
The end of the second
year of school was fast approaching for Laura.
Before beginning the
final exams on the feast of the Immaculate (called "La Purissima" in
Spanish), the school had its first enrollment of the Children of Mary Sodality.
It was another step in the formation of the young girls of Neuquén, who
would later be the nuclei of Christian families there.
On the morning of
December 8th, dressed in white, veils on their heads, and blue sashes around
their waists, the best girls in the school reminded everyone of the Roman
martyr, St. Agnes.
One by one they
approached the altar to receive the blue ribbon and the medal of Our Lady--a
visible sign of their belonging to the Blessed Virgin Mary and of their promise
to live in fervent charity and as pure as lilies.
It was Laura's turn.
Over her the priest said, "Receive this medal and ribbon as a
special emblem of Mary and an external sign of your consecration to this tender
mother..." Laura's heart was overflowing with joy!
During the informative
process in Viedma (the initial stage of investigation into Laura's life by the
local bishop as part of the process to be declared a saint), Julia spoke out
about her sister's virtue, "The day on which Laura received the medal of a
Child of Mary was one of her happiest days." Returning to her bench
with that spiritual treasure on her heart, Laura proclaimed in her heart,
"Death, rather than sin" -- just like St. Dominic Savio.
She was pure as a
dove! Rather than become stained with sin, she chose death. It was
said that Laura had a presentiment of what was awaiting her at Quilquihué.
She intensified her prayer, her fervor, and her mortifications. She
also did very well in her exams.
After Christmas, Mercedes
came to bring her daughters back with her for the holidays. While Laura
was delighted to see her mother, she lowered her head fearing what is to come.
Before leaving she sought advice from her confessor, and asked for the
prayers of the Superior, her teachers, and companions.
She was very tense when
she arrived at the falcon's haunt. The condor circled high and distant,
waiting for the moment when he would swoop down on the prey.
Laura sensed danger in
the air. Did Mercedes know? Did she think about it? Did she
see it?
Manuel Mora, arrogant and
tyrannical, vulgar and cruel, was not gentle even with her. Her life at
the ranch was becoming more difficult and more pathetic every day.
However, her foot was already chained and each day that passed was a
fresh blow of the hammer driving her deeper into slavery. It had already
been said that the owner of the Quilquihué did not intend to marry Mercedes
Pino. One of Laura's companions, Julia Cifuentes, notes that "Mora's
preference was for Laura and that he was having her educated to marry
her." But the man was to realize that he was making a mistake.
Manuel Mora's house, rich
and comfortable, surrounded by green and warmed by the summer sun, would have
been an ideal place for a rest for Laura, were it not for that
"evil," that danger.
When Mora tied his horse
to a post and entered the house by way of the veranda, where they normally
passed the day, Laura would quickly vanish.
He swore, "One
day..."
Let's hear the story in
the words of Claudia Martinez, a lady of Junín, who was on very close terms
with Mercedes after Laura's death, "One day, Mora threw Mercedes out of
the house, wishing to be alone with Laura. The girl, however, resisted
him and managed to save herself from his assault."
Mercedes, heart-broken,
watched from the window. Mora defeated, planned another attack.
Fancy being faced up to by a twelve-year-old girl!
Some time after this
episode there was a celebration for the branding of the animals born within the
year: sheep, goats, and calves.
The shepherds and their
numerous flocks came from long distances. First there was the dipping and
shearing of the sheep, then the branding with fire, and on the last day, a
great feast which ended in excessive drinking. The ranch resembled a
countryside fair. Besides the shepherds, the servants and their families,
there were present also the rancher's friends--owners of the neighboring
ranches.
There were drinks, games,
and singing as they waited for the supper, and to be followed by a great dance
at night. The women, dressed for the feast with dazzling shawls on their
shoulders, were coming and going with refreshments and drinks.
Manuel Mora was already
enjoying the conquest. Like the condor, he was trying to hypnotize the
dove.
Laura, seeing the
perfidious eyes fixed on her, called on the Madonna to help her.
The supper was almost
over. The dancing began. The young girl would have liked to retire.
But how could she? Pale as a ghost, she waited for the show-down
which she felt was near. Mora began the celebrations and took the floor
for the first dance. Laura saw him coming towards her.
She swore in her heart,
"Death, but not sin." To his invitation she gave a firm and
decided "No!" Manuel Mora felt his anger rise; nevertheless he
blandly insisted. The girl repeated, "No!" The guests
were watching. His tone became stronger, he insulted her. He was in
his own house and Laura, still firm as a rock, refused.
Mercedes was anxious and
tense. What could have happened? After all Mora had only asked for
a dance.
A dance? She well
knew how that type of dance could end. Mora now passed from words to
deeds.
Ah, yes? She didn't
want to dance, the little saint?
He seized her by the arm,
and threw her out into the dark with the dogs. Having closed the door he
turned round, red with rage and humiliated, and went towards Mercedes. He
shouted at her and ordered her to force her daughter to come in, to ask pardon
and to dance with him.
Mercedes went out.
What did the mother say
to her daughter in the dark of that Andean night? The fear of worse evils
made her implore Laura to go back in. In the end, what's in a dance?
Perhaps the woman had forgotten the scene she had just witnessed through
the window.
But Laura certainly
remembered it!
Only too well did she
know what the condor wanted...
So the girl said no also
to her mother. She took refuge among the trees in the dark.
In the house the dance
went on. Not, however, for Manuel Mora, who haughtily watched the entrance.
The door opened and
Mercedes entered alone. Mora launched his imprecations at Mercedes.
She would pay! He took her by the wrists and dragged her outside.
If the fires had not been put out, and the brand beyond arms reach, the
unfortunate woman would have had the same fate as Tomas Catala.
The dancing was over.
Mercedes was tied to a post. No one, not even Mora's brother dared
to intervene. He whipped her until the blood flowed.
The friends mounted their
horses and left.
Part 10: The Consequences
Very difficult days
followed in the wake of that horrific night - a cold war carried on by the man
who had been defeated, anguish for Laura, uncertainty for Mercedes.
According to the account
of Josephine Ferre, another lady of Junin, Manuel Mora "made the
invincible Laura suffer. .. He spoke insultingly to her and was very rude in
every way." The bad 'gaucho' always has a bad tongue; and every outburst
of Mora's was another thrust of the dagger at the dove's wing.
At times Mercedes
rebelled at seeing her daughter treated with such disrespect. However, the
ranch-owner had not given up his foul designs. He played another card. He
refused to pay the fee. What is more, he
expected the children to work as servants on the ranch. The mother objected:
"They are mine," she cried, "and I am not here as a slave!"
The man shouted:
"Either a slave or dead! As for those two, we will see!"
Sr. Piai came to know
everything and offered to keep Laura free of charge for five years. The Sisters
now began to understand a bit more... As Sr. Piai says: "Mercedes Pino was
not able to ' pay the fees for her daughters, and the man who was her tyrant
expected them to work on the ranch. However, from an expression he let slip, it
was understood that he wanted to ruin them in revenge, because he could not
stand the virtue of Laura - the 'little saint'! We ourselves proposed to
Mercedes that Laura should return to the college for five years, free of
charge. The mother was to see to her clothing and shoes, and we would be
satisfied with some small service."
By February, Laura is
back in the college. After a few weeks at the falcon's haunt, she left it
victorious - but her innocent eyes had measured, with horror, the abyss of evil
and she remained deeply wounded by it.
The new situation as a
non-paying pupil did not humiliate her. She would have consecrated her whole
self to the Lord, like the Sisters who had now accepted her in charity. To be
of service in this spirit, became a joy, not a humiliation.
In this way, Manuel
Mora's refusal did not affect her... True, she had to get over the reluctance
of her unhappy mother. Was it possible that Mercedes did not realize that Mora
intended yoking also Laura to his infamous wagon?
Fr. Crestanello says:
"Laura insisted with prayer and entreaty that her mother would allow her
to go back to the college." Julia Amanda remained at Quilquihue.
The school year of 1902
began a month earlier. During those days, they awaited the arrival of
Monsignor Cagliero, Vicar Apostolic of Southern Patagonia.
He came. He presided at
three big missions, beginning with St. Martin de los Andes, then down along the
river Alumine, among the natives of Chief Namuncura, and then climbing again to
Junin.
Merceditas hoped on that occasion to receive the black cape which distinguished
those who were aspirants to religious life from the other pupils. And Laura?
Fr. Crestanello says:
"Laura longed to consecrate herself to God by religious vows."
This is the reason why Laura had implored her mother to allow her to go back to
the college for five years, even if it were on alms. She had still a long
way to go before reaching the required age for the Novitiate.
Fr. Crestanello
continues: "The example of the deceased Sr. Anna Maria Rodriguez had won
her heart..."
Sr. Anna Maria had died
in October, after having formed the souls of her pupils along the lines of
truest Salesian asceticism - holiness which was happy, simple, but constant and
enduring as a diamond.
Acute peritonitis had
carried off the generous Chilean teacher. Like the wise virgin, she had crossed
the threshold of death, serenely, with her lamp alight. Laura thought it
would have been a beautiful thing to substitute Sr. Anna Maria, to take her
place ...
At San Martin and along
the banks of the Alumine the mission was being preached, and the young girl
dreamed of her happiness, as she shared her thoughts with Merceditas...
Would Monsignor give both
of them the desired black cape?
One morning Laura
presented herself to the Superior. Her eyes were shining and her heart beat
with sheer joy. Clasping her hands on her breast, she made her request. Sr.
Piai did not answer immediately. Laura could not be accepted among the FMA on
account of her mother! After so much suffering and so much hope, that
"no", even if given in a motherly tone, was a severe blow to the
young girl. Nevertheless she found the strength to bow her head also in that
hour.
God's ways are mysterious
and He always knows how to draw good from evil and sanctity from sorrow, for
those who are humble and know how to accept.
"It was one of
Laura's greatest sorrows," says Fr. Crestanello, "though she
nevertheless united herself to the divine will and used the occasion to humble
herself the more."
A little paler than
usual, but calm as always, she went that day into the garden to get vegetables
with Francesca Mendoza, who remembers: "Laura confided to me that she
suffered a great sorrow, and she asked me to pray for her, since they had told
her that she could not be a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians. During
the mission preached by Monsignor at Junin, Laura did not get the cape but she
was confirmed with Julia, who had come from the ranch, and with some other
companions.
On that occasion Mercedes
remained some days at Junin. But Laura must have been aware of another hidden
rejection ... Her mother no longer loved her as she did before. Now she was
concentrating all her affection on Julia ...
Sr. Piai noticed this and
she says with extreme respect: "Since Laura had been accepted gratuitously
in the college and Julia stayed home at the ranch, Mercedes seemed to show a
certain preference for the latter. Laura became aware of this and she suffered
in silence."
God was leading her along
the road of Calvary, so that later on her mother would return to Him along that
some road.
Part 11: Drop by
Drop
Monsignor Cagliero's
secretary, reporting on the wonderful Easter of 1902, after noting that the
final ceremony of that day had been the Confirmation, adds: "The most
important conquest and the greatest miracle
of grace during the mission was the big number of marriages which were blessed
and legalized."
Laura certainly knew of
these and may even have been present. The wound was reopened!
Mercedes was there but
according to Merceditas Vera "she did not approach the Sacraments even
once." She seemed to have aged and was thinner. She no longer
thought of marriage! And Laura implored her to free herself from the yoke ...
The unhappy woman left
for the ranch almost with a sense of relief. Everything during those days at
Junin, had sounded like a reproof.
Fr. Crestanello renewed
the heroic little girl's courage. Was her mother becoming hardened in
sin? Well, she would become more persistent in sacrifice, in generosity,
in her offering ... God does not let the cry of the broken-hearted go unheeded.
Before Monsignor set off
again for Viedma, there was a big feast at the college. Merceditas' older
sister, Maria Vera, was ready to receive the religious habit, having completed
her probationary period as a postulant.
On the Tuesday morning of
Holy Week, Monsignor Cagliero, in the presence of the whole community,
including boarders and day pupils, performed the ritual blessing of the habit.
She happily put it on and began calling herself Sr. Maria Vera.
Merceditas, possibly on
an understanding with Sr. Azocar, took the black cape her sister had left
off. Carrying it in her hands she went over to her father who was seated
beside the Monsignor.
She talked and pleaded so
much that Mr. Vera, a rich ranch-owner of Junin, gave his consent notwithstanding
her young age. (Fourteen years)
But yes! Better to have
his two daughters as Sisters, than that they should fall into certain hands!
... Monsignor agreed too. Merceditas ran to share her joy with Laura. It was
only natural.
"At five o'clock
Monsignor will give me the cape!..."
Laura's eyes filled up
with tears. She was unable to keep them back. Courageously she smiled, and
forced herself to take part in her friend's joy ... But two smiling lips under
two eyes which are crying, beg unlimited compassion ... Merceditas left the
following in writing: "I noticed how immediately she became serene again;
on her lips there reappeared her usual relaxed smile and she made an effort to
really share my joy."
Sr. Azocar, Laura's first
and very much loved teacher, seeing her suffering, suggested that she implore
Monsignor for the grace she so much desired. And Laura tried. "Monsignor
Cagliero," affirms Sr. Marietta Rodriguez, "gave her only vague
hopes..."
She was still so
young!... The case would be reconsidered later on if Mercedes' position were to
be legalised...
There are always bitter
pills to swallow!
That evening, however,
Laura also had a moment of joy. Just a childish thing perhaps, but it left
behind its ray of light.
During recreation Laura
had the job of preparing the water in the jugs and of turning back the covers
on the
little ones beds as she was their vice-assistant.
Merceditas came searching
for her. They were alone. Their friendship on that occasion reached a deep
level, even if it was still in terms of the 'childish things' ...
No one more than
Merceditas could better understand Laura's heartache.
"Take it," she
said, slipping off her black cape, "put it on your shoulders as if it were
yours" ... It was a matter of an instant. However Laura understood. She
had been confirmed two days previously. The Holy Spirit, who illumines the
heart, had revealed to her an intimate secret which the author of a famous book
The Imitation of Christ had already discovered: "It is not the habit which
makes the monk."
Laura hurried to the
Chapel. She prayed: "0 Jesus, since I cannot be accepted among those who
consecrate themselves to you in the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians, I offer myself entirely to your love. I want to be yours, even if I
must stay in the world."
Then she told everything
to Fr. Crestanello, and that prayer from the heart, born in a moment between a
lasting sorrow and the joy of an instant, became her daily aspiration. The
Sisters who had noticed her suffering, also noted "her effort to
participate in the joy of all."
She felt called to
consecrate herself to God for the good of her neighbour, for the salvation of
souls. And just because of the unhappy state of her mother's soul, she had not
been accepted.
She bowed her head. Officially
she could never belong to the ranks of Don Bosco's Sisters. But love is
ingenious and young people are generous and enterprising.
Fr. Crestanello says that
Laura began taking instruction from him regarding the vows of poverty, chastity
and obedience.
For some time she had
been practising to perfection the three corresponding virtues, but she wanted
to bind herself to God with the holy bonds of religion, in exchange for which -
who knows - she might obtain,her mother's release from her bonds.
Fr. Crestanello kept her
in suspense for some time; he prepared her seriously and only then did he grant
her ardent wish. It was another moment of happiness.
One morning, secretly,
after Holy Communion, Laura professed before God the three vows of chastity,
poverty and obedience...
Only Fr. Crestanello
knew, and he alone would be aware of her consecrated life. She came and went,
from school to the playground, doing the little chores entrusted to her as
always, just like everyone else. Her situation as a non-paying pupil placed her
in an inferior
position in front of her better-off companions; but she was consecrated, and
because of this, near to Heaven.
Life flowed on - drop by
drop.
Part 12: The Best
Advice
Once again school
reopened. Monsignor had left. The celebrations were over and study began
again. Laura was attending a course which would be equivalent to our
fifth year class. Besides that, she had charge of the younger boarders. She
assisted them in the workroom, and at recreation.
In the morning she helped
them to make their bed, she washed them, combed their hair and then brought
them to Chapel to pray.
A school friend of hers
says: "I never saw her give any indication of unwillingness or repugnance,
as often happens with others who render such services." She proved so
precise, punctual, serious, that the Sisters considered her well able to
substitute them, when they gathered for their spiritual conferences.
So, we find Laura as the
assistant in the study hall; we see her as a very young teacher, showing the
less gifted how to read; or the newest arrivals how to take a pen in their
inexpert hands, or threading a needle for one, and repeating a lesson for
another.
Sometimes too she gave a
hand in the household chores. The postulant Maria Briceno tells how Laura used
to go with her to wash the clothes in the river Chimehuin. The Superior
remembers that she used to help the sacristan sometimes, happy to occupy
herself with holy things. In fact, she was at the service of all. And
they were unanimous in praising her.
Francesca Mendoza said:
"Laura was like a mother for the little ones." And Fr. Crestanello:
"She taught with great patience and charity. She never got tired or
annoyed when she had to repeat the same things over and over. Finally when she had
made herself understood by her little companions she would add: "Now work
harder, and I will pray that you learn fast" ... And again: "She was
always ready to help everyone, and to give up her own things and even her free
time."
Did it not cost her to
serve? She had consecrated herself to God for this! If she had some time for
herself she spent it reading. There were a few books at Junin. Each year
Sr. Piai bought some on her way down to Chile.
During that school year
(1902) the Sisters used to read "Threads of Gold" for the postulants.
It was translated into spanish and they had a page a day. But Laura was not
content. And since she always remained a close friend of Merceditas, they used
to go and ask the Superior for a loan of the book, so as to be able to reread
it at their ease ...
"I could
gather," says Merceditas, "that Laura loved to meditate on the
Angels, and she took it on herself to imitate sometimes the angel of kindness,
other times the angel of patience or of courtesy, or the angel of little attentions,
and so on" ... Alone and placed on the margin of life the young girl
enjoyed imitating the angels.
Did nothing on earth
attract her? She was only twelve ...
But before her stood a
most severe counsellor - death!
Did Laura Carmen then
wish for death? Few writings of hers were found, but one of them goes like
this: "Death is the best adviser... It carries off the young and the
old." And another page: "0 happy Paradise, when will you
arrive?"
One Sunday in church, Fr.
Crestanello commented on the Gospel passage of the Good Shepherd. " .. .I
am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his own life for his sheep ...
The hired man, instead, who is not the shepherd. sees the wolf coming and flees
... I give my life for my sheep ... " That reference to the wolf brought
Laura's thoughts back to Quilquihue!
Her mother was the lost
sheep. Laura had already suffered so much, offered so much for the conversion
of her mother!... "Prayers and communions without number," says Fr.
Crestanello. But she had to do more.
"The Good Shepherd
gives his life ... " This was a wonderful exchange: the daughter who
offers herself a victim for the salvation of her mother! "There is no
greater love than to give one's life for a loved one," Jesus had said.
That very Sunday Laura
asked Sr. Az6car if it were possible to offer one's life to God ... The Sister
suggested that she speak about it to her confessor. So the young girl went to
Fr. Crestanello.
She very simply states
her resolve: to offer her life for her mother's soul! Fr. Crestanello
hesitates. Laura begs, she implores. But the man of God sends her away
unsatisfied. First he wants to pray and reflect. In the generous enthusiasm of
her youthful love, the girl comes back on the issue again and again.
Fr. Crestanello found in
her the makings of a martyr and a victim. And so it happened. As soon as she
had obtained his consent, Laura ran to the foot of the altar.
"Breaking into tears of joy and hope, she offered herself as a victim to
Jesus and Mary for the salvation of her mother's soul." These are the
words of her confessor.
As if nothing had
happened, Laura again took up her life as the best boarder and an excellent
student. And again the school year finished with good marks for her.
But now, what did a fine
report-card matter to her? ..
Fr. Crestanello says that
from the day on which she offered herself a victim, the saintly young girl was
persuaded that her prayer had been heard.
And the Sisters say:
"Although slight and thin, her health had always been good, apart from
that initial complaint, which disappeared as she got older. However, by the end
of 1902, a gradual deterioration in her physical health was noted." The
bloom of the flower was beginning to fade.
Part 13: A
Beautiful Girl
Just as a cloud, afloat
in a sky full of sunshine, casts a shadow on fields and flowers, and dulls the
greenness and the vivacity of the colours, so with Laura; it seemed that a
shadow was beginning to cloud her youthful freshness. Fr. Crestanello says that
this happened almost immediately after the offering of her life. The Superiors
in the college noticed and they were anxious. They reduced the amount of
manual work for Laura, made her take more rest and saw to it that she had more
to eat.
Laura obeyed, even if it
cost her to go to bed before the others, and having to take care of herself
would lessen her mortifications. It was hoped that the holidays - we are in
January/February of 1903 - would restore her to health. And so it seemed. On an
understanding with Mercedes, Laura remained at Junin, which was for her the
best remedy. She passed the time with the Sisters and postulants in friendly
conversations, going for long walks, in pleasant reading, and fervent prayer.
She regained her fresh complexion in the warm sun and pure air of the Andes.
Sr. Grassi says: "A
new brightness which shone from her eyes, added to her usual smile. Only
occasionally
her expression was shadowed by tears."
Perhaps it has not been
said yet, that Laura was very attractive looking. Hers was a beauty which was
warm and full of light. Her ardent spirit and her zest for life, true to her
manner, were calm and gentle and won her the name "the most beautiful
flower of the Andean mission of Junin."
Laura's beauty came from
within. It was as though, within her, there burned a light, fired with the
purest oil. He who has suffered much has lived the longest, not he who
can count the most years. The oil for her lamp was sorrow.
That shadow in her eyes
at times spoke of her continuous interior suffering ... Let us look at this
Chilean girl, transplanted in Andean soil, and see her as she was seen by those
who met her along their way occasionally.
Only Manuel Mora failed
to see beyond the external beauty which fades. Pasqualina Ramallo who was one
of Laura's companions in 1903, wrote of her: "She was gentle and serene in
spirit. I always found her exact in obedience and in fulfilling her duty ...
Her deep prayer life was reflected in her features and bearing; rather than a
human being she seemed an angel before the tabernacle, where she used to go and
pray in her free moments ... What shall I say of her spirit of love and
mortification? Obliging by nature, she seconded the action of the Sisters in
everything and strove to imitate them. She used her free time to comfort the
sick pupils, to whom she brought meals and medicine. She gave them heart,
suggested fervent aspirations to them, and willingly supplied for the
infirmarian ... In short, Laura was the complete young girl: a hidden violet
whose perfume won over all who approached her. Because of this she was liked by
all and was considered a friend for all time ... "
Pasquelina could verify
this and much more, because she lived side by side with Laura in the little
college in the Andes.
But let us listen to
another testimony.
It was Sunday. The
boarders were making their way to the Parish Church for solemn Mass. Along the
way the people stopped and greeted them, since Junin was like one big family
cared for by the Salesians. However, at that moment along came a stranger. He
was from some distant ranch. He noticed Laura, the last in line, and was struck
by the exceptional appearance of the young girl. He followed her into the
Church. Later, he recalled: "Her eyes were shining with light, and a
gentle smile played about her lips. She walked briskly and in a recollected
manner... In the church she knelt on the floor, and left the better places to
her companions ... "
She fixed her eyes
lovingly on the Tabernacle ... I saw her in ecstasy, contemplating the Host and
the Chalice
when the celebrant raised them... I thought I was dreaming. I had never seen in
those mountain places
one so fervent in her relationship with God."
From that day onwards,
the unknown man went every Sunday, after a long ride, to Mass in Junin ...
We have many other moving
testimonies of Laura's attitude in church.
Merceditas says: "I
do not recollect having ever seen her leaning on the bench while she was
kneeling."
And Fr. Crestanello:
"During prayer, we could see that Laura's mind was absorbed in what she
was doing... She was unaware of what was going on around her and many times it
was necessary to call her and tell her it was time to go,"
Sr. Piai maintains that
Laura fulfilled every religious practice in a "real transport of
joy." And one of her companions adds: "When she prayed in Chapel she
was like an angel. It was sufficient to see her and one was inspired to be
fervent." Another states: "Laura's deportment before the Blessed
Sacrament was edifying... she seemed to be lost in contemplation."
Julia, many years afterwards
recalled: "It seemed that when she entered the Church her face lit up. She
went to her place and remained so absorbed that at times she was not even aware
of who was beside her... "
People still talk about
her ... but the angels could have told much more! She was so mortified that the
confessor had to force her to be more moderate.
This is true beauty which
endures.
Santuario Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, Junín de los Andes.
Part 14: Hand in
Hand
In May 1903, the ceremony
of the crowning of Mary Help of Christians took place at Junin, thus sharing in
spirit with the celebrations at Turin.
At Valdocco, because of a
concession of Pope Leo XIII, Cardinal Richelmy placed a precious gold crown on
the head of Don Bosco's Madonna. At Junin, Fr. Crestanello, who was an artist,
became also a sculptor and carved a statue of Mary Help of Christians in
wood. It was crowned by Monsignor Cagliero to the delight of all present.
Laura had a passionate
love for Our Lady. She prepared for that feast with extraordinary
fervour. The two colleges - boys and girls - competed in fervour as they
kept the Marian practices. Some were learning poems and songs by heart. Others
prepared the solemn sung Mass. Some decorated little altars where they placed
flowers for the Virgin. Merceditas and Laura had the thought of decorating the
altar with flowers. Every rose, every fleur-de-lis, every violet
represented one of their sacrifices or some mortification. That year
Laura was doing an extra course under the guidance of Sr. Az6car. As they
approached the great feast, she invited some of her pupils to write a
composition about Our Lady. The best was to be chosen for the entertainment.
The solemn day came, and then the afternoon so long awaited by all. In the
little hall, the highest scholastic and civil authorities were seated beside
Monsignor. Everyone was there, and the parents of the boys and girls had
arrived as early as the evening before.
Laura read her
composition. Sr. Piai says: "She read with such grace and meaning that all
the people were moved... She looked older than her age. The audience could not
be persuaded that at the age of twelve, or a little over it, she could have
such fervent sentiments and such gratitude to Our Lady ... "
After the composition,
the boys and girls recited poems, and sang choruses in separate or mixed choirs.
Finally the curtain opened and all remained breathless. A pyramid of
children, Sr. Azocar's pupils, represented the glory of Mary in heaven. The
children were dressed as angels and at the top of the pyramid the most
beautiful angel, Laura Vicuna, was the one nearest the statue Fr. Crestanello
had carved. That angel clasped the Madonna's hand in her own, in an act of
love, of supplication, of offering.
While the audience in the
hall contemplated the scene as though in ecstasy, a powerful choir, formed by
the two colleges, brought that scene to life. Then the voices softened, and
became silent as they left the moment to a soloist who sang:
o Mary, beautiful rose,
You are the splendour of paradise;
Every heart acknowledges you,
o Mary, beautiful rose.
The soloist was Laura. In
the audience sat Mercedes!
In the confusion which
followed the performance, while angels were detaching their wings, and leaving
off their haloes, Laura confided to Sr. Azocar in a whisper: "While
holding the Madonna's hand, I renewed my offering for my mother's
conversion."
Merceditas assures us
that Laura asked and obtained her confessor's permission to wear a hairshirt.
She made it by plaiting a rough chord in knots which had hard points. Fifteen
knots in honour of the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. Why was she wearing it?
"To make reparation
to God for the offences at Quilquihue, and for certain 'dances' held
there," so she said. Merceditas goes on: "I saw her pass long
hours at night kneeling on the ground at the foot of her bed ... I saw her pray
with her arms extended in the form of across, and with her hands under her
knees. I saw her kiss the ground ... "
There was a portico
within the college building, situated in the centre and in a place where every
wind seemed to get it. No one liked sweeping it.
Laura asked for this job
herself. When someone else had it she made them give it to her. And, yes! - say
her friends - she had bleeding hands and chilblains'... She did not like being
praised, instead she fled from it. But her virtues breathed what St. Paul calls
the "good odour of Christ".
The little ones had
already named her "the little saint" - and they were not alone in
this. Because of Laura there began to appear a certain amount of jealousy. This
too is normal in a college... Some companions, more light-headed than naughty,
made fun of her and treated her unkindly. How did she take it? Not only
did Laura forgive, but she often knelt before the one who had offended her and
asked pardon. On one occasion she signed her homework "the little fool for
Jesus." Really one would want to be crazy to live and humble oneself to
this extent. But it was the
foolishness of the Cross!
One of the girls who was
inclined to be jealous of Laura, on more than one occasion hid the wood Laura
had prepared for the morning so that the stove in the classroom could be lit in
time. The teacher arrived, the stove out and no wood! A reproof, no matter how
gentle, as certainly it would be from Sr. Az6car, is always hard, especially if
it is unmerited. Laura, however, never excused herself... she went quickly to
the wood-shed.
Those who played the
naughty trick, then used to, how her the wood hidden under the desks and make
fun of her. "OK," said Laura, calmly and serenely, "I have
gained an extra merit for heaven."
Another used to provide
herself with a bottle of water and since her place in class was near the stove,
she could skillfully pour the water on the fire as soon as it was beginning to
light up. Again another time, "calmly and serenely," even if it cost
her, Laura bent over the stove and relit the fire, to the admiration of all the
students.
After her death, on
hearing accounts of the acts of virtue, particularly of patience which Laura
had to practise because of the thoughtlessness of some of her companions, there
were those who said: "I was one of
them... "
Sr. Piai says:
"Laura had a degree of humility unusual for a child of her age," and
she continues, "she was jovial, always ready, at the first tinkle of the
bell ... " Yes, one ring was sufficient for her to cut short
whatever work she had been doing. Any gesture, was availed of to lead her to
the heights of heroism.
However, there was
nothing affected or exaggerated about her.
She had a high
appreciation of precision, a readiness and ease in carrying out her duty - all
of which revealed her anxiety to become a saint.
Already death was giving
her some signs...
Part 15: The
Flooding
There had never been such
a dark rainy winter. From the top of Chapelco huge clouds descended and
continuously enveloped everything. Then the heavens opened, and it rained
non-stop for days on end. In the little Andean college one went out of the
house only if forced to do so, in a case of dire need.
A run to the stable, to
the hen-house, or the wood shed, with something over one's head, and that was
it.
The waters of the
Chimehuin could be seen rising in front of their very eyes. Yet neither the
boarders nor the Superior were too worried. Almost every winter the Chimehuin
burst its banks and spread out over the surrounding countryside, flooding right
up to the foundations of the house, and then retreating. Unexpectedly on
the evening of July 16th, feast of Our Lady o(Carmen, the waters burst into the
college with a terrifying roar and in a few minutes reached a height of almost
one meter.
As the girls studied in
the hall, the doors flew open with the force of the waves which invaded every
comer. Sr. Piai froze with fear as she heard the uproar, but managed to
walk towards the study, knee-deep in water, to help the girls get out. One by
one she helped them to safety - by walking across the beds!
The Sisters, Laura and
Merceditas, Maria Briceno and Francesca Mendoza were coming and going, soaking
wet, carrying the little ones on their shoulders.
The water continued to rise.
Laura's godmother for Confirmation, a lady of Junin called Felicinda Lagos de
Espinos, lived in a wooden house which was spacious and beautiful, in a more
elevated part of the countryside. The lady immediately sent her servant,
a native boy, to offer hospitality to the Sisters and girls.
By now dark night had
fallen and the greatest problem was how to get the girls out of the house since
it was completely surrounded by water. A big cart was brought along. The
Salesian coadjutor, Edward Genghini, took the frightened children on his
shoulders and carried them to the wagon.
The Sisters waited till
last and entrusted Laura and Merceditas with the care of their
companions. Slowly the cart began to move. The horses pawed the ground
in the swirling waters. On all sides the River Chimehuin roared while the
children held on to each other crying and praying.
Mercedes recalls that
when Laura had been lifted on to the cart she sighed: "0 Mary, how
fortunate I should have been to have died in your house!..."
This is not surprising.
Already her favorite prayer had become the following: "Virgin of Carmel,
take me to heaven!"
The children were
trembling with cold and fear. Laura said to Merceditas: "Begin the
hymn to Our Lady: 'Let us make a way through the unsafe sea!' ... "
At first, weak and shaky,
then a little stronger and more secure, the boarders' voices were heard singing
in the night... Felicinda was waiting for them with open arms... However Laura
was not thinking of the house made of wood owned by her godmother. While
singing
'Let us make a way
through the unsafe sea
of a treacherous world;
To the longed-for shore who will ever bring us?'
She had been thinking of
the house which stands on the
eternal shores!...
During their four day
stay with the Lagos family, all were revived, comforted and content. Fr.
Crestanello celebrated Mass each morning, and on July 20th they were able to
return to the college.
The waters had retreated
without having left too, much damage behind.
Laura, with all the
others, set about clearing away layers of mud from all the rooms. She had a bad
persistent cough which made her tremble all over, and then left her bathed in
perspiration. Quickly her strength was ebbing away. Sometimes, pale as death,
other times with noticeable red marks under her eyes, she breathed with
difficulty, as though she lacked air.
Sr. Piai was very anxious
about her and called the doctor. If it had been any other boarder she would
have been sent home to her family, but who could be so heartless as to think of
sending her to Quilquihue?
The doctor arrived; well,
he was a doctor of sorts. He had the title, but he was simply a chemist
and a particular type of chemist. His name was Mr. Cardiel and he did all he
could.
He suggested nourishing
food and rest and he gave her some kind of mixture for the cough. Fr.
Crestanello says that the girl spoke very clearly to the doctor: "You
are trying different remedies to cure me, but in vain, doctor. This is my last
illness; I will never get better."
Francesca Mendoza, who had
the job of milking the cows, used to bring her fresh milk with honey in it;
however Laura on her part never asked for anything special. She accepted
everything gratefully and in a spirit of obedience.
If they asked her:
"How are you?" she replied: "A little better, thank you."
She was always happy and smiling. But the bitter tide of sorrow was invading
her soul!
And that soul burned with
only one desire - to leave the cold winter of this earthly life ...An exile
from her childhood days, homeless, and one could say without a family, she had
seen all her youthful dreams dashed against the rocks of human malice and
misery... Already the sound of mighty waters from on high - from God's fountain
which is nourishment and life - was fast approaching.
Part 16: The Bitter
Chalice
When Mercedes came to
Junin for her usual monthly shopping, she found Laura seriously ill.
While not confined to bed, her thin appearance was striking. Her mother
wanted to take her to Quilquihue.
Sr. Azocar sadly got
together her best pupil's exercise books, and put them away for ever. Laura
murmured: "Must I leave my heaven?" ... It was the moment to bow her
head and drink that chalice to the last drop. But Sr. Piai did not agree
immediately to her going; she referred the matter to Fr. Crestanello. Mercedes
went to speak to him.
The air was alive with
the first scents of spring. The balsam of the great pines, the plentiful food
and her mother's care would help the sick girl to recover.
Fr. Crestanello did not
pry into her secrets, he asked no questions and put no obstacle in the way. He
was already certain that Laura's sickness came from her virtue. He agreed to
her going and the Superior did not create any difficulty. In fact, for some
time now, Sr. Piai had completely handed over the young girl to that wise
moulder of souls. She confesses: "As soon as I realised that I was dealing
with an exceptional soul and I became aware of it soon - I felt a sense of
trepidation and I left her totally in the Confessor's hands."
Laura had only these
words to say: "If Jesus wants this from me, His will be done."
Mercedes hurried to do the shopping. The young girl said 'good-bye' to
her Superiors and companions. She then went to confession.
The sorrow was shared by
all. Laura had known how to treasure her suffering, and jealously keep it a
secret. In fact, she used to say: "With all the attention I am getting, I
fear that I will become accustomed to too much comfort."
The others, instead, were
full of admiration at her virtue.
Then there was a last gesture
of love. She was ready to cross the threshold of the house in which she would
have loved to live and die, she turned to the Superior and asked her to give
away her clothes to a needy family nearby.
Mercedes had made her put
on a pale red dress, plain in cut, but elegant, according to her companions.
When the cart moved away,
all waved their hankies as a sign of farewell and many secretly dried their
tears. The mule-track skirted the river Chimehuin and Laura sadly
contemplated its waters ... Had she not said on that night of the flooding:
"0, if only I could die in your house, Mary!"
Did she know then that
she would never enter the college again? When the ranch - the falcon's
haunt - appeared on the horizon, Laura shivered.
Perhaps her mother noticed!
But if the body shuddered, the spirit remained strong and fervent.
Entering the ranch through the well-known veranda, Laura took on a severe
expression; she retired behind a dignified reserve, where not even Manuel Mora
dared to trespass. But what a humiliating thing to eat under that roof!
The rancher could not
really say what that protective screen was, but the young girl was already
giving him a certain feeling of uneasiness.
He contented himself with
passing an occasional rude comment, or he gave vent to his bitter irony with
derisive sneers. He did not dare to go any further. Laura was already a tree
battered by the storm. And he, foiled in his foolish desires, was anything but
moved by her sufferings. Evil and spite were brooding in his heart and he could
not wait to be rid of her face, which was a continual, if silent, condemnation!
Laura remained at
Quilquihue from September 15th until November 1st. Each day was like the one
before, only they became sadder for the child, deprived as she was of Mass, Holy Communion, a word from Fr. Crestanello, and the friendly
company of the Sisters and her companions. Mercedes sadly watched the slow but
continual deterioration of her daughter.
Did she understand, at
least in some vague way, that she herself was the cause of it?
It does not seem likely.
They were so near now! Laura accepted her mother's attentions with a grateful
heart, she followed her with a gaze that spoke of tenderness ... But there was
also such a distance between them!
The daughter was wasting
away, forced to contemplate with her own eyes the abject condition of her
mother for whom she was silently offering herself in sacrifice. It was an
endless agony. Perhaps Mercedes was thinking of fleeing. Laura had begged
her many times to free herself from the yoke of the condor!
But how? Where could she
go? Laura's condition gradually worsened. The bitter chalice, called
Quilquihue, was poisoning her!...
Manuel Mora caressed his
'slave-woman' in the same way as he would stroke the mane of his horses ...
Perhaps he had a presentiment that she was about to leave him? Mercedes
took advantage of her master's good humour to ask if she could accompany Laura
to Junin to have her attended by the doctor.
Julia could go back to
school at the college, and she would rent a little house and look after her
daughter ... He said neither yes nor no. So the three of them set out.
Part 17: Somewhere
to Die
At Junin Mercedes rented
a little two-roomed house.
It was called a ranchito
- a poor hut made of straw and mud pasted together. It was divided in two, had
a floor of beaten earth, a leaking roof and a door. Laura, however,
considered it a thousand times more beautiful than the fine ranch of
Quilquihue! It was not her 'Heaven' where she had hoped to die, but she
was free there.
At least there, she did
not have to hide herself when praying. The sparrow-hawk was far away. She was
alone with her mother, the mother who did not understand her, the mother for
whom she was dying!
The Sisters, her
companions and Fr. Crestanello could come to the ranchito. To die assisted by
him, by her good Superior, by dear Sr. Azocar, would be as welcome as falling
asleep after a tiring day, or a race, or after a good cry ...
The doctor used to come
too. He diagnosed peritonitis. Let us not forget that we are talking about the
same Mr. Cardiel, and that at the time, at least in
those parts, this subtle illness did not yet have a name.
However, Fr. Crestanello,
Fr. Genghini and the Sisters say that it was a form of tuberculosis.
The days were sunny and
Laura often sat outside under a big tree from where her gaze sought out the
little spire, the college, or wandered over the mountains white with snow, or
into the sky where her hopes lay.
The ranchito was a
stone's throwaway from the girls' college and was even nearer to the boys'
school, whose little Chapel served as a Parish Church. In Junin, November
was the month of flowers, just as May is for us, and it was dedicated to Our
Lady in preparation for the feast of Mary Immaculate. Laura now spent
almost all of the day in bed. However, every evening during that month
she attended the Marian devotions.
Often in the morning she
mustered up sufficient strength to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion.
Mercedes accompanied her there, and lovingly supported her. Sometimes her
friends used to come to the ranchito and they took her mother's place and
brought her to the Church.
Only the angels were
aware of how much each step cost her! We know that for the feast of the
Immaculate, December 8th, she was unable to get up ... Her condition was
becoming more serious every day. But we also know that right to the end, she
did not give up her penances and her long prayers, especially for her mother.
A little, out-of-the-way
settlement in the mountains is like a big family. Everyone had heard of
Mercedes' situation; they knew all about her. On the one hand they pitied her,
while at the same time it was being whispered here and there, that the daughter
was having to pay for that very situation ...
The name of Manuel Mora
was held in horror there. Sr. Piai, Sr. AZOcar, Merceditas and others
often came to the sick girl's bedside and she was glad to see them and even
happier still to be able to pray with them.
She kept the blue ribbon
with the medal of Our Lady, in the form of an 'M' at the end of her bed. Sr.
Anna Maria Rodriguez, who had died two years previously, had taught her to do
that. Gazing at the ribbon, she reflected on her former teacher's words
... How she would have loved to take her place as a Sister... now,
instead, she was getting ready to meet her!
Occasionally, when her
companions were with her, she found the strength to unite her voice with theirs
and sing her favourite hymn:
Venid y vamos todos...
Come and we will go together ...
But the harpstrings were
already breaking. To her companions she used to say: "How happy we will be
in heaven with Jesus and Mary, if we have served them on earth!" If they
said to her: "But you are always praying," she replied: "Since I
am so near the end, it is right to pray a lot for myself and for others so that
the Lord will give me patience and cheerfulness in my sorrows and his grace to
the others" ... Saying 'the others', her gaze searched out Mercedes. Many
good ladies of Junin used to come to visit the sick girl, and perhaps on the
advice of Fr. Crestanello, they kept Mercedes company, since the latter was
often in tears, without, however, having the courage to look into the depths of
her soul, or face the future.
Julia Martinez, Josephine
Ferre, Laura's godmother, Felicinda Lagos, Flora Urrutia and many others tried
to become close friends with Laura's mother, perhaps hoping that she would make
the break with that deadly man ...
Mercedes at times, was
agitated, like one caught between two conflicting desires. More often than not,
she tried to escape from these thoughts, and lived from day to day, very
depressed, occupying herself solely with Laura and with keeping the house tidy
...
And Laura, from that
humble hut, raised up her cry, ever more insistently: "My mother, Lord,
save my mother!" and then: "0 Virgin of Carmel take me to
heaven!"
Part 18: Manuel
Mora
Christmas and the light
of its star had passed by without Laura having seen the little Crib at the
Salesian Church, The school year too was over.
Julia Amanda stayed on at
the college with the Sisters, At the ranchito there were only two beds, one for
Laura and one for Mercedes, Besides, Amanda's high spirits and the nature of
Laura's illness must have suggested to Sr. Piai that it would be better to keep
the little one in the college.
The summer of January
1904 was at its height. At times, bathed in perspiration, at other times cold
as ice, the sick girl was breathing with difficulty, and was no longer able to
leave the house. She sometimes passed an hour or so sitting beside the window,
supported by pillows.
All she longed for was to
die in peace, while she continued to pray ever more fervently for her mother's
conversion. Would she die then without seeing the results of her sacrifice?
Unexpectedly, one evening,
there was the sound of horse's hooves in the little yard. The sick girl raised
her eyes; Mercedes too noticed.
She saw Manuel Mora
outside, already on the ground, tying the reins to a tree. He walked in as
though he owned the place. Laura had closed her eyes,The rancher smiled
cynically.
Whose money was paying
the rent for the ranchito, and keeping those who lived in it? Was it not his?
He insisted on spending
the night there. Mercedes felt her blood going cold. She tried to reason with
him; but to no avail. The man was true to his old self. He began, as at
Quilquihue, to insult Mercedes and to pour out his venom on the gir1.
Fancy, the "little
saint" blocking his way? ..
Mercedes refused, but
Mora would listen to no reasons. There was a battle of words, which on his part
heightened into a series of roars.
Mercedes begged him not
to make himself heard by everyone.
In the meantime someone
had tipped off Felicinda Lagos.
Laura, exhausted
physically, but strong in spirit, got up at once. And since it seemed to her
that her mother was wavering and beginning to give in, she said
resolutely: "If he stays, I am going to the college to the
Sisters!"
With a great effort, she
made as if to go. Mercede: did not know what to do and Mora did not want
publicity. He tore after her like a wild animal, caught her by the arm, and
beating her savagely tried to get her back into the ranchito! Fortunately
Felicinda arrived and snatched the victim from those evil hands. Since by now a
crowd was gathering, the villain jumped on his horse and rode away at full
speed.
Yet once again he had
been beaten. Laura was put back to bed, and she never got up any more. Well,
yes, she did. Fr. Crestanello, who had come to console her, wanted to satisfy
her last wish - to be able to kneel before the tabernacle and give thanks ...
He had come with some of the older boys of the college, who waited outside
while he spoke to Laura. One of them, Sabino Cardenas, says that he heard some
of her words, how she was offering her life and her sufferings to God so that
her mother could "be free" and could "save her soul" ...
After some time, Fr.
Crestanello came to the door and asked for a poncho - the round mantle with
anopening for the head, which was worn by al1. He said: Let us make a stretcher
and carry the sick girl into the Chapel." With deep respect, as
though they werecarrying a little martyr, the boys set out... This was the last
time Laura saw the church which had witnessed her prayer and her suffering.
With what enthusiasm had
she not sung hymns to Mary, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the saints,
during those four years! ... Now she could only breathe: "Amen!"
Never a lament on her
lips for the harsh treatment received at the hands of Manuel Mora. One who
hurried to recount everything to Fr. Crestanello said: "Once again, we
were in admiration of our young friend's virtue. No doubt about it, she was a
courageous little saint."
Everyone in Junin
complained about the perverse ranch-owner as they talked about the unpleasant
incident. And still Mercedes' eyes were not opened.
Laura pleaded with her:
"Please, I beg you to leave that man!"
Natalina Figueroa
referring to those days, say:"Fully resigned to God's will in her
sufferings, Laura wished for nothing else but to see her mother leave that man
who was treating her so badly."
Mercedes continued,
corning and going, attending to her daughter with a love full of sadness, and
still she did not understand. Or perhaps, she did understand, but she lacked
the strength to break once and for all with Manuel Mora.
Part 19: Alone
According to accounts,
Manuel Mora's cruel attack happened about mid-January. During the days
immediately after, Laura's condition got so bad that she herself asked for the
last sacraments. Mercedes went to call Fr. Crestanello. The date was January
18th. The good Father came at once and a first glance told him that she was
near the end ...
The fever, the
exhaustion, her difficult breathing did not allow her to speak at any length.
However she managed to say: "Father, I will never get up again. I hope to
go and see Jesus and Mary soon. I would like to go to Confession to prepare
myself for the big step ... "
Fr. Crestanello heard her
confession and promised that on the following day he would bring her Holy
Communion. He was wondering whether or . not she should be told that he and the
Sisters were about to leave for Santiago, to make their spiritual retreat.
That evening he did not
have the courage to say it. During the night Laura coughed blood so violently
that Mercedes became terrified. The girl was suffering intensely but not a
single lament escaped her. Her mother was amazed at this. Little did she
realise that each breath was not a cry of anguish, but one of love and
supplication ...
Fr. Crestanello came
early and gave her Holy Communion and, during her thanksgiving, the dying girl
renewed her resolve and the offering of her life for her mother.
Since it seemed that
Laura would die at any moment, he remained with her until almost evening. By
our poor
human standards, it would have been well had she died that day ... she would
not have died alone!
The Sisters came to greet
her.
Sr. Piai and Sr. Az6car
stayed a while and her companions called too.
Claudina Martinez says:
"I visited Laura a few days before she died... She endured everything
without a complaint." Sr. Maria Vera, one of those about to leave for
Santiago, says the same thing. Fr. Crestanello describes her hours of agony
that day: "When the pain became worse, uniting herself to the sufferings
of Jesus Crucified, Laura murmured aspirations which drew tears from the
by-standers."
Off guard for a moment,
the child whispered: "O Father, how much I am suffering!"
"I believe it, my
daughter," answered Fr. Crestanello, "but be brave. Jesus will
recompense you for it all ... " And lowering his voice,
"Remember the grace you are asking! Call on Mary Help of Christians and
she will help you to suffer with love ... "
"Yes, I am happy to
suffer," answered Laura in a whisper. "My one desire is to please
Jesus and Mary!"
Towards sunset the dying
girl seemed to . have recovered some strength, and so hesitantly they told her
that the following morning the Sisters and the Salesians were leaving, as the
caravan for Chile was ready to move off.
"Unfortunately, my
child, that's what has to be," said Father Crestanello.
"My God!"
exclaimed Laura. "Must I die then without any of those near me who could
help me?" They were crying around her bed. Then Laura began again:
"How hard it is, illy Jesus, but may your will be done!"
Fr. Crestanello consoled
her as best he could. He assured her that Fr. Genghini would be staying on at
Junin and that she would not be abandoned.
Attempting a smile, the
sick girl murmured: "If Jesus wants things that way, then I do too! But
you, Father, don't give up praying for me so that I may persevere to
the end and save my soul!"
Then it was Sr. Piai's
tum and she had a lump in her throat as she said farewell. She had really been
a second mother to Laura, and to leave her now, in her agony, was a sacrifice
beyond compare.
And Laura, who had hoped
to die in the shadow of the college, and in the arms of her good Superior,
buried this desire too in the heart of God.
She renounced this
consolation to obtain the long awaited grace, of which as yet, she had received
no sign ... "I will not see you again except in heaven, but I will speak
to Mary Help of Christians about you, and about all the good you have done
me!..."
Saying goodbye to Sr.
Az6car, she spoke more with her glance than with words. She had no words left.
Her closest friends had
gone and Laura spent the night of January 19th thinking of the long road the
caravan would have to travel- from Junin to Temuco and then to Santiago... They
were going to her birthplace.
They would be passing
near the church where she had been baptised. Perhaps she remembered her
father. ..
Laura was alone as she
faced death and with this terrible question: Will I speak to mother about it
before I die? Will I make her suffer pointlessly? Or will the
suffering be of some value? ..
Meanwhile the Sisters at
the college were preparing the trunks and Laura was asking herself what should
she prepare for the great crossing over?
Two years previously,
when Sr. Anna Maria Rodriguez had died, she had offered in prayer the heroic
act of charity for the souls in Purgatory, so now her hands were empty!... But
she did not feel afraid. Alone, yes, alone and despoiled of everything, yet how
happy she felt at that moment. It was the fourth anniversary of her entrance to
the college and, in four years, she had travelled the whole way.
Part 20:
Friendships
On January 21st the
Church celebrates the feast of the Roman martyr, St. Agnes. The Children of
Mary, Laura's companions at Junin, went to Mass and then called to the ranchito
to be near their friend as she approached death.
Laura was not able to
receive Holy Communion as she was continually vomiting.
Her suffering was so
great and so evident that her friends knelt down around her bed and asked Our
Lady that the dying girl might once more receive Holy Communion. Merceditas was
present. Perhaps she reminded her friends of two years ago, when she and Laura,
on the eve of their reception as Children of Mary, were sweeping a classroom.
On that occasion they took a picture of St. Agnes and having placed it on a desk,
recited their act of consecration kneeling before it. Now, she who many
centuries before, had offered her neck to the sword rather than lose her
virginity, came from her heavenly throne to meet another thirteen year old, the
little virgin martyr of the Andean Cordillera.
Two years ago, on the day
of their consecration, Laura, in a burst of enthusiasm, threw her arms around
Merceditas and said: "What a happy thought! In a few hours we will really
be Children of Mary, our dear Mother" ...
And now for the two
friends, the moment for a last painful embrace had come ... Death was hovering
around the poor ranchito. Could one speak of joy? Yes, Laura kept near her the
Handbook, which she always treasured, containing her duties and some beautiful
prayers.
How many times had she
not repeated: "O Mary conceived without sin, I, Laura Vicuna, take you as
my protectress, my lady and my mother. At your feet I firmly resolve to use all
my energy to promote your glory and devotion. From today on, I want to walk in your
footsteps and imitate your virtue, especially your angelic purity, your perfect
obedience and your boundless charity."
Purity, obedience and
charity were the source of Laura's joy. She was peaceful because she had loved
Mary.
At the Salesian college
there remained Fr. Genghini and a cleric who had come to spend the holidays at
Junin, hopefully to regain his health.
The latter's name was
Felix Ortiz. Like everyone else in the place, he used to visit the sick girl.
However, while the majority simply lamented the death of one so young, he
stayed by her bed, which for him was an altar, to give and receive comfort and
strength.
All were amazed at
Laura's self-control.
We will transcribe here
the words of some who saw her, and had to marvel at her calmness, her zeal, her
refinement of soul and the supernatural spirit whichgave life to her every
word, breath and heart-beat:
"People left the
room edified, recollected, lost in thought as though leaving the Church."
Some exclaimed: "Poor girl, how much she is suffering! She was so good,
and yet she has to die so young!"
Laura had thus become the
friend of all. The whole of Junin was in agony with her. Junin was learning
what it means to die in the Lord.
The cleric Ortiz had a
little statue of Our Lady - something very rare in those parts - and he offered
it to Laura.
She was already at the
end. Ortiz remained beside her, so let us leave the description to him: ''The
pale face and sunken eyes gave the impression that already the angel of death
had left his cold kiss on her forehead.
She smiled when she saw
me coming in. She seemed to revive and taking the little statue in her hands -
the one I had given her some days before - she said to me in a faint voice: 'It
is Mary who gives me strength in these moments.'
I went nearer the bed and
after a few questions about how she was feeling - questions which she answered
with serenity since all she wanted was the divine will - I asked her what made
her happiest at that difficult moment. Always smiling, Laura whispered to
me: 'What consoles me most in these moments is the fact that I have
always been devoted to Mary. Yes, she is my mother ... she is my mother ...
Nothing makes me so happy as the thought that I am a Child of Mary!'"
Then the dying girl spoke
to him from her heart. Ortiz tells us: "She uttered words which I
carry engraven in my heart since they referred solely to me, and their memory
has renewed my interior strength on many occasions."
Six years later, when
already a priest, Fr. Ortiz said: "I still seem to hear those words - 'She
is my mother'. In that expression lies the secret of Laura's life, a life
which was innocent, serene, unspoilt; more angelic than human!" And he
continues: "I understood then how far Christian love can go and I no
longer marvelled at Laura's virtue, at her deep spirit of prayer, her tender
love for the Heart of Jesus and for Mary Immaculate, her sincere humility, her
reserve and modesty and her terrible fear of the world. Neither do I wonder at
her love of suffering or at her offering her life to save the person she loved
most in the world ... All had its source in her love for Mary ... With that
blessed name on her lips, some short hours afterwards she peacefully gave up
her soul to God!"
Part 21: "I am
Dying for You"
Laura had already said good-bye
to all. At the girls' school the only one left was Sr. Marietta Rodriguez, the
infirmarian. Laura sent for her, to thank her for her kindness and care.
Sr. Marietta wrote:
"I found her resigned to God's will. She said to me: 'I hope my mother
will decide to live a good life. Then 1 will die in peace'."
She had spoken to
Merceditas with great emotion: "Dear Merceditas, be constant in virtue ...
We were friends on earth, and 1 will not forget you in heaven ... Good-bye! I
will greet Our Lady for you. I hope to see her soon."
She wanted to see
Amandina. While the latter sobbed with her head between her hands, as she
leaned on the bed, Laura exhorted her: "Have great charity and patience
with Mamma. Try not to displease her and always treat her with great respect.
Be humble and obey her. Do not abandon her in her needs, even should you go to
another state ... Remember these words of your sister who is about to leave you
... We will meet each other in heaven!. .. "
Since the vomiting had
ceased she was able to receive Viaticum, which Fr. Genghini brought early on
the morning of January 22nd. Shortly afterwards he gave her Extreme Unction.
Death was very near, and
yet it seemed that she could not die. Mercedes, greatly agitated, was coming in
and out of the sick room. She bent over Laura, and attended her with great
kindness, but Fr. Genghini tells us that she appeared at times to avoid her
daughter's
gaze.
Many times that same
daughter had begged her to leave Manuel Mora!... Would she now watch her die
without promising to break the vile chain? ..
Or perhaps was Mercedes
afraid to admit the tragic situation?
Fr. Genghini remained
alone with the dying girl at least for some moments. This had possibly been the agreement between them. Afternoon moved in to evening and Fr. Crestanello's caravan was already on
chilean soil ...
Laura, after drowsing for
a long time, wakened up and looked around.
Merceditas and Maria Vera
were praying in an undertone. Fr. Genghini was beside the bed. Laura made a sign to him to call her mother. She must speak to her, it was time; this was the last chance.
"Mercedes!" he
called. The woman, believing that her daughter's last moment had come, cried out: "My
daughter, my daughter, are you going to leave me alone?" and she ran to the bedside.
Fr. Genghini retired into
a corner, while Merceditas and Maria went to the door and remained there as
though in a dream.
Laura, with infinite
tenderness, said: "Yes, mother, I am dying!... I asked this of Jesus." Mercedes gazed
intensely at her daughter, and big tears ran down her cheeks. Laura continued:
"For almost two
years I have been offering my life to Him for you!. .. for the grace of your return!" Mercedes fell to her knees.
"Mother, before I
die, shall I not have the joy of seeing you repent?" The hushed silence was broken only by Mercedes' sobbing.
Finally, almost beside
herself with anguish and remorse, she exclaimed: "Then I have been the cause of
your Calvary, and now I am responsible for your death? Oh my Laura, I swear this moment that I will do what you ask me... I repent. God is witness to my promise! ... "
Laura was transfigured.
She called out "Father!"
Fr. Genghini came.
"Father, my mother
has promised to leave that man. You too are a witness to her promise!..."
And Mercedes continued:
"Yes, Laura, tomorrow morning I will go to church with Amandina and go to
confession ... "
Mother and daughter
embraced and the closeness was so intimate that it seemed a dream!... It was only
then that Merceditas and Maria got to know of Laura's heroic secret. Before long everyone would know.
The sun was setting and a
great peace spread over Laura's face. Mercedes, inconsolable, was sobbing.
Laura kissed the
crucifix, smiled and murmured: ''Thank you Jesus! Thank you Mary! Now I die content!" And she died.
A few seconds before,
Julia Cifuentes had entered the room, and she assures us that "Laura died while speaking." Hers were words of light, a light that did not grow dim.
Part 22: Afterwards
Afterwards
Laura's mother sent
Merceditas to the college to ask for the white dress and blue sash which she had worn on the day of her reception as a Child of Mary. Then, weeping bitterly, she dressed the corpse of her angelic little daughter.
Laura's companions
lovingly placed the ribbon round her neck, and the rosary beads and Sodality regulations in her hands. In the fields the flowers were blooming everywhere; it was mid-summer. Her friends and neighbours and all the people of Junin came to the ranchito with flowers.
Fr. Genghini, the cleric
Ortiz, Sr. Marietta and Merceditas took turns near the corpse, praying for her soul. People filed past, filled with emotion, and left a flower as they offered a prayer. It was a real demonstration of affection, of veneration, of compassion ... One heard such comments as:
"She was a
saint!"
"Laura, virgin and
martyr, pray for us!" to which Mercedes, seated near her daughter, replied: "Yes, a martyr for my sake!. .. " and she began to cry again. All of a sudden she seemed to get a grip on herself and she dried her tears. She called Fr. Genghini and begged him to tell Manuel Mora "not to think of her anymore, because she had decided to change her way of life!"
The victim had been
accepted and Mercedes was already on the road to conversion.
All of Junin turned out
for the requiem Mass for Laura. It was consoling to see the mother go to receive
Holy Communion, after having been to confession before Mass. Many a tl!ar-filled eye followed her to the altar - as many as the prayers which had been offered for her.
Meanwhile, Manuel Mora went
around the countryside in a wild rage!
The coffin remained in
the church all day. The God of mercy was drawing life from death. Laura's death certificate declares: "Today, January 23rd, 1904, Laura Vicuna was buried, aged thirteen, cause of death:
peritonitis ... "
Towards sundown Laura's
body was brought to the cemetery. Again the whole countryside, full of emotion, accompanied the remains. Julia Amanda recalls: "There were many people present at the funeral and burial, because everyone loved Laura."
Maria Vera assures us,
too, that every family in Junin took part in the service - "drawn by Laura's reputation for holiness ... "
Where would they bury the
little martyr? Mercedes no longer possessed anything. All she had were her hands to work with. But immediately a wealthy and benevolent family, the Herreras, offered a place for Laura in their family tomb. And, since two years previously they had given a niche for Sr. Anna Maria Rodriguez, teacher and pupil found themselves beside each other in that rest which is a prelude to the final resurrection.
Ortiz recalls: ''Those
who had known Laura intimately, and admired her virtue, bade a last farewell to the remains, as they murmured quietly:
"Angel, virgin,
martyr, pray for us"!
On the road home Manuel
Mora appeared. Seeing that the girl was now dead, everything could begin all
over again ... Things could be as they were at the start... Mercedes would return to Quilquihue!
Fr. Genghini, not
Mercedes, went forward to meet the haughty ranch-owner and give him her message. This priest had already become Mercedes' protector.
Manuel Mora gritted his
teeth but in the presence of so many, all he could do was go away...
The good women of Junin
took their turns and kept Mercedes company during the next few days; they felt that the falcon would return! And he did.
He swooped down on the
ranchita, revolver in hand. He had hoped to find the victim alone, to terrify her into following him. Flora Urrutia and Emilia Heucheff in angry tones, tried to persuade him to leave the woman in peace. He, however, answered Mercedes in a rough voice: "How well you have protected yourself between two women!" he said.
"Should it cost me
my life," she answered, "1 will keep my oath to my daughter!"
But he retorted:
"You will not escape me. 1 will be happy only when 1 see you dead."
Part 23: The Flight
The flight
They say that Mercedes
showed the courage of a lion as she kept her promise. In fact she could not put a foot outside the house without being in danger. She did not risk living alone, but neither did she give in!
Natalina Figueroa says:
"At Laura's death, Mrs Pino had to hide herself because Manuel Mora threatened her with death if she did not return with him to the ranch."
Because of this she
planned to flee. Julia Amanda went back to the college. Flora Urrutia, through a servant, sent a big package to the ranchito ...
In it were clothes for
the disguise. Then the lady herself came to explain her plan to Mercedes. Half way between Junin and Carlo Richter's ranch there was a small ranchito belonging to the Urrutia family. She could hide there if necessary. Carlo Richter was a rich land-owner who had property near the frontiers. His wife would help her for the second part of the journey ... On the appointed day Flora would have the horses ready ... The people knew of the plan, but in order to protect Mercedes, they kept it a secret...
"One evening,"
according to Amelia Martinez, who lived along that route, "as I stood at the window, I noticed passing by, a lady I did not recognise. My friend Maclovia Gutierrez who was beside me whispered: - 'It is Mercedes Pino. She is trying to get away!..."
They continued to gaze
after her. As soon as she was out of the built-up area she found the one who was
to accompany her waiting, with the horses ready. At top speed, she set off along the road to the Richter's rancho.
But someone else - there is always a traitor - was hurrying along to the ranch at Quilquihue! Manuel Mora, with a curse, got into the saddle and followed the tracks of the fugitive. As luck would have it, she had not stopped at Flora's ranchito! When she eventually arrived at the Richter's farm she found Mrs Richter ready. Having changed the horses, they continued towards the frontier, since their intention was to go down into Chile.
Manuel Mora reached the
Richter's farm shortly after the two women had left.
Charles detained him
talking, until he thought the little caravan was sufficiently far away. Then, as man to man they discussed the burning issue, and he dissuaded Mora from following Mercedes. The ranch-owner returned to Quilquihue, certainly not convinced, but once again, he had been beaten!. ..
During the difficult
crossing of the Cordilleras, Mercedes met up with Fr. Crestanello's caravan as it headed back towards Junin. In a flood of tears she poured out her whole story to Sr. Pi ai, and asked her tocare for Amandina.
She said she would stay
far away until her good friends in Junin sent word that Mora no longer thought about her... and she could return.
She did, in fact, go back
after some time. She lived with Josephine Ferre, whose parents were rich and highly respected, even by Mora. Later on she rented a little house where she retired with Julia Amanda, who continued at school as a day pupil.
Everyone was helpful, and
Mercedes persisted in her resolve, risking death rather than go back on the promise she had made ... Fr. Crestanello, according to the sisters of Junin, with his kind words, tried "to alleviate her sufferings and give her moral support to face the troubles which tormented her."
Others relate that the
Commissioner of Police gave Sergeant Silva the responsibility of providing "personal protection" for Mercedes.
Already the year was
ending, summer was near, and Julia Amanda, now twelve years old, had finished school. She was like her sister, physically welldeveloped and seemed much older than her years.
A fine young man, Orazio
Jones, asked her to marry him and Mercedes immediately gave her consent. The wedding was celebrated in the little Church of Junin on November 10th of that year. Julia herself says: "I must admit that I could not immediately understand why my mother gave me in marriage at twelve years of age, in 1906. But as I got older, I concluded that she no doubt had been guided by this desire - to save me from the dangerous situation in which she had found herself with Mora."
The same Mora came to a
tragic end. There was horse-racing at the Flores' ring. It seems that Mora had lost in the betting ... He got into an argument with a certain John Aranda, punching him in the face. Aranda's step-brother entered the fight ... Manuel Mora was stabbed ...
He died on the street
covered in his own blood.
For those who would like
to know how Mercedes ended her life, Fr. Genghini tells us that she died a christian death on November 17th, 1929, in Cherquenco, in the Temuco valley. She was fifty nine.
Part 24: Testimonies
Testimonies
"Like the virgin St Agnes, Laura Vicuna showed a degree of virtue beyond her years. Through faithful correspondence to grace, she reached the height of christian heroism, offering her own life for the salvation of her mother. Hers is an example bound to impress not only the young people of today, but also their parents and educators. It shows the wonderful fruitfulness of the Church, which is ever producing new flowers of grace and holiness, also among the young."
Mgr. Louis Chavez Gonzales, Archbishop of S. Salvador
"She is an example of christian holiness which must not be left in the shade; she must become known, honoured and proposed for imitation by our young people. They have great need of such examples.
Mgr. Gagnor, Bishop of Alexandria
"The shining example of Laura Vicuna helps our young people - often empty, superficial, or generally sceptical - to understand clearly what is the meaning and value of life. America will have a new patron.A new star will shine in the Church's firmament."
Mgr. Nicodemo , Archbishop of Bari
"Although so young in years, the servant of God appeared very mature in virtue which was well-proven - simple and candid, ardent in prayer, generous and strong in sacrifice, even to the heroic offering of her life for the salvation of her mother. In these times of 'brokeness' and moral crisis for young people, where the tendency is to flee from sacrifice and to crave for pleasure, this angelic servant of God can be a model and incentive towards those strong, pure, christian ideals, which today are too often forgotten."
Cardinal Maurillo Fossati, Archbishop of Turin
"In the beginning I felt that Laura lived an ordinary life, but as the years passed I became more persuaded that the exercise of her virtues demanded heroism. Besides, I can declare that the servant of God's reputation for sanctity, so widespread today, is wellfounded."
Sr. Marietta Rodriguez, Infirmarian at Junin
"Laura was presented to the pupils as a model of piety, obedience, humility, mortification and many other virtues which she cultivated to a high degree."
Sr. Virginia Mossino
"I was in Junin de los Andes from 1922 to 1938. During that time I heard them speak of Laura with such
enthusiasm and respect, as though she had died only recently. They praised her mortification, they recalled the offering of her life for the conversion of her mother; they visited her tomb frequently and during recreation they used to sing the traditional hymn composed by Fr.Ortiz about Laura."
Sr. Maria Mendoza
"It was an incentive to virtue, for the students in the college, just finding themselves in the classrooms and workroom made holy by Laura's presence."
Sr. Adele Camargo, Past pupil of the college at Junin
"They managed to give a true description of Laura. From what I knew of her, her amiability, charity and humility were really as they described."
Sr. Grassi
"To Laura I would give two palms: the palm of purity, and that of love ... I think that very soon Laura
will be one of the greatest glories of the young people gathered in our Salesian Houses."
Servant of God Don Filippo Rinaldi
"Apostolic spirit and martyrdom in a life so young are miracles worth remembering."
Cardinal Minoretti, Archbishop of Genova
Part 25: In Her
Words
Quotes and Thoughts from
Blessed Laura Vicuña
"Mary is my
mother. What consoles me most is the thought that I am a Child of
Mary."
"We must offer
sacrifices to God for the salvation of souls."
"Be devout to Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Help of Christians. Be constant in
virtue."
"It is Mary who
gives me strength and joy in these moments. She is my mother."
"Love Jesus and Mary
and you will be happy at the moment of death."
"My God, give me a life
of love, of mortification, of sacrifice."
"We will be reunited
in heaven."
"Be loving and kind
to your neighbor. Do not despise the poor. Do not treat anyone with
coldness and you will be respected by all."
"If Jesus wants it
that way, then I do too."
"Yes, I suffer
gladly. My one desire is to please Jesus and Mary."
"I hope to go soon
to see Jesus and Mary. I would like to go to confession so as to prepare
myself better for the big step."
"You must know how
to suffer and to forgive each others' failings, and love each other as good
friends."
"Since I cannot work
and I am near the end, it is right that you should pray a lot for me, so that
the Lord will give me patience and happiness in my pain and suffering, and His
holy grace to others."
"Virgin of Carmel,
take me to Heaven."
"It seems to me that
God Himself keeps the memory of His presence alive in me. Wherever I am,
at school, in recreation, everywhere, the thought of God is with me, to help
and console me."
"If we remembered
often that God sees us, how many failures we would avoid. There would be
no need for Assistants! We would do everything well."
"What good fortune
it would have been, for me to die in your house, O Mother."
"We must live only
for Jesus. I will consider myself a little fool for Jesus."
"I cannot keep back
my tears when I think of how Jesus humbled himself for love of us."
"O longed-for
Heaven, when will you come?"
"O Jesus, since I
cannot be accepted among those who consecrate themselves to you in the
Institute of the FMA (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Salesian Sisters),
I offer myself completely to your love. I want to be all yours, even if I
have to remain in the world."
"From sticks planted
in obedience roses bloom. Remember, Merceditas, just as a dry stick can bloom,
so can God speak through the voice of Superiors."
"Let us make an
effort every day, Jesus suffered so much for us on the Cross."
"O Mary, we confide
to your Immaculate Heart our consolations and our griefs, our fears and our
hopes. Be our peace in the storms, our shield in battle, and our refuge
in time of need."
This biography of Laura
Vicuña was originally written in Italian by Sr. Maria Domenica Grassiano, FMA
under the title of "La mia vita per la mamma. Laura del Carmine
Vicuña." It was translated into English under the title of "For
love of my mother. Laura Carmen Vicuña" by Sr. Mary Doran, FMA. This
web version may periodically be udpated with minor edits, as time permits by
our Salesian brothers and priests.
SOURCE : https://donboscowest.org/laura-vicuna
Beata Laura Vicuna Vergine
Festa: 22 gennaio
Santiago del Cile, Cile,
5 aprile 1891 - Junin de los Andes, Argentina, 22 gennaio 1904
Laura Vicuna nacque a
Santiago del Cile nel 1891. Rimasta orfana di padre all'età di due anni, si
trasferì con la mamma in Argentina, dove frequentava il collegio delle Suore
Salesiane. Morì giovanissima il 22 gennaio 1904, dopo essere diventata la
bambina più generosa e simpatica di tutta la scuola. Simpatica ma anche
energica quanto bastò per fronteggiare con coraggio le insidie violente che un
maniaco le tendeva. La sua figura impressiona per la straordinaria
determinazione che questa bambina sapeva esprimere, pronunziando con fermezza
il suo proposito: "la morte ma non peccati". E' un invito a riflettere
come i bambini sappiano talora essere radicali nelle loro scelte, e come in
particolare la bambine custodiscono tesori spesso ignorati. Laura fu
beatificata da Giovanni Paolo II il 3 settembre 1988. La sua salma è venerata
nella cappella delle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice a Bahía Blanca, in Argentina.
Etimologia: Laura =
alloro, dal latino
Emblema: Nastro
azzurro e medaglietta delle Figlie di Maria
Martirologio
Romano: Nel villaggio di Junín de los Andes in Argentina, beata Laura
Vicuña, vergine, che, nata a Santiago del Cile, alunna nell’Istituto di Maria
Ausiliatrice, all’età di tredici anni offrì la sua vita a Dio per la
conversione della madre.
Laura del Carmen Vicuna, questo il suo nome completo, nacque nella capitale cilena, Santiago, il 5 aprile 1891,primogenita di José Domingo e di Mercedes Pino. La città era attraversata da tensioni politiche e militari ed a causa di ciò fu necessario atendere quasi due mesi per procedere alla celebrazione del suo battesimo, che ebbe luogo il 24 maggio successivo. Tra gli antenati di Laura figuravano parecchi personaggi illustri e per tal motivo la rivoluzione imperante si scagliò anche sulla famiglia di Laura. Il padre fu forzatamente costretto all’esilio e dovette trasferirsi verso sud, alla frontiera con l’Argentina sulle Ande. L’intera famiglia traslocò dunque a Temuco. La famiglia si ritrovò repentinamente in una triste situazione di precarietà a seguito della morte del padre avvenuta nel 1893. Alcuni mesi dopo, l’anno successivo, nacque una seconda bambina, Giulia Amanda. La madre si ritrovò così sola con due figlie a dover vincere la fame e la disperazione.
Nel 1899 il residuo nucleo familiare si trasferì nella vicina regione argentina del Neuquén. La madre potè così trovare lavoro nella tenuta agricola di Manuel Mora, uno dei tanti colonizzatori che avevano intrapreso lo sfruttamento dei terreni incolti della Patagonia. In seguito a pressioni subite dal datore di lavoro, ne divenne la compagna. Ciò conseguentemente influì purtroppo negativamente sull’educazione delle due bambine. Laura, seppur ancora piccola, si rese conto della precarietà e dell’irregolarità dal punto di vista religiosa della mamma, che in tal modo non poteva essere ammessa ai sacramenti.
Nonostante ciò la mamma non abbandonò mai completamente le figlie e tentò nei limiti del possibile di educarle anche religiosamente. Al fine di assicurare loro un’istruzione adeguata e continua, le affidò nel gennaio 1900 ad un piccolo collegio missionario tenuto dalle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice, situato a Junin de los Andes ai confini con il Cile, patria natia di Laura.
Di quest’ultima, nel consegnarla alla superiora, la madre assicurò: “Non mi ha mai dato dispiaceri. Fin dall’infanzia è stata sempre obbediente e sottomessa”.
Repentinamente catapultata in questo nuovo ambiente, Laura si trovò comunque subito a proprio agio. Il suo animo fu tempestivamente conquistato dalle verità evangeliche infusele mediante la catechesi e ciò la portò a rendersi maggiormente conto della contrarietà della situazione di convivenza della madre rispetto alla legge divina. Il 2 giugno 1901 potè ricevere la prima Comunione, ma in tal giorno divenne ancor più profonda la sua sofferenza nel vedere la mamma non accostarsi ai sacramenti. Non potè dunque astenersi dal pregare intensamente per la pacifica conclusione di tale relazione. Purtroppo la sua speranza non ebbe compimento, ma ciò non toglie che questa esperienza fu decisiva nel provocare una grande svolta nella sua vita, che fu così descritta: “Notammo in lei da quel giorno un vero e solido progresso”.
Il giorno della prima Comunione scrisse alcuni propositi, molto simili a quelli del santo allievo di don Bosco, Domenico Savio: “O mio Dio, voglio amarti e servirti per tutta la vita; perciò ti dono la mia anima, il mio cuore, tutto il mio essere. Voglio morire piuttosto che offenderti col peccato; perciò intendo mortificarmi in tutto ciò che mi allontanerebbe da te. Propongo di fare quanto so e posso perché tu sia conosciuto e amato, e per riparare le offese che ricevi ogni giorno dagli uomini, specialmente dalle persone della mia famiglia. Mio Dio, dammi una vita di amore, di mortificazione, di sacrificio”.
Con questi propositi Laura si abbandonò totalmente al Signore pur di ottenere la conversione di sua madre e le Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice non tardarono a comprendere di trovarsi dinnanzi ad una bambina eccezionale.
Sin dal suo primo anno di permanenza nel collegio si distinse per la volenterosa applicazione nello studio e per l’intensità della sua vita interiore. Dall’8 dicembre 1900 si iscrisse alla Pia Unione delle Figlie di Maria.
Nel secondo anno le sorelle Vicuna furono mandate in vacanza dalla madre, ma Laura restò negativamente scossa dall’impatto con il suo convivente. Era sofferente fin nel più profondo della sua intimità, ma ciò non traspariva se non nei momenti di maggiore amarezza. Una di queste occasioni fu per esempio la mancata partecipazione della mamma alla missione popolare che fu predicata a Junin de los Andes. L’anno successivo le due sorelle raggiunsero nuovamente la mamma a Quilquihué nel periodo delle vacanze. Mora esternò un eccessivo interesse nei confronti di Laura, la quale se ne accorse prontamente e si cinse come di una corazza di ferro per combatterne i malvagi propositi. Questi reagì crudelmente e si vendicò rifiutandosi di pagare la retta del collegio. Mossa da pietà e comprensione la direttrice accolse ugualmente le due bambine.
Il 29 marzo 1902 le due sorelline ricevettero la cresima, presente la madre che però perseverò nell’astensione dai sacramenti. In tale occasione Laura fece richiesta di poter essere ammessa tra le postulanti delle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice, ma ottenne una risposta negativa a causa della situazione familiare. Dovette dunque rassegnarsi, senza però desistere dal suo intento.
Il mese successivo, infatti, emise privatamente i voti di castità, povertà ed obbedienza, consacrandosi così a Gesù ed offrendogli la propria vita. Verso fine anno iniziò a manifestarsi in Laura un leggero deperimento fisico.
Trascorse l’intero anno successivo rinchiusa nel collegio e nel settembre 1903 non riuscì neppure a prendere parte agli esercizi spirituali, tanto era diventata cagionevole la sua salute. Tentò un cambiamento climatico, tornando dalla madre, ma ciò non si rivelò alquanto salutare. Allora tornò a Junin e vi si trasferì anche la madre, alloggiando però privatamente.
Nel gennaio 1904 giunse in visita il Mora, con il proposito di trascorrere la notte nella medesima abitazione. “Se egli si ferma qui, io me ne vado in collegio dalle suore” minacciò Laura scandalizzata, e così dovette fare seppur stravolta dal male. Mora la inseguì e, raggiuntala, la percosse violentemente lasciandola traumatizzata. Giunta poi in collegio si confessò dal suo direttore spirituale, rinnovando l’offerta della propria vita per la conversione della madre.
Il 22 gennaio ricevette il Viatico e quella sera fece chiamare la madre per trasmetterle il suo grande sogno: “Mamma, io muoio! Io stessa l’ho chiesto a Gesù. Sono quasi due anni che gli ho offerto la vita per te, per ottenere la grazia del tuo ritorno alla fede. Mamma, prima della morte non avrò la gioia di vederti pentita?”. Questa le promise allora di cambiare completamente vita. Laura potè allora spirare serenamente dopo aver pronunciato queste ultime gioiose parole: “Grazie, Gesù! Grazie, Maria! Ora muoio contenta!”
In occasione del funerale la mamma tornò ad accostarsi ai sacramenti della Riconciliazione e dell’Eucaristia.
La tomba di Laura è collocata nella cappella del Collegio Maria Ausiliatrice di
Bahia Blanca, in Argentina, dove è metà di pellegrinaggi in particolare per le
popolazioni cilena ed argentina.
Venerata fin dalla sua morte, l’apertura della sua causa di canonizzazione
avvenne solo il 19 settembre 1955, portando al riconoscimento delle virtù
eroiche ed al conferimento del titolo di “venerabile” il 5 giugno 1986.
A seguito del riconoscimento ufficiale di un miracolo avvenuto per sua intercessione, Laura del Carmen Vicuna, poema di candore, di amore filiale e di sacrificio, fu beatificata dal Sommo Pontefice Giovanni Paolo II il 3 settembre 1988 sul Colle delle beatitudini giovanili, presso Castelnuovo Don Bosco. Il nuovo Martyrologium Romanum la commemora dunque il giorno della sua morte, nel quale è fissata anche la sua memoria liturgica per la Famiglia Salesiana.
PREGHIERA PER LA
CANONIZZAZIONE
Concedimi, Signore, nella tua immensa bontà e misericordia,
le grazie che fiduciosamente imploro per intercessione di Laura Vicuna,
eletto fiore di santità sbocciato sulle Ande Patagoniche.
Della sua tenera esistenza la Tua grazia fece un modello
di pietà, di obbedienza, di vittoriosa purezza; l’ideale della Figlia di Maria;
la vittima nascosta e gradita dell’amor filiale più sollecito e fecondo.
Degnati, pertanto, di esaltare anche in terra l’emula di Agnese, Cecilia e
Maria Goretti:
e fa che alla luce dei suoi esempi si accresca il numero
delle giovani forti nel combattimento spirituale e pronte al sacrificio,
per la Tua gloria, la gloria dell’Immacolata e i trionfi della chiesa.
PREGHIERE PER OTTENERE GRAZIE
Ci rivolgiamo a te, Laura Vicuna, che la Chiesa ci propone
come modello di adolescente, coraggiosa testimone di Cristo.
Tu che sei stata docile allo Spirito Santo e ti sei nutrita di Eucaristia,
concedici la grazia che con fiducia ti domandiamo…
Ottienici fede coerente, purezza coraggiosa, fedeltà al dovere quotidiano,
fortezza nel vincere le insidie dell’egoismo e del male.
Fa che anche la nostra vita, come la tua, sia totalmente aperta alla presenza
di Dio,
alla fiducia in Maria e all’amore forte e generoso verso gli altri. Amen.
O beata Laura Vicuna,
tu che hai vissuto fino all’eroismo la configurazione a Cristo
accogli la nostra fiduciosa preghiera.
Ottienici grazie di cui abbiamo bisogno…
E aiutaciad aderire con cuore puro e docile alla volontà del Padre.
Dona alle nostre famiglie pace e fedeltà.
Fa che anche nella nostra vita, come nella tua,
risplendano fede coerente, purezza coraggiosa,
carità attenta e sollecita per il bene dei fratelli. Amen.
PREGHIERA
Signore nostro Dio,
ti lodiamo per i doni di grazia che hai effuso
nell’anima dell’adolescente Laura Vicuna.
Glorifica questa tua fedele serva
E fa che il suo cammino di fede coerente,
di purezza coraggiosa, di eroismo nella carità filiale
sia per le giovani di oggi richiamo efficace
all’impegno di vita cristiana.
Concedi a noi le grazie che per sua intercessione ti domandiamo
e dona alle famiglie la pace e l’unione,
frutto del vero amore. Amen.
COLLETTA
Padre d'immensa tenerezza,
che nell'adolescente Laura Vicuña
hai unito in modo mirabile
la fortezza d'animo e il candore dell'innocenza,
per sua intercessione
donaci il coraggio di superare le prove della vita
e di testimoniare al mondo la beatitudine dei puri di cuore.
Per il nostro Signore Gesù Cristo, tuo Figlio, che è Dio,
e vive e regna con te, nell'unità dello Spirito Santo,
per tutti i secoli dei secoli. Amen.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
Note: Per segnalare grazie o favori ricevuti per sua intercessione, oppure
per informazioni, rivolgersi al Postulatore Generale della Famiglia Salesiana: postulatore@sdb.org
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/38450
Altar
to Dominic Savio and Laura Vicuña, at the Basilica Mary
Help of Christians and Saint Charles Borromeo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Altar
a Domingo Savio y Laura Vicuña, en la Basílica
María Auxiliadora y San Carlos, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
VISITA PASTORALE A TORINO
BEATIFICAZIONE DI LAURA
VICUÑA
OMELIA DI GIOVANNI PAOLO
II
Colle Don Bosco (Torino)
- Sabato, 3 settembre 1988
1. “Io ti rendo
lode, Padre, Signore del cielo e della terra che hai nascosto queste cose ai
dotti e ai sapienti e le hai rivelate ai piccoli” (Lc 10, 21).
A queste parole del
Signore Gesù, l’evangelista aggiunge: “Esultò nello Spirito Santo” (Lc 10,
21).
Desideriamo accogliere
nei nostri cuori un raggio di questa esultanza, perché ci troviamo insieme in
occasione del centenario della morte di san Giovanni Bosco, al quale si possono
riferire in modo particolare tali parole del nostro maestro e salvatore.
Similmente si riferisce a
lui anche tutto ciò che leggiamo nell’odierna liturgia, seguendo la prima
lettera di san Giovanni: “Ho scritto a voi, figlioli, perché avete conosciuto
il Padre . . . colui che è fin dal principio . . . a voi, giovani, perché siete
forti, e la parola di Dio dimora in voi e avete vinto il maligno” (1 Gv 2,
14).
Sull’esempio di san
Giovanni apostolo ed evangelista, anche san Giovanni Bosco, durante tutti gli
anni della sua vita e del suo apostolato ha scritto una lettera: una “lettera
viva” nel cuore della gioventù. E l’ha scritta in questa esultanza che è data
ai piccoli e agli umili nello Spirito Santo.
2. Questa lettera
viva veniva già letta durante la vita e il servizio sacerdotale di san Giovanni
Bosco. E la stessa “lettera viva” continua ad essere scritta nei cuori dei
giovani, ai quali giunge l’eredità del santo educatore di Torino.
E tale “lettera” diventa
particolarmente limpida ed eloquente, quando da quest’eredità di generazione in
generazione crescono sempre nuovi santi e beati.
Conosciamo tutti la
splendida schiera di anime elette, formatesi alla scuola di don Bosco: san
Domenico Savio, il beato Michele Rua, suo primo successore, i beati martiri
Luigi Versiglia e Callisto Caravario, santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello,
cofondatrice delle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice, e oggi anche la giovane Laura
Vicuña, che viene elevata agli altari, in occasione del Giubileo salesiano.
3. La nuova beata,
che oggi onoriamo, è frutto particolare dell’educazione ricevuta dalle Figlie
di Maria Ausiliatrice, ed è perciò significativa parte dell’eredità di san
Giovanni Bosco. È giusto quindi rivolgere anche il nostro pensiero all’Istituto
delle Suore Salesiane ed alla loro fondatrice, per attingere più profonda
devozione ai santi fondatori e nuovo ardore apostolico, specialmente nella
formazione cristiana dei giovani.
Misteriosi sono sempre
per noi i disegni di Dio, ma alla fine risultano provvidenziali. La giovane
Maria Domenica Mazzarello, che ebbe umili origini a Mornese, piccolo paese
della diocesi di Acqui, già aveva maturato il proposito di consacrarsi ad una
vita di donazione al Signore. Incontratasi con don Bosco, scoprì la sua
vocazione definitiva, seguendo l’apostolo della gioventù, il quale desiderava
fondare anche un’istituzione femminile. Entrata nell’orbita spirituale e
apostolica di don Bosco, Maria Domenica Mazzarello riunì il primo gruppo di
religiose a Mornese e il 5 agosto 1872, con la vestizione e la professione,
diede inizio ufficiale all’Istituto.
Da quell’inizio, in breve
tempo, le fondazioni si susseguirono in Italia, varcando poi anche le frontiere
dell’Oceano, con le prime missioni nell’Uruguay e nella Patagonia. Dal giorno
in cui la fondatrice, insieme con altre quattordici giovani, si era consacrata
al Signore, fino al giorno della sua morte, avvenuta il 14 maggio 1881, erano
appena trascorsi nove anni; ma in quel breve spazio di tempo la santa aveva
posto le basi di un promettente istituto religioso, che poi si sarebbe
sviluppato in modo davvero meraviglioso. “Mi sono offerta vittima al Signore”
aveva confidato un giorno ad una giovane missionaria; e don Bosco aveva
commentato: “La vittima era gradita a Dio e fu accettata”.
Possiamo dire che questo
“spirito” della fondatrice si è mantenuto vivo e ardente nelle Figlie di Maria
Ausiliatrice! La fede profonda e convinta, unita ad una fervida e costante
devozione a Maria santissima, a san Giuseppe, all’angelo custode; la semplicità
di vita, espressa in modo particolare da un energico distacco dai gusti mondani
e da una intensa e incessante laboriosità; lo zelo ardente per la formazione e
la salvezza delle giovani secondo le direttive del “metodo preventivo”, hanno
fatto in modo che in cento e più anni di vita le attività si siano moltiplicate
con gli oratori, le scuole di vari ordini e gradi, le opere assistenziali e
sociali, gli asili infantili, la cura degli anziani, l’apostolato nelle parrocchie,
l’assistenza ai sacerdoti, in cinque continenti, in decine e decine di nazioni,
in tutte le lingue, secondo un programma altamente umanitario e profondamente
cristiano.
4. In questa
atmosfera visse e si perfezionò la giovane Laura Vicuña, “fiore eucaristico di
Junín de Los Andes, la cui vita fu un poema di purezza, di sacrificio, di amore
filiale”, come si legge sulla sua tomba. Orfana di padre, militare di grande
bontà e valore, esule da Santiago del Cile a Temuco, venne ad abitare con la
madre e la sorella nel villaggio di Quilquihué, nel territorio argentino di
Neuquén. L’ambiente purtroppo - a detta degli storici - era moralmente
inquinato; la stragrande maggioranza delle unioni coniugali era irregolare,
anche perché, mescolati agli indigeni, vivevano avventurieri, evasi e
fuoriusciti. La stessa madre della piccola Laura, entrata a servizio di un
“estanciero”, era commiserata sia per la sua infelice convivenza sia per la
ferocia dell’uomo a cui si era legata. La piccola Laura trovò ben presto un
rifugio spirituale presso le Suore Salesiane, nel piccolo collegio femminile di
Junín de Los Andes. Qui ella si preparò alla prima Comunione ed alla Cresima; e
qui si accese di ardore per Gesù, tanto da decidere di consacrare a lui la sua
vita nell’Istituto di don Bosco, tra quelle suore che tanto l’amavano e
l’aiutavano. All’età di dieci anni, ad imitazione di Domenico Savio, di cui
aveva sentito parlare, volle formulare tre propositi: “1) Mio Dio, voglio
amarvi e servirvi per tutta la vita; perciò vi dono la mia anima, il mio cuore,
tutto il mio essere; 2) Voglio morire piuttosto che offendervi con il peccato;
perciò intendo mortificarmi in tutto ciò che mi allontanerebbe da voi! 3)
Propongo di fare quanto so e posso perché voi siate conosciuto e amato, e per
riparare le offese che ricevete ogni giorno dagli uomini, specialmente dalle
persone della mia famiglia”.
Nella sua giovane età
Laura Vicuña aveva perfettamente compreso che il senso della vita sta nel
conoscere ed amare Cristo: “Non amate né il mondo n le cose del mondo!” -
scriveva san Giovanni evangelista - “Se uno ama il mondo, l’amore del Padre non
è in lui, perché tutto quello che è nel mondo, la concupiscenza della carne, la
concupiscenza degli occhi e la superbia della vita, non viene dal Padre, ma dal
mondo. Ed il mondo passa con la sua concupiscenza; ma chi fa la volontà di Dio
rimane in eterno” (1 Gv 2, 15-17).
Laura aveva appunto
compreso che ciò che conta è la vita eterna e che tutto ciò che è nel mondo e
del mondo passa inesorabilmente. Seguendo poi le spiegazioni del catechismo,
comprese la pericolosa situazione in cui si trovava sua madre e, sentendo un
giorno dal Vangelo che il vero amore giunge a dare la vita per la persona che
si ama, offrì la sua vita al Signore per la salvezza della mamma.
Divenuta poi quella casa
un pericolo anche per lei, al fine di difendere la sua innocenza aveva ottenuto
dal confessore il permesso di portare un cilicio. Un brutto giorno venne
aggredita e malmenata da quell’uomo; il quale, accecato dalla passione, la
percosse violentemente e la lasciò tramortita di spavento. Ma aveva vinto lei,
la giovane Laura. Questa però ormai, consumata da varie malattie, andava
velocemente declinando, confortata dall’Eucaristia e dalla speranza della
conversione della mamma. Nell’ultimo giorno della sua vita, poche ore prima di
morire, chiamò vicino a sé la mamma e le rivelò il grande segreto: “Sì mamma,
sto morendo . . . Io stessa l’ho chiesto a Gesù e sono stata
esaudita. Sono quasi due anni che gli offrii la mia vita per la tua
salvezza, per la grazia del tuo ritorno. Mamma, prima di morire non avrò la
gioia di vederti pentita?”.
A questa rivelazione,
serena e confidente, l’animo della madre diede un sussulto: mai avrebbe potuto
immaginare tanto amore in quella sua figlia! E spaventata nel conoscere la
sofferenza che aveva accettato per lei, promise di convertirsi e di
confessarsi. Ciò che fece prontamente e sinceramente. La missione della giovane
Laura era ormai compiuta! Ora poteva entrare nella felicità del suo Signore!
5. La soave figura
della beata Laura, gloria purissima dell’Argentina e del Cile, susciti un
rinnovato impegno spirituale in quelle due nobili nazioni, e a tutti insegni
che, con l’aiuto della grazia, si può trionfare sul male; e che l’ideale di
innocenza e di amore, seppur denigrato e offeso, non potrà in fine non
risplendere ed illuminare i cuori.
6. Il rito della “beatificazione”,
che con tanta gioia e solennità stiamo celebrando in questo luogo in cui ha
origine una storia di santità, - luogo giustamente denominato “la collina delle
beatitudini giovanili” - ci deve anche far riflettere sulla importanza della
famiglia nella educazione dei figli e sul diritto che questi hanno di vivere in
una famiglia normale, che sia luogo di amore reciproco e di formazione umana e
cristiana. Esso è un richiamo per la stessa società moderna perché sia sempre
più riguardosa dell’istituto familiare e dell’educazione dei giovani. La beata
Laura Vicuña illumini tutti voi, giovani, ed ispiri e sostenga sempre voi,
Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice, che siete state le sue educatrici!.
7. “Gesù esultò
nello Spirito Santo”.
Oggi la Chiesa di Cristo
- e particolarmente la Famiglia Salesiana - partecipa a questa letizia.
Esultiamo per la
elevazione alla gloria degli altari di una figlia spirituale di san Giovanni
Bosco, educata nella Congregazione femminile delle Figlie di Maria
Ausiliatrice. Esultiamo in modo particolare con la gioia della vostra madre,
santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello. Esultiamo con la vostra gioia, care sorelle!
Ecco, “il mondo passa con
la sua concupiscenza; ma chi fa la volontà di Dio rimane in eterno” (1
Gv 2, 17).
La nuova beata Laura
Vicuña ha imparato nella Famiglia Salesiana a fare la volontà di Dio. L’ha
imparata da Cristo, mediante questa comunità religiosa, che le ha mostrato la
via alla santità.
“Chi ama . . . dimora
nella luce” (1 Gv 2, 10).
Al termine della
celebrazione eucaristica, dopo aver impartito la benedizione apostolica, il
Santo Padre si congeda dai presenti con queste parole di ringraziamento e di
saluto.
Carissimi.
Ancora una parola di
ringraziamento. Oggi la Chiesa è pellegrina in questo luogo della nascita di
don Bosco, della sua nascita terrena, naturale, umana, e della sua nascita
soprannaturale nel sacramento del Battesimo. È una peregrinazione di fede, una
peregrinazione che ci commuove tutti, una peregrinazione in cui vogliamo
offrire alla Santissima Trinità la gratitudine per questo dono che ha suscitato
nella sua Chiesa, per questo dono il cui nome è don Bosco. Pellegrina è
soprattutto la larga famiglia salesiana, maschile e femminile, da tanti Paesi e
da tutti i continenti del mondo. Pellegrina insieme con la famiglia salesiana è
tutta la Chiesa: vengo io per dire grazie alla divina Provvidenza per questo
dono che ci ha fatto cento anni fa, per tutta la Chiesa, per il bene dei
giovani, per il bene della comunità cattolica, cristiana, umana, non solamente
qui, in Piemonte, in Italia, ma in tanti Paesi, in tanti ambienti, in tutti i
continenti. Porto qui anche un ringraziamento personale perché anche io sono
vissuto durante cinque anni, o sei, in una parrocchia affidata ai salesiani. E
quando mi trovo qui su questo “Colle delle beatitudini”, Colle don Bosco,
quando mi trovo qui a guardare il frontone di questa chiesa, non posso non
ricordare il frontone di un’altra chiesa che assomiglia un poco a questa, anche
architettonicamente: la parrocchia di san Stanislao Costka a Cracovia. Là mi ha
toccato attraverso i suoi figli spirituali, i salesiani, il carisma di don
Bosco. Così vengo qui in pellegrinaggio con tutti voi per ringraziare per la
parte che ha avuto san Giovanni Bosco, la sua famiglia spirituale, il suo
carisma, nella mia vita. Voglio ringraziare insieme con tutti i presenti, con i
piemontesi, con i cileni, con gli argentini, con l’America Latina, con tanti
Paesi del mondo qui rappresentati nelle diverse lingue, con tutti i continenti.
Voglio ringraziare oggi, in questo luogo, dove è nato, vicino a questa casa
dove è nato, dove ha avuto sua madre Margherita, dove ha vissuto, dove si è
avvicinato alla sua vocazione, soprattutto dove è stato battezzato. Si deve
ringraziare il Signore, così lui stesso che è Padre, Figlio, Spirito Santo,
scrive il suo imperscrutabile mistero nei cuori di questi piccoli di cui ha
parlato oggi il Vangelo, di questi piccoli come don Bosco, come madre Maria
Mazzarello, come Domenico Savio, come Laura Vicuña. Noi qui riuniti ringraziamo
la imperscrutabile Trinità, ringraziamo la sua misteriosa economia di salvezza
che passa attraverso i cuori e porta alla santità. Ringraziamo e non possiamo
mai trovare parole sufficienti per rendere grazie a Dio Padre e Figlio e
Spirito Santo per tutti questi voti. Sia lodato Gesù Cristo.
© Copyright 1988 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Estatua de Laura Vicuña junto a Nuestra Señora de las Nieves en la iglesia de Junín de los Andes
Laura Vicuña
La flor de la Patagonia
Laura Vicuña nació en Santiago de Chile el 15 de Abril de 1891. Hija de José
Domingo Vicuña y de Mercedes Pino. El padre era militar. Chile estaba viviendo
una guerra civil, provocada por la Marina, para derrocar al presidente
Balmaceda, el cual para evitar lo peor, propuso como candidato presidencial a
Domingo Vicuña. Pero ya era tarde. Sus contrarios se posesionaron del poder y
empezaron una persecución despiadada contra Balmaceda, Vicuña y sus
partidarios. José Domingo Vicuña se refugia con su familia en Temuco, a 500 km.
Al sur de Santiago donde, en el año 1893, nace la segunda hija, Julia Amanda.
Pocos meses después muere, agotado y extenuado.
Su esposa, al verse sola y abandonada en un pueblo de aventureros, desterrados
y perseguidos políticos, decidió cruzar los Andes con las hijas y establecerse
en Neuquén (Argentina). Era el año 1899. En el nuevo ambiente, la señora
Mercedes se encontró desamparada y sin recursos y con dos niñas a las que
criar. La casualidad la puso en relación con un rico propietario de 40 años,
Manuel Mora que era apuesto, pero pendenciero y sin escrúpulos. Al ver a
Mercedes en el desamparo, le prometió su apoyo. Mercedes en seguida se ilusionó
y soñó que con el tiempo podría atrapar al hombre y reconstruir su hogar y
aceptó su protección y sus caricias. Mora llevó a ella y a sus hijas a su
estancia. Pero unos días después, Laura, con su precoz capacidad de reflexión,
comenzó a tener sospechas. ¿Cuál era el motivo de tanta familiaridad de Mora
con su mamá? En su inocencia no hallaba una explicación, pero en su espíritu,
crecía la sospecha de algo hosco e irregular. El 1º de Abril de 1900, se abre
el año escolar en el colegio María Auxiliadora, que se inaugura en Junín de los
Andes y cuya fundación, se debía al gran apóstol de Neuquén, el Padre Domingo
Milanesio. A este colegio van Laura y su hermana. El catecismo preparaba a las
niñas para la primera comunión. Sus grandes temas eran, junto con la vida de
Jesús y de su Santa Madre, los diez mandamientos y los siete sacramentos.
Cuando la hermana explicó el sacramento del matrimonio, Laura la escuchó de
manera muy atenta. Los relatos dicen que sufrió un desmayo, porque había
comenzado a comprender la situación irregular de su madre delante de Dios, de
la Iglesia y de su comunidad. Ese conocimiento, que guardó como un secreto en
su corazón, lejos de desalentar y enfriar su cariño y su respeto hacia la
madre, los enardeció y los fomentó aún más.
El 2 de Junio de 1901, se fijó la Primer Comunión de Laura, y fue un cambio
significativo para ella. Quería vivir siempre en gracia de Dios, consagrarse al
amor de Jesús y ofrecer oraciones por su mamá. El 8 de Diciembre de 1901, en la
capilla del Colegio, se realizó la imposición de la medalla y la consagración,
que hicieron de Laura una hija de María.
Al llegar las vacaciones de verano, la madre llevó a sus hijas al campo. La
muchacha había crecido y su rostro cautivaba las simpatías de los que la
miraban. En la estancia, el patrón quedó asombrado por los encantos de la
adolescente y su ser quedó envuelto en una turbia pasión. Procuró alejar a
Mercedes con una excusa y se abalanzó sobre Laura para dominarla y abusarse,
pero la niña se resistió con todas sus fuerzas y logró liberarse y escapar. El
hombre se sintió humillado y furioso. Por ese entonces, se acercaba la fiesta
anual de la estancia y el dueño quería abrir el baile con Laura, para
presentarla en sociedad. La niña se negó. Cegado por la ira y la humillación,
agarró a la chica por el brazo y, en medio de insultos, la echó a la noche, al
frío y a la oscuridad. Enfurecido, buscó a la madre para increparle el despecho
de la joven. Mercedes corrió a buscarla, pero Laura no cedió a bailar con Mora.
Éste al verla regresar sin la pieza, enloqueció y aferró a la mujer por el
brazo, la ató al palenque y la castigó con el látigo, tomando la determinación
de no costear más los estudios de las niñas. Mercedes habló con las hermanas y
se convino que Laura continuara gratuitamente en el colegio, mientras Amanda se
quedaría en la estancia.
Mientras tanto en el espíritu de la niña, iba creciendo el deseo de vestir el
hábito. Por ese entonces, había llegado a Junín de los Andes, Monseñor Juan
Cagliero, el amigo de Don Bosco y Obispo de la Patagonia. Laura se dio maña
para hablar con él y manifestarle sus deseos de ser religiosa. El Obispo le
contestó que, por el momento, no tenía edad, pero la animó y confortó para que
no renunciara a tal noble aspiración. Una tarde, después de la confesión, Laura
le presentó al confesor, que era el padre Crestanello, una extraña petición: La
de ofrecerse al Señor como víctima por la conversión de su mamá. El padre quedó
sin palabras. Sólo prometió orar y reflexionar e invocar al Espíritu Santo,
para que iluminara a los dos. Algún tiempo después la autorizó. La niña corrió
al pie del altar y se ofreció en holocausto por la salvación de su mamá.
En agosto de 1903, Laura comenzó a manifestar una gran debilidad. Su salud
estaba decayendo. Su mamá, que en la estancia no tenía medios para curar a su
hija, se trasladó al pueblo, a un ranchito alquilado, que estaba muy cerca del
Colegio María Auxiliadora, para cuidar mejor de su hija, dejando a la menor con
las hermanas. Al entrar el año 1904, las fuerzas de Laura parecían haber
llegado al extremo. Todo su cuerpo sufría por los dolores y la fiebre, pero la
sonrisa no faltaba en sus labios. A mediados de Enero de ese año, Laura pidió
confesarse. “Padre, sufro mucho, pero estoy contenta”. El 21 de Enero, la
situación de la enferma se tornó más grave. Al día siguiente el Padre Genghini
le llevó la Comunión y, después, llamó a la madre y las dejó solas. Laura le
comunicó a la madre su secreto: “Mamá, acércate. Yo me muero, porque lo he
pedido a Jesús. Hace dos años que le ofrecí mi vida por ti, para que vuelvas a
Él. Yo me muero, pero espero que tú vuelvas a Dios y vivas como una buena
cristiana”. Madre e hija lloraron intensamente, Mercedes le prometió que nunca
más iría con ese hombre y que se reconciliaría con el Señor. Laura pidió un
crucifijo, lo besó y dijo “¡Gracias, Jesús!”, ¡Gracias, María! Ahora muero
contenta”, y serenamente expiró. Eran las seis de la tarde del 22 de Enero.
Faltaban algo más de dos meses para que cumpliera trece años. La madre pidió al
Padre Genghini que la confesara y comulgó en la misa de cuerpo presente.
El heroísmo y la santidad se dieron la mano en Laura Vicuña. El papa Juan Pablo
II reconoció las eminentes virtudes de la niña y la proclamó beata el 3 de
Setiembre de 1988, presentándola al mundo entero como modelo de vida.
Elsa Lorences de Llaneza
SOURCE : https://santosargentinos.blogspot.com/2011/08/laura-vicuna.html
