Jan. 22: Blessed Laura Vicuna (1891-1904)
St. Pope John Paul II beatified Laura in 1988 and proposed her as a model of evangelical courage. At the age of 12, she gave her life for the mission of salvation.
In 1900, Laura and her sister went to board with the Salesian Sisters at their school in Argentina. She was a model student: prayerful, listened to the Sisters, joyful, and ready to make sacrifices.
When Laura realized that her mother was living in a sinful situation, she offered her life to God for her mother's conversion. Laura grew in virtue and, with the consent of her confessor, she privately vowed to live the three vows professed by religious Sisters, poverty, chastity, and obedience. Worn out by sacrifice, ill health, and abuse in the protection of her purity, she died on January 22, 1904.
During Laura's last night, she confided to her mother: "Mommy, I am dying! I asked this of Jesus, some time ago, and offered my life to Him for you, that you might return to God... Mommy, will you give me that joy before I die?" On the day of Laura's funeral, her mother returned to the Sacraments and began a new life.
Laura Vicuña's remains lie in the chapel of the Salesian Sisters in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
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