Blessed Laura Vicuna:

Feast day : 22 January

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Blessed Laura Vicuna, a young Chilean Catholic saint who lived during the period 1891-1904. During her short life she courageously upheld her chastity and love of God even when she suffered severe physical abuse for it. However, her mother lived in mortal sin and refused to turn away from it. Her long hours of prayer were mostly dedicated for her mother and she offered Jesus her life as a sacrifice in exchange for the repentance and salvation of her mother. Her prayers were answered. Just before her death from Pulmonary Tuberculosis, her mother promised to give up her sinful life and did so before her death. At her beatification, Saint Pope John Paul II proclaimed her as a model of evangelical courage, to the point of giving one’s life, for the mission of salvation. She is the patron of abuse victims.

Early Life:

Laura del Carmen Vicuña was born in Santiago, Chile in the year 1891 into an aristocratic family. Her father José Domingo served in the military and her mother Mercedes Pino was a homemaker. In the year of her birth, there was a political revolution in Chile between forces loyal to the President and those supporting the Chilean Congress. As the conflict escalated tensions in their homeland, her family fled to the mountains in Andes where her father suddenly died. Her mother and her two small orphaned daughters were forced to seek refuge in Argentina.

Her mother struggled to meet their needs and took up employment in a hostel owned by a rich landlord Manuel Mora. The landlord sought sexual favors from her mother, who eventually gave in to his demands for which he promised to pay for the education of her two daughters. Laura and her sister were enrolled in the school run by the Salesian Sisters called “Daughters of Mary Help of Christians School’.

Knowing Jesus:

At the school, Laura began to learn the Catholic faith and spent her spare time in the Chapel praying to Jesus. She had few friends and spent all her time in long hours of prayer. On her First Holy Communion she made a resolution to love God above all else and hoped to join the Order as soon as she could. In her prayers she was greatly concerned about the state of her mother’s soul and often prayed to God for her. During her visits to her home, she was often approached by her mother’s employer Manuel Mora for sexual favors and when she refused he would mercilessly beat her. He kept dissuading her from becoming a nun. Her refusal to give in to his demands resulted in him refusing to pay for her and her sister’s education. When the Sisters at the school realised this, they offered to support them through scholarships. However, her mother still continued in her sinful state and Laura was greatly disturbed by it. In her prayers she prayed to God “I offer you my life for that of my mother’. She was willing to sacrifice her life for the salvation of her mother’s soul.

Death and Path to Sainthood:

In the year 1903, Laura was diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Her mother brought her home but she was again harassed by Manuel Mora. Laura would often beg her mother to leave her employment and prayed fervently to God for her repentance. Just before her death she told her mother, “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?” Her mother broke down in tears and promised, “I swear, I will do whatever you ask of me. God is the witness of my promise”. Her mother repented for her sins and made a good Confession.

Laura was finally overjoyed and at peace. She thanked Jesus and Mother Mary and said “Mother, now I die happy”. She died happy and peaceful on 22 January 1904 at the young age of 13 years.

The Salesian Sisters began the cause for her canonization in 1950 and she was declared ‘Venerable’ in 1986. A healing miracle was attributed to Laura Vicuna’s intercession and Saint Pope John Paul II beatified her on 3 September 1988. He proclaimed her as a model of evangelical courage, to the point of giving one’s life, for the mission of salvation. Her sacred remains are kept in the chapel of the Salesian Sisters in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Her feast is celebrated on January 22, the day she died. She is the patron of abuse victims.