If I were to invite us to name a Saint, my guess is that there are a number of Saints that would be named quite frequently. Saints such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Patrick, and St. Vincent de Paul, for example, would probably rank high up there in the number of ,mentions. But, while there are many Saints that are well known and well loved, there are also many “lesser known” Saints. Saints whom we may have never heard of or Saints who, the only thing tat we know about them is their name. With the Church’s wide array of the Communion of Saints, I thought it might be interesting to, once a month in my column, give us a brief introduction to one of those Saints who we might not know as much about.

This month, on May 26, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes (1618- 1645). Hands up if you’ve heard of her? Though obviously I can’t see if you’re doing it or not, my guess is that there are very few hands being raised. I know that I had never heard of St. Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes?

Mary Ann is the youngest of eight children and was born in Quito, Ecuador. She was a quiet and pious child who was orphaned at a very young age and ended up being raised by her older sister and her husband. Early in her life, Mary Ann was attracted to religious life and at the age of 10 she would make vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Her initial hope was to become a Dominican nun, but instead she became a hermit in the home of her sister. Mary Ann lived a life of quiet prayer and penance, leaving home only to go to church or to perform some work of charity. She would sleep very little and sometimes would eat only an ounce of bread every 8 to 10 days. In Quito she established a school and a clinic for Africans and indigenous Americans. When a plague broke out, Mary Ann would help to nurse the sick and she died not that long after. Immediately after her death at the age of 26, a pure white lily is said to have blossomed from her blood. She has been declared as a national heroine in her native Republic of Ecuador. St. Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950. St. Mary Ann is the Patron Saint against bodily sickness, the loss of parents, and those rejected by religious orders.