The Life of St. Mariana de Jesus Paredes
y Flores
Source:
Vida de Santa Mariana de Paredes
By: Luis Mancero Villagomez, S.J.
Postulate Vicar for Canonization
Quito, February 15, 1950
Mariana
de Jesus Paredes y Flores was born in Quito, Ecuador on October 31, 1618.
Mariana’s parents were Mr. Jeronimo and Mrs. Mariana Jaramillo and
Granobles. Her father descended from a
Spanish noble ancestry in Toledo, later having made residence in Quito, Ecuador. Her mother was from one of the most
illustrious Spanish families who had resided in Quito for two generations. Prior to Mariana’s birth, seven children
comprised their family, and due to her mother’s late age, the family members
dreaded complications with the forthcoming birth, which would later be known as
the “Lily of Quito”.
Upon Mariana’s birth, an
extraordinary and augurous sign appeared in the sky. In effect, a group of people witnessed a ray of stars being
formed on the roof of the Paredes’ home, lingering awhile with a resplendence
of a ultraterrestial nature. The happy
occurrence was soon realized, at the time this brilliance was witnessed, a
sweet child was born, and was named after her mother, Mariana.
Since her infancy, Mariana was very
beautiful and full of goodness, and a fervent child. A touching episode occurred on one occasion, Mrs. Mariana
Jaramillo usually prayed her night prayers kneeling and with outstretched arms,
in form of a cross. One night, as she
prayed, she saw her small daughter, barely three years old, who secretly
abandoned her bed and knelt next to her, also extending her arms in
prayer. Upon being lovingly reproached,
Mariana answered, “Mommy, let me pray as your mercy prays”.
Another noticeable virtue displayed
by Mariana was her modesty. Whenever
she had to be out in the street, she would always cover her face with a veil, a
custom she maintained throughout her lifetime.
In the meantime, a misfortune
struck the doors of the Paredes’ home.
Mr. Jeronimo, her father, was called to his eternal rest. Mariana was only four years old. After the painful death, Mrs. Mariana
Jaramillo moved to the hacienda in Granobles.
During their journey through the Ovejas River, the horse slipped and
Mariana fell into the river. The guide
precipitated to rescue her, but the child was standing above the water without
any trace of being wet.
Within an year, the virtuous, Mrs.
Paredes went to her eternal rest, and the oldest daughter cared for the tender
Marianita. It was a christian home,
where Marianita found her three nieces, Juana,
Maria and Sebastiana. The three little
girls entertained each other, along
with a friend named Escolastica Sarmiento.
Immediately Mariana showered them the light of their delicate
spirituality. She taught them beautiful
and devout prayers, at times, substituting their doll play with miniature
processions, and replacing their toys with small altars.
The special signs which projected
God’s special protection over Mariana were numerous. A special one is hereforth cited: On one occasion, the little girls (Mariana and her friends) were
playing near a wall that appeared ready to collapse. Without any reason, Mariana urged her friends to move away from
it. They instantly obeyed her, and
within a few seconds later, the wall crashed with a tremendous force. This
incident was considered an unexplainable, supernatural inspiration on behalf of
Mariana.
Since her infant years, it was
affirmed that Mariana’s spirit of voluntary penance brilliantly shined. She taught her friends how to discipline
themselves for the love of the scourged Redeemer. All her gestures were performed with such a soft and serene
spirituality.
At a very early age, between her
eighth and tenth years, with the authorization of her spiritual director, she
solemnly vowed poverty, chastity and obedience, observing them throughout her
lifetime, until her death. Within this
same age period, she obtained permission to receive Holy Communion daily, a
rare practice at that time.
On various occasions Mariana was
inspired to become a missionary, making the arduous resolution to work among
the Indians and help convert them.
Divine Providence intervened, and as a result of an unexplainable human
circumstance, she was unable to realize this most desired project. Being docile to the many messages indicating
and directing her to the understanding that the missions or hermitage were not
her calling, she decided to remain home, undertaking an austere and mortifying
lifestyle by turning her living quarters of three small rooms of her home, into
a sanctuary. The nature of her life was
even more rigorous than any contemplative Order or Cloister of that era.
Mariana spent most of her time in
her bare rooms, void of furniture, and adorn only with penitential instruments,
living a sublime retreat, while cultivating an admirable nature of an ascetic
and mystical fervor. As time lapsed,
Mariana was considered one of the most exalted figures of penitential
innocence.
Mortification and sacrifice were
acts which Mariana offered for the salvation of sinners. These acts were done with perfect and
unaltered spiritual joy, of whose worth would not have been credited had they
not been recorded. Her penitential
offerings seemed to make her more influential among those who witnessed her
joyful singing as she did her tasks, that even the birds were mysteriously
attracted and entered through the window to accompany her joyful spirit.
As a penitential practice she wore
thirty girdles of netted wire, and prayed the Stations of Cross kneeling and
carrying the weight of an enormous cross.
During the night, when she was unobserved, she succeeded in crucifying
herself for many consecutive hours on the cross which was firmly nailed to the
wall of her cell.
Why was Mariana’s thirst for
mortification so intense? Evidently
only the intervention of divine grace could have inspired her to undertake this
lifestyle, while, human nature tends to abhor suffering. It can only be attributed to God’s purpose
in permitting such extraordinary exposure of his working through Mariana, in
that humanity would witness various long forgotten truths which of themselves
were contrary to human inclinations, namely:
1. the need, 2. its convenience, and 3. the enormous value of penance.
Primarily, due to the “fallen
nature”, penance is necessary for all human creatures. Expiation of sin is a secondary cause to
purify ourselves of all personal sin, and loving God by offering the pain involved,
which in comparison to his, is liken to a dull, faded, and heavy rock. It is only by offering penance to his Divine
Heart that it is liken to a luminous diamond.
Mariana’s spiritual history
projects her extensive and dominating asceticism. Her service of love by suffering heroic penitential acts were
offered to glorify God and obtain the salvation of sinful souls. This mentality was displayed since infancy
and was definitely enriched as the years progressed, thus increasing in depth
day by day.
Having delved into the intimate
secrets which vivified and radiated Mariana’s soul, we now direct ourselves to
the exterior aspect. Her facial
semblance reflected angelic sweetness and joy.
Her treatment of others was touching and extraordinarily amiable. Her smile shined with intelligence, without
any irony or frivolity. Mariana’s
radiance projected warmth in her thoughts.
She counseled others with a serene and inimitable grace.
Mariana deemed to dedicated herself
to draw all those in her home, including the servants and Indians, to gather
around her small altar depicting the Christmas Crib. She took the opportunity to teach them prayers and hymns. She herself arranged and learned to play
with the guitar. She possessed a keen
musical talent and was gifted in her studies.
Teaching catechism was another of
Mariana’s favorite apostolate. She
would gather the servants and helpers in the small rooms, and with much
dedication and intelligence, she would teach them the catechism. This is how she gave a concrete example to
her contemporaries, of how to exercise human charity among the less fortunate.
Another moving gesture occurred
from Mariana’s window. Continuously she would lower a basket full of food,
fruit and eatables she had abstain from eating, in order to feed the poor.
On occasions, on requests for
charity, instead of responding in a material manner, her response was more of a
spiritual nature, being an advice, or a rule to follow. Her intelligence was not only enlightened,
but on various occasions, she demonstrated a prophetic spirit. Frequently, many of her predictions were
punctually realized, either about news pertaining to persons not present or of
circumstances far and beyond her control.
As the marvels increased, little by little, the number of people who had
recourse to her also increased, and the entire Town grew to profess a
justifiable trust in their Saint.
The Saint left a handwritten
schedule, which she meticulously adhered to during lifetime:“4:00 a.m.: “I will
arise and undertake a scourging, thanking God on my knees. In my meditation I will mentally review the
Passion of Christ.4:00 - 5:30 a.m.:
Meditation.
5:30 - 6:00 a.m.: Particular and
general examination of Conscience, wear the bristled girdles, pray the Hours of
None, and go to church.6:30 - 7:00 a.m.: Confession. 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.: I will interiorly prepare myself to receive
Jesus in my soul. After having received
Him I will thank my Eternal Father for having given me His Divine Son, and I will
offer and request many indulgences to liberate souls from purgatory.9:00 -
10:00 a.m.: I will pray the fifteen
decades of the Rosary to Mary, the mother of Jesus. 10:00 a.m.: During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass I will
place myself under the care and protection of my Holy protectors. On Sundays and Holy Days, I will remain in
prayer until 11:00 a.m. If need be, I
will eat something. 2:00 p.m.: I will
pray Vespers and Compline, followed by another particular and general
examination of conscience. 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.:
Manual work, at which time I will maintain my heart elevated to God by
means of loving ejaculations.
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Spiritual reading and
pray Compline.
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.: Mental prayer and
exercise the presence of God.
9:00 - 10:00 p.m.: I will take a few
drinks of water to assuage my thirst, and I will eat small portions of
food. 10:00 - 12:00 p.m.: Mental prayer. 12:00 - 1:00 a.m.: Spiritual Reading and pray Matins. 1:00 -
4:00 a.m.: I will sleep, on Fridays, on top of the Cross, and other nights, on
the steps. I will undertake a scourging
before taking my sleep.
On certain Advent and Lenten days,
from 10:00 to 11:00, I will pray on the cross.
On other designated days, I will place pebbles in my shoes and place a
crown of thorns on my head and wear six thorned girdles.”
Throughout Mariana’s lifetime, God deign to work extraordinary events
through her intercession. One of them
took place one morning in the Jesuit Church where the Saint visited daily.
This event dealt with a poor Indian
lady who suffered violence at the hands of her husband, Juan Ribera. Upon her encounter with Mariana, she took
refuge at Mariana’s side, as she fled from her husband who intended to kill
her. Juan entered the church, drunken
and falling from one side to another, with open fists. Once seeing his wife, he launched forward to
attack her, while Mariana physically intervened, summoning to stop, using only
words God could have inspired her.
Instantly, the unfortunate man, touched by divine grace, was repented,
asked forgiveness, and reformed his life thereafter.
A most significant occurrence in
the history of St. Mariana was the resurrection of the dead. An Indian had committed the horrible crime
of killing his wife in the forest, in the outskirts of Quito. While in prayer, Mariana witnessed the
horrible slaying of this woman.
Inspired by God, Mariana called for a neighbor named Roldan, and begged
him to go and rescue the body of the slain woman, bringing her the corpse. In spite of the repugnance he felt, he
proceeded to obey her command and brought the corpse to Mariana’s room. She fervently prayed for the deceased and
spread over the corpse some roses from St. Rose of Lima, and instantly the body
resurrected, began to move, rose and remained in perfect health.
This and many other apparent
miracles were signs of God’s predilection of his chosen soul, who continued
responding generously to the many graces from heaven.
Mariana received spiritual
direction from a pious Jesuit Brother, named Hernando of the Cross, S. J. She progressed rapidly in her path of
sacrifice and perfection. The focal core of her spiritual life was the
imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ sufferings.
In effect, another of her
mortifying practices was to offer the need to quench her thirst. On one occasion she was extremely thirsty,
as it rained, she cupped her hands to gather water to drink. As she raised her hands to her mouth, she
paused, an extraordinary occurrence took place, the pores in her hands absorbed
the water, instead of her lips and throat which were dried. In a few seconds her hands remained dried.
In reference to food intake, she
ate very little, she gradually reduced the amount of her intake, eventually
without food at all. This is how she
lived the last six years of her life.
This is a very rare miracle in Christian hagiography. Her contemporaries kept this miracle in
obscurity, until, with admiration, they had to disclose it.
God, on his behalf, granted this
sublime soul all kinds of extraordinary gifts, ecstatic raptures, and an
exalted state of union with Him, as narrated by her confessor. “She never
separated, in the slightest, from the love of God, and she loved him without
interruption and with the least distraction.” One of the most ineffable and extraordinary graces she received
from God was her ability to embrace the Child Jesus in her arms. He would appear to her in her room, and
while she adored him, she was immensely entertained by Him”. Many persons witnessed this miracle.
Particularly significant was the
Miracle of the Lily. It was after this
miracle that Mariana was known throughout the world, and of which on the day of
her beatification, 1853, Pope Pius the IX recognized her as the “Lily of Quito.”
The occurrence of this miracle is
as follows: As indicated by her
physician, Mariana had to undergo frequent blood incisions to eliminate blood
from her body. During these painful
treatments, she made an intention to unite her blood to that of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. One of her servants was in
charge of disposing the blood in the garden.
She would empty it in the same place in everyday. On one occasion, the servant was startled
and screamed with admiration, in the area where she disposed of the blood
bloomed an array of lilies, which continued to grow for many centuries.The
narration of Mariana’s miracles includes one of a secretive nature. Mariana did not want her acts of
mortification to be disclosed publicly.
This could not be granted to her, since, as a result of her acts of
penance, she bore a pale and debilitated countenance. On one occasion, a friend bid her to have more consideration for
herself and not to undertake so many physical penances. Mariana experienced a sensitive affront to
her humility and fervently begged God to hide all indication of her
mortifications from others. God,
miraculously turned her countenance into a rosy and delicate resemblance,
remaining in this condition, by an extraordinary grace, until her death.
During this epoch, Quito had undergone two great calamities of
earthquakes and mortal famines. The mortality rate of the town increased day by
day, prompting one of the priest, Father Alonso de Rojas, S.J. to offer his
life, in exchange, for the termination of the many occurring deaths. Upon hearing this offering, Mariana prayed,
“May God, take my life, not the Priest’s, his life is more precious to other
souls.”
The offering of herself, in
exchange for Father’s life, soon took effect on Mariana, she was 26 years
old. She began to experience
unexplainable and growing pains. The
doctors who visited her were unable to diagnose her condition, but Mariana was
aware of what was occurring. Her
condition worsen day after day, and the discomfort was inhumanly
unbearable. Her confessor has left a
written account which bears a deep commotion.
He describes the heroic suffering the Saint underwent without a single
complaint. On the contrary, she
continued to add her own penitential practices, and offered all her sufferings
to God praying for mercy for all sinners and her country.
The following episode reflects her
heroism. Mariana asked a visiting
friend to softly strike her back. Her
friend Maria Arias, thinking this would alleviate some of the discomfort,
proceeded to do as Mariana had indicated.
To her painful surprise, she saw Mariana’s face turn pale, and liken to
a fallen flower, she fell on her pillow.
Maria, her friend, screamed for help.
Soon someone came to untie Mariana’s clothing and with horror witnessed
a tremendous flow of blood. To her
surprise, Maria had pressured, the sharp wire girdles into Mariana’s
flesh. These she wore as penitential
offerings.
In the meantime, the earthly tremors
which were destroying the city ceased and soon the epidemics which were
destroying both White and Indian disappeared.
The places of rescue were empty and the injured healed rapidly and
unexpectedly. There were no longer
threats in the streets, as previously seen, where piles of corpses were disposed
of by those who survived.
This is an evidence of a double
miracle, the population of Quito saw a new day of life and hope, their
confidence in God and gratitude for Mariana grew. Spirits were high and the people were filled with
enthusiasm. Numerous groups of citizens
wanted to visit the agonizing Saint.
The Bishop of Quito visited her and gave her a sign of extreme
veneration. He then reverently kissed
Mariana’s hand as he stood next to her.
During Mariana’s final days, in her
cell, there existed a mysterious fragrance of lilies. This young heroine, in the midst of her sufferings offered to God
her sublime immolation.
Again, God lavished upon Mariana an
extraordinary sign of preference. Due
to her high fever, the doctor ordered a blood treatment, whereupon, from her
arm gushed blood and water. The surgeon
then made reference to the only other occurrence of Christ’s outpouring of
blood and water when he was lanced as he hung on the Cross.
Mariana’s final vision was the
appearance of St. Catherine of Siena who carried a garland of flowers to crown
her and accompany her to heaven.
Mariana’s countenance radiated with celestial light and foretold the
hour and date of her nearing death.
Exactly as she had foretold,
Mariana offered her soul to God on Friday, May 26, 1645. Father Vazquez and Rojas, and Brother
Hernando of the Cross assisted her during her final hours.
Immediately, the entire town
arrived in mass to surround the beloved savior of their country who had been a
supreme holocaust on their behalf.
Mariana’s funeral was of a nature never seen before. As of that date, Mariana de Paredes, from
the glory of Paradise, continues to grant miracles, interceding for her country
and lavishing with abundance numerable graces and favors upon a hurting
humanity. There are countless and
extraordinary favors which have been attributed to Mariana, the Lily of Quito,
the most beautiful flower from the Ecuadorean garden, and invoked by the whole
world.
St. Mariana de Paredes was canonized on May 26, 1950.
St. Mariana de Paredes,
our Parish Patron, grant us your
protection and
pour among all mankind, a ray of supernatural happiness!
St. Mariana de Paredes
You have been privileged and
chosen to reign with heavenly
saints. Your simple lifestyle
undertaken with faith, love and
sacrifice has merited for you an
eternal union with God.
We honor you as the patron of our
parish community, as we too, strive
to live in the semblance of your
ardent love for God. Through your
intercession, obtain for us a true
spirit of faith, hope and charity.
May our works stem from hearts in
search of fulfilling God’s will, and
extending his Kingdom as you did.
Obtain for us peace and love among
our families, that through your
example of sacrifice, we may
obtain our heavenly reward.
Manifest your special protection
upon our parish as the
enthronement of
your statue is finally realized, a
gesture of trust in your
intercession
to protect and guide this community.
Parish History
St. Mariana’s Parish Family feels great
pride that the name of our parish was chosen by Cardinal McIntyre during his
visit to Rome in the Holy Year 1950 when he was present for the canonization of
Santa Mariana de Paredes.
The formation of our parish became
a reality when Rev. Herve M. Trebaol was designated Pastor on November 21,1950.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
in Los Nietos served as a temporary parish church until the property was
purchased in April 1951 and the church building was completed later the same
year.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
first took place in the new Church of St. Mariana in what was then known as
Rivera, California on Christmas Day, 1951.
Our first Confirmation was
administered by Cardinal McInctyre on February 24,1952. Dedication of the church on March 16, 1952
was joyful celebration for the parish with Bishop McGucken presiding.
Men and women for the parish joined
Father Trebaol in the work of landscaping, refinishing of school desks,
decoratiang and furnishing the temporary convent for the Sisters along with
many other necessary projects.
In August 1953, members of the
Congregation of School Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Louis Province arrived to
begin teaching in our parish school.
Classes opened on Sept. 15, 1953 with an enrollment of 390
students. The school was dedicated in
May 1954, the Marian Year, when Bishop Manning came to administer Confirmation.
October 1955, marked the launching
of six bazaars which provided funds for completion of the buildings as they
appear today.
A Silver Tea and Open House was
held in September 1955 to celebrate the opening of the present Sisters’ convent
and completion of the school.
In the same year, due to the
tremendous growth of the parish, the church was enlarged by moving the altar
and sanctuary to the east wall, making the church twice its previous size.
St. Paul High School held its first
classes in St. Marianne’s classrooms from September 1956 through January 1958.
The parish hall was completed in
1957. The opening of the present
rectory took place in May 1959 an Open House gave each parishioner an
opportunity to see the new building.
Summer 1967 saw the remodeling of
the church. The altar was moved nearer
to the congregation, the sanctuary was remodeled, wood paneling was installed
and the walls of the church were painted.
A beautiful new Spanish tile roof enhanced the exterior of the
church. The stained glass windows were
completed in Spring 1968. The
celebrant, following the directives of The Second Vatican Council, began facing
the people while offering Mass and English replaced Latin in the Mass.
On December 30,1970 Father Trebaol
passed away as a results of injuries suffered in an automobile accident. He was much loved by the parishioners to
whom he dedicated his priestly service for 20 years and many continue to
remember him in their prayers.
The parish welcomed Father Matthew
Kelly as pastor on February 15, 1971.
He remained with us through September 1976 when he was appointed Pastor
of St. Sebastian in Santa Paula.
The fall Festivals were revived in
October 1971 and have given yearly an opportunity for each of the us to our
full cooperation while enjoying working together for the good of our parish and
the community.
Father Grant T. Maechler was named
Pastor in October 1976. In 1981 he
returned to active duty as a Chaplain in the Air Force.
In October 1981, Father H. Gerald
McSorley as appointed by Cardinal Manning to St. Mariana’s as Pastor. Father McSorley is a native of County
Tyrone, Ireland and first came to St. Mariana’s in 1964 as a newly-ordained
priest from All Hallows Seminary in Ireland.
Friday Night Bingo was begun here
in September 1983 to help defray some of the expenses of our school.
In 1984 our caring and loving
priests began guiding us through Parish Renewal Weekends which have helped all
who participated realize more deeply what it means to be a Catholic.
In 1984, in order to provide an
important social service to the Community, Sister Elvira Marie Zozaya,
S.S.N.D., arrived as Pastoral Minister in charge of the Family Services Office.
A grotto in honor of Our Lady of
Lourdes, erected in memory of our founding pastor, Father Herve M. Trebaol, it
was blessed by Cardinal Timothy Manning on April 13, 1986 when the parish
celebrates the 35th anniversary of its existence.
At the present time our parish has
approximately 5000 families, 310 students attend classes in our school and the
Parish.
OUR FOUNDING
PASTOR – Father Herve M. Trebol
Father Herve M. Trebol was born in
Los Angeles on December 30, 1901. He
was the third born of four children of French parents. He was baptized at the oldest Catholic
Church in Los Angeles, The Plaza Church.
Fr. Trebol was ordained June 10,
1933 by Archbishop Cantwell for the Los Angeles –San Diego Archdiocese at the
age of 32. His early religious was with
the Redemporist Father S.D.B., but he chose the diocesan priest for his final vocation.
He served in six parishes before
enlisting in the U.S. Army as a Chaplin until 1946, with the approval of the
Bishop. His first assignment was at
Immaculate Conception Parish in Monrovia, which lead to the Rivera parish
project. He became pastor at forty nine
years of age and died twenty years later on his sixty ninth
birthday. Twenty years a pastor at the
Parish he had built.
Fr. Trebol had a unique
personality, hard worker and not afraid to do any function including
gardening. His love for the children of
the school was only equal by the children’s love for him. No person was ever turned away when they
needed financial assistance. He always
gave and asked the recipient to return the gift to the church when they got on
their feet so another person could be helped.
