Day 365 -- Saint Rosalia

I cannot believe that today is the last day to write my saint blog. It has been very good to write everyday for a whole year and share the saints with you. May we always try to emulate them and pray to them when we need help and discernment.

Today, on my last entry, I will write about Saint Rosalia, in honor of my grandmother, Rosale or Rose as she is known. I saw my Grama today, who is 91 and in a nursing home.

Saint Rosalia was born around the year 1130 in Palermo to Sicilian nobility. She was raised in the royal Sicilian court. From when she was a child, she knew she was called to dedicate her life to God. When she was grown, she moved to a cave near her parents' home and lived there for the rest of her life. Tradition says that she was led to the cave by two angels. On the cave wall she wrote “I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.” She remained apart from the world and dedicated her life to prayer and works of penance for the sake of Jesus. She died alone in the cave around the year 1160 of natural causes. She was buried in the cave by workers collapsing it.

In 1625, during the plague, it is said that she appeared in a vision to a hunter near her cave. Her relics were discovered and brought to Palermo and paraded through the street. Three days later, the plague ended, and intercession to Rosalia was credited with saving the city. She is the city's patroness. There are traditional celebrations lasting for days, involving fireworks and parades.