Cause of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

Look at this news published by the Salesian News Agency (ANS):

July 17, 2013 - Portugal - Initiatives to promote the cause of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

(ANS – Balasar) – Celebrations were held at Balasar, Portugal, on Sunday, July 14, to mark the 50^th anniversary of the death of Fr. Mariano Pinho, a Jesuit and the first spiritual director of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa. Some members of the Salesian Family from Portugal and Italy took part, as did Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, postulator general of the causes of the saints of the Salesian Family.

To commemorate this great spiritual director of Bl. Alexandrina, an exhibition of his life was organized and two talks were given, one by Fr. Darioo Pedroso, SJ, and the other by a Salesian Cooperator, Maria Rita Scrimieri. The day ended with a solemn concelebration.

Interest has been growing in the spirituality and the message of Bl. Alexandrina since the time of her beatification in 2004. Every weekend, between 3,000 and 5,000 people visit the places that preserve the memory of her life and testimony. In response to requests from many pilgrims for accommodation and spiritual accompaniment, on July 14 the diocese of Braga with Archbishop Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga, the parish of Balasar with its pastor Fr. Manuel Casado Neiva, and the Alexandrina de Balasar Foundation, inaugurated a competition for the planning and building of a Eucharistic shrine dedicated to Bl. Alexandrina.

Work was also started on the critical edition of the writings of the mystic from Balasar. The Salesian Family is present in Balasar with the Da Mihi Animas, Cetera Tolle (Give me souls, take the rest of) Spirituality Center, approved by the Portuguese Province and promoted and served Ms. Scrimieri.

Bl. Alexandrina, great devotee of the Eucharist and spokeswoman for the entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, had as her second spiritual director Fr. Umberto Maria Pasquale, SDB, who also became a great promoter of her cause for beatification. He encouraged Alexandrina to continue to dictate her diary when he noticed the spiritual heights she had reached. She did so in a spirit of obedience until her death.
In 1944 Alexandrina became a member of the Association of Salesian Cooperators. She wanted her certificate of enrollment placed “where it would be always before her eyes” so that she could collaborate with her suffering and her prayer in the salvation of souls, especially those of the young. Her witness underlines the need for constant personal conversion, and she offers an outstanding example of the sacrificial dimension of the Salesian charism.

Fr Mariano Pinho

We already have a copy of the recent booklet on the first spiritual director of Blessed Alexandrina, Fr Mariano Pinho: fills a failure it was urgent to eliminate. Wrote it Fr Dario Pedroso.

Small format and illustrated, has 150 pages and covers several topics, without forgetting the "great controversy" arisen by those who wanted to accuse Fr Pinho about his chastity and the theme of the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This booklet still leaves unfulfilled the task of a large biography that takes into account the varied biographical journey of this great Jesuit, his literary production and especially documents his continued apostolic commitment.

One of the glories of Fr Pinho is the magazine Cruzada published continuously since 1930 and currently sent to 82 countries.

Cover of the new publication on Fr Mariano Pinho.

Main altar of the parish church where Fr Mariano Pinho was born and baptized.

BALASAR PARISH

Balasar has deep roots in a very distant past, the time of the megaliths, with two dolmens and one menhir, the time of the “outeiros” (ancient sacred hills), the time of its four Gothic farms (villae).

The menhir

Perhaps even in the tenth century of our era, in the area that the parish now occupies, two parishes were created, Saint Saviour of Gresufes and Saint Eulalie of Lousadelo. Probably at the end of the twelfth century, the church of Saint Eulalie was moved from Lousadelo to Matinho by Belsar. From him is derived the name Balasar. In the fourteenth century, Gresufes and Balasar were joined, but the union only became definitive in the mid-sixteenth century.

Ancient statue of Saint Eulalie

In medieval history, in the parish was known a royal inn in the “reguengo” (set of royal land) of Gestrins.  It is also noted that members of the noble Correias family owned properties there, along with another noble family, the Ferreiras d'Eça, and also religious institutions.

The family of Carneiros da Grã-Magriço

Gomes Carneiro, a member of the Carneiro family, from Vila do Conde, married a young girl from Balasar in the second half of the sixteenth century. From this couple originated the Garneiros da Grã-Magriço family.

In 1741, the teenager Benta Carneiro da Grã-Magriço married the wealthy Manuel Nunes Rodrigues, who had made a fortune in Brazil. He built a rich baroque chapel (Capela da Quinta), and his wife, when a widow, also endowed the parish with an appreciable monument, a stone bridge of three arches over the river Este.

 Manuel Nunes Rodrigues built a rich baroque chapel

The marriage of D. Benta with Manuel Nunes Rodrigues, enriched the family, and designed it for a socially relevant future: one son, who was an alderman of the town of Póvoa de Varzim, built an excellent emblazoned residence there. His granddaughter, marrying a member of the noblest family of Azevedos, became the Viscountess of Azevedo. The couple, however, had no descendants, which is what caused the extinction of the Carneiros da Grã-Magriço.

Destination of pilgrimage

In the eighteenth century, Balasar had two small pilgrimage destinations, the spring of Holy Peter of Rates and the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, both in the hamlet named Casal. Holy Peter of Rates was then the patron of the Archdiocese of Braga and the spring where he drank from was in the parish, where legend claims that he had suffered persecution. The Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy was built in 1737 by the military officer and merchant from Balasar António da Costa Soares.

Old Statue of Our Lady of Mercy

The Holy Cross

On June 21, 1832, Portugal lived a remarkable moment in its history, when a mysterious cross on the floor appeared in the hamlet of Calvary, a little more than two dozen meters from the bridge of D. Benta.

This phenomenon, well documented, caused a deep impression and gave place to great pilgrimage. The current Chapel of Holy Cross was built, and another, larger, to the east. The pilgrimages that celebrated the anniversary of the apparition became famous, but often ended with scenes of beatings. In 1903, a man died, and the priest stopped the revelry. From 1919, there were attempts to revive it, but without success.

The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built by Custódio José da Costa and others

Votive offering of the Chapel of the Holy Cross

Notables

Throughout the ages, remarkable men and women, other than Blessed Alexandrina, were born or lived at Balasar. Some of them have already been mentioned. Others were: José Custódio da Costa, Luís Joaquim de Oliveira (he healed the Queen D. Maria II), José António dos Santos (one of the first officers of the municipality after liberalism), the Commander of Maranhão (Brazil) José Pedro dos Santos, and a number of municipal councilors, such as José Domingues Furtado (the modern first roads of the parish and primary school came from his time), Manuel Joaquim de Almeida (continued the road renovation and helped the construction of the church and the cemetery) and José António de Sousa Ferreira.  Also, several presidents of the Junta (parish council) such as Joaquim António Machado, Lino Araújo ... and pastors (the poet António Martins de Faria, Leopoldino Mateus ...), etc.

Custódio José da Costa and Luís Joaquim de Oliveira

Canonization of Pope John Paul II

The canonization of Pope John Paul II will take place this year. He beatified Alexandrina.

Fr Mariano Pinho

Fr Mariano Pinho, Blessed Alexandrina’s first spiritual director, died half a century ago, on July 11, 1963. At Balasar an exhibition and the publication of a book will remember the date.

“A Living Miracle of the Eucharist”

Kevin’s booklet on Blessed Alexandrina has now been made into a radio program in the USA. See here:

http://www.RuralCatholicRadio.com/shows-almoe.php
http://www.RuralCatholicRadio.com/links.php

http://www.RuralCatholicRadio.com/regular.php
http://www.RuralCatholicRadio.com/schedules.php (Dawn)

I want Eucharistic souls

I want Eucharistic souls, but truly Eucharistic and not souls who desecrate and outrage my Divine Heart.

Speak, speak to souls.

This is your mission. You were created for them.

Speak to them about My Eucharistic Love and invite them to come to Me.

Speak to the world, speak to the world that belongs to you. I handed it to you so that you save it.

Speak to them, speak to them, my daughter, this little time you have of life on earth. All your life speaks to them and communicates my love.

I give myself to the world, give myself to sinners and give myself through you.

You are the channel by which it receives my graces and my forgiveness.

Sentiments of the Soul, 11/9/1953