BLESSED ALEXANDRINA (2)

Childhood

Alexandrina was a healthy child, vigorous, playful, with zest for work and with poetic sensibility. She spent her childhood in the countryside, in the hamlet Gresufes, getting a deeply Christian education.

Alexandrina was born in a cold day of March in front of this fireplace. 

BLESSED ALEXANDRINA (1)

The Birth

The parents of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa were Maria Ana da Costa and António Xavier. They were neighbours, but unmarried. António Xavier was an emigrant in Brazil. Once he came back to Balasar and Deolinda was conceived; later he went again to Brazil. In a second coming, was conceived Alexandrina.

But even before her birth the unworthy father António married a girl from Póvoa de Varzim.

Faced with this situation, the young mother saw herself as a widow and started caring only for the maintenance and education of her daughters.

She became an active, exemplary and prayerful woman.

She suffered much, but Jesus promised Alexandrina he would take her mother to Heaven without her having to pass through Purgatory.

D. Ana, mother of Bld Alexandrina.

The arrow indicates the house where Alexandrina was born at Gresufes.

BLESSED ALEXANDRINA (0)

Although there are several biographies published in English on Blessed Alexandrina, this brief biographical sketch was written to fill a specific need. It is based mainly on the works of Signoriles, an Italian couple who wrote extensively on Alexandrina.

I thank the collaboration Leo Madigan, who translated it.

Sisters of the Holy Cross

We were yesterday at Balasar where we saw some sisters of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Knowing the importance of the Holy Cross appeared at Balasar and the continued martyrdom of Blessed Alexandrina it makes perfect sense the interest of the community on this Beata. 
Click here to open the community website. Read this quotation from it:

"The Canticle of the Cross can be sung with the Angels only by those who truly love the Cross."

Mother Gabriele

Eternal rest or eternal song

We enjoy the message we put here on the 13th October: good singer Alexandrina would soon sing hymns to the glory of God.

One of the prefaces of the Mass concludes:

And so, with the company of Angels and Saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as  without end we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!

This way of conceiving eternal life, because it is also it, is much more motivating than the "eternal rest among the splendors of everlasting light."

Our Earth tiredness does not need an eternity of heavenly rest...

Who will sing with the Angels?

In the beginning of October 1955, few days before her death, Alexandrina hears the announcement of her departure. 

Today, 2nd October, the day of the Holy Angels, I felt that someone had touched in my shoulder and I heard Angels singing. I asked:  

Who will sing with the Angels?  

Our Lord answered:  

- You, you, you, soon, soon, soon!

New issue of the Bulletin of Graces

If the last number of the Bulletin of Graces seemed to be below its usual level, this improved frankly.

Beyond the Repair, major theme of the Beata message, we highlight the news, by Maria Rita Scrimieri, of an eloquent testimony of a few Filipino pilgrims. Charming.

We liked also to see the illustrated news of the death of D. Eugenia Signorile, the testimony of a former Alexandrina’s visitor and writing on Fr. Leopoldino with the announcement of a lecture on this former parish priest of Balasar.

In conclusion, comes one call for people to lend the responsible for the Cause any writings by Alexandrina that they may have.