Alexandrina Maria da Costa
A Portuguese mystic paralyzed after a fall to preserve her purity, she lived solely on the Eucharist for over thirteen years and offered her sufferings in union with Christ.
Contemporaries
Figures and markers around the normalized period for this entry.
Guided reading
5 reading sections
Biography
The life of Alexandrina Maria da Costa, from her birth in Balasar in 1904 to her progressive paralysis following a fall to preserve her purity.
Alexandrina Maria da Costa was born on March 30, 1904, in Balasar, Portugal. She received a deeply Christian upbringing from her mother, Maria Ana da Costa, and grew up alongside her sister Deolinda. At the age of twelve, she contracted a serious infection that undermined her health. The decisive turning point occurred on Holy Saturday in the year 1918: to escape three aggressors and preserve her purity, Alexandrina jumped from a window, falling four meters. This fall caused a spinal injury. The paralysis progressed inexorably, and on April 14, 1925, she became bedridden for the final thirty years of her life.
Life and work
Alexandrina's mission of suffering, marked by extraordinary mystical phenomena such as the Friday Passion and Eucharistic inedia.
Alexandrina understood that her vocation was to offer her suffering in union with Christ, adopting as her program: "suffer, love, make reparation." Under the direction of Father Mariano Pinho, she wrote her spiritual diary. In 1944, she became a member of the Association of Salesian Cooperators under the influence of Father Umberto Maria Pasquale. Her life was marked by mystical phenomena: she relived the Passion of Christ every Friday from 1938 to 1942, obtained the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1942, and lived in total Eucharistic inedia from March 27, 1942, nourishing herself only with the Eucharist until her death.
Path to holiness
Alexandrina's reputation for holiness, the opening of her beatification process, and her proclamation as Venerable.
Alexandrina's reputation for holiness attracted many pilgrims during her lifetime and after her death on October 13, 1955. The diocesan informative process was opened on January 14, 1967, by the Archbishop of Braga, Msgr. Francisco Maria da Silva, and concluded in 1973. In 1978, her remains were transferred to the Church of Saint Eulalia in Balasar. On January 12, 1996, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, proclaiming her Venerable.
Beatification and canonization
The recognition of the healing miracle in 1995 and the solemn beatification of Alexandrina by John Paul II in 2004.
The beatification of Alexandrina is based on the medically inexplicable healing in 1995 of Maria Madalena Azevedo Gomes Fonseca, who suffered from Parkinson's disease. The decree approving this miracle was signed on December 20, 2003. Alexandrina Maria da Costa was solemnly beatified on April 25, 2004, by Pope John Paul II in Rome, who highlighted her love for Christ as the secret of her holiness. Her liturgical feast is set for October 13.
Spirituality and legacy
Alexandrina's Eucharistic and Marian spirituality, her message to sinners, and the perpetuation of her legacy in Balasar.
Nicknamed the "Apostle of the Eucharist," Alexandrina spent her nights in mystical adoration. Her sacrificial offering was aimed at the conversion of sinners, as evidenced by the inscription on her tomb exhorting sinners to offend Jesus no more. Her spiritual legacy is today perpetuated by the Alexandrina Foundation of Balasar, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, and the great Santuário Eucarístico de Balasar, which welcomes numerous pilgrims.
Frequently asked questions about Alexandrina Maria da Costa
Who was Alexandrina Maria da Costa?
A Portuguese mystic paralyzed after a fall to preserve her purity, she lived solely on the Eucharist for over thirteen years and offered her sufferings in union with Christ.
Which saints were contemporaries of Alexandrina Maria da Costa?
Contemporaries include: Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, Felipe de Jesús Munárriz and 50 companions, Mariano de Jesús Euse Hoyos and Teresa of Jesus of the Andes.
When did Alexandrina Maria da Costa die?
Alexandrina Maria da Costa died around 1955.
Who are the relatives of Alexandrina Maria da Costa?
Relatives of Alexandrina Maria da Costa: Maria Ana da Costa (mother) and Deolinda (sister).
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Era / death: 1955
- Beatification in 2004 by John Paul II
Quotes
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Our Lady granted me an even greater grace: first resignation, then total conformity to the will of God, and finally the desire to suffer.
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Sinners, if the ashes of my body can be useful to save you, come near, walk upon them until they disappear. But sin no more; do not offend our Jesus anymore!
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