I mentioned previously that i'd been in touch with the woman who is now the Secretary of the Alexandrina Society in Ireland. She is based in Co. Longford and recently sent me some prayer cards and booklets on Blessed Alexandrina. One of the booklets is Blessed Alexandrina - Victim Soul by Damien Philpott. As well as telling Alexandrina's life story it also includes some striking exanples of Alexandrina's intercession in the healing of several Irish people. The first is an extraordinary story of miraculous healing in the womb which has been forwarded to Rome as part of the Cause for her Canonisation. I scanned the pages describing the intercessions from the booklet and attach them below. Blessed Alexandrina, pray for us.
Yesterday, April 25th, was the anniverary of Blessed Alexandrina's Beatification in 2004. I wasn't thinking of that when I posted the above accounts of her intercession in several healings which have occurred since then. The miracle accepted for the beatification of Blessed Alexandrina was the medically unexplained cure of Maria Madalena Azevedo Gomes Fonseca from an incurable condition, a severe and medically incurable case of Parkinson's disease. The miracle was officially approved by the Vatican in 2003, after a detailed investigation into the complete and lasting nature of the cure. This approval paved the way for her beatification on April 25, 2004, by Pope John Paul II. Blessed Alexandrina, pray for us.
Some years ago the English film production company Mary's Dowry made a movie about Blessed Alexandrina. In this short video one of the producers describes how the movie came about.
The full Mary's Dowry movie about Blessed Alexandrina da Costa. If you click 'Watch on Youtube', it's available.
"In an age of comfort and self-reliance, the life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa (1904–1955) stands as one of the most powerful Eucharistic witnesses of our time. At just 14 years old, Alexandrina jumped from a window to escape sexual assault, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Bedridden and in constant pain for decades, she offered her suffering for the salvation of souls. But what makes her story truly extraordinary happened starting March 27, 1942. From that day until her death on October 13, 1955 — 13 years and 7 months — she consumed nothing except the Holy Eucharist. No food. No water. No liquids. Only Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Doctors, including skeptics, examined her under strict supervision. Medical science said she should have died within days. Yet she lived, conscious and even joyful, sustained solely by the Eucharist. Our Lord told her in a vision: "You will live only by the Eucharist. I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of a soul that lives only for Me." She became a victim soul, uniting her intense sufferings with Christ for the conversion of sinners and for priests. Despite her agony, she radiated peace and love, saying: “The Eucharist is the strength of my life. Without It, I could not live even for a moment.” Her life is a profound reminder that the Eucharist is not merely a symbol — it is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, our true Food and Living Bread. In a world where faith in the Real Presence is fading, Blessed Alexandrina’s miracle cries out: He is truly here. “Jesus, I live only for You and by You.” — Blessed Alexandrina Let this inspire us to hunger more for the Eucharist, to attend Mass with greater reverence, and to believe more deeply in His presence. Lord Jesus, in the Blessed Sacrament, increase our faith! Make us live for You alone."
I posted this miraculous story a while back as a series of scanned pages from a booklet about Blessed Alexandrina. While this account is not as detailed, it may be more convenient to read as text. From the Emmanuel House of Providence, Co. Galway website: Miraculous healing by the intercession of Blessed Alexandrina emmanuelhouse | February 14, 2017 | "The following is an account of a letter from Fr Lawrence who has celebrated Mass here in Emmanuel House on many occasions. October 28th 2014, , Fr Lawrence was asked to meet with a couple to pray with them after hearing that their daughter, who was not yet born and at 30 weeks old, had “no legs”. Gerry and Elizabeth, the parents, were obviously devastated by the news but planned to keep the baby so on Thursday 30th October 2014 it was arranged that Fr Lawrence would meet with them. After talking about Fr Lawrence’ work, Gerry and Elizabeth explained their situation to Fr Lawrence. They said how that the doctor’s tests showed that the baby had not developed legs and that they had another test the following Monday. It was also anticipated that the baby would have to be induced around the second week of December (The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe). Fr Lawrence then went on to tell Gerry and Elizabeth some of the amazing stories of Blessed Alexandrina and that he had brought a relic of Blessed Alexandrina. Fr Lawrence prayed over Elizabeth’s head asking God to heal this baby through the intercession of Blessed Alexandrina. Fast forward to April 2015, Fr Lawrence and a group from Limerick visited us here at Emmanuel House. Eddie invited Gerry up to speak to the congregation. Gerry explained how Elizabeth experienced a heat sensation and that she thought that Fr Lawrence had poured ashes on her head but there were no visible marks. Fr Lawrence was not aware of this until Gerry spoke about it in Emmanuel House. November 3rd 2014, Gerry and Elizabeth had received the tests back and it showed that their baby had legs. Doctor’s could not explain why, or what had happened. Doctor’s could not understand how it was possible that the baby grew legs from 5% development to 56% in 4 days. When asked by Gerry and Elizabeth whether or not the baby would have legs, the Doctor replied “I can’t say for sure”. Elizabeth burst into tears and went straight to the Church to pray the rosary. At 11:35 pm on December 10th 2014, Isabel Ruth O’Donovan was born. The next morning Doctor’s made a visit to Elizabeth and Ruth. After rubbing and pulling Isabel’s feet and legs, they placed the blanked over her and said, “She has legs” Isabel was baptized on February 21st and she is doing great." Blessed Alexandrina, pray for us.
From Beata Alexandrina de Balasar Fb page: "The connection between the Holy Spirit and Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar is deep and central to her mysticism. Considered a "fisher of souls", her mission of redemption was guided by revelations where Jesus Himself assured her that the Holy Spirit continuously dwells in her, with her words and inspirations coming from the Third Person of the Holy Trinity."
October 13, 2025 The new Sanctuary of Balasar hosted a celebration for Blessed Alexandrina. DM Photography DM - José Carlos Ferreira The doors of the new Eucharistic Sanctuary dedicated to Blessed Alexandrina, in Balasar, Póvoa de Varzim, opened yesterday for the celebration of the Eucharist and blessing of the sick, presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Braga. It wasn't an inauguration, but, taking advantage of the moment when the Liturgical Day of Blessed Alexandrina is being celebrated, marking 70 years since her death today, October 13th, it was a way to show how the sanctuary is now, with the altar and ambo placed in their proper location. In his homily, Bishop José Cordeiro began by asking God to grant the grace for Blessed Alexandrina to be canonized as a saint and thus proclaimed a model of faith and intercessor for the entire Catholic Church. With her beatification, the cult is local, especially in Balasar, in the Archdiocese of Braga, and in the places for which authorization has been requested. "But we hope that as soon as possible, and when God wills it, she may be even more of a light for so many people who find in her the meaning of life and encounter Him who was the All of her life, Jesus Christ," he said. Bishop José Cordeiro expressed his amazement at the fact that Blessed Alexandrina is better known outside of Portugal than in her own country. "It is also a mystery that accompanies the life of this mystic, one of the greatest mystics of the contemporary Church," he emphasized. For the prelate, if this is largely due to her being a Salesian cooperator and being part of the worldwide network of the Salesian family, it is also due to the fact that her life and witness have won so many hearts for the good of the Gospel. "For us to be here today is also a significant moment in the history of this process of holiness and this pilgrimage on earth; it is about making history together," he said. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Braga considered it significant that yesterday, October 12th, falling on a Sunday, was the day of Marian spirituality within the Jubilee in Rome, during which the image of the Chapel of the Apparitions was in St. Peter's Square, and that, at the request of Pope Leo XIV, it was the World Day of Prayer for Peace. For the prelate, it was also significant that yesterday became the liturgical memorial of St. Carlo Acutis. "He was a great scholar of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa. It impresses us how a teenager allowed himself to be drawn to the testimony and example of this woman. We don't know if he came to Balasar. We know he came to Fatima; we don't know if he came here. But certainly it was his desire to visit Balasar. This makes us tremble," he emphasized. The Metropolitan Archbishop of Braga, referring to the liturgy of this Sunday, expressed his gratitude to God for the admirable life of Blessed Alexandrina, to the Alexandrina Foundation of Balasar, to the parish priest of Balasar, Father Manuel Casado Neiva, to the civil and military authorities, and to the pilgrims and people who, in silence, contributed in the past and continue to contribute so that this temple may be as dignified and beautiful as possible and may welcome all, "in prayer, in hospitality, in the service of charity, in service to the poorest, to the pilgrims, to the most needy, in spiritual, cultural and social accompaniment, with closeness and humanity." "It is the greatest attitude at this significant and historic moment that brings us together here, now, today, in what already is, and will be even greater after its dedication," he added. The parish priest of Balasar, Father Manuel Casado Neiva, at the end of the Eucharist, explained the reason for holding this celebration in the Sanctuary, which is still under construction. According to the priest, this was a way to show the many who have been asking about the progress of the work and the date of its completion.
Blessed Alexandrina of Portugal A living miracle of the Eucharist “I desire that, after your death, your life may be known, and that will happen; I shall see to it. It will reach the ends of the Earth.” - Our Lord speaking to Blessed Alexandrina, November 22, 1937 The desire of Jesus to see a widespread knowledge of the life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa of Portugal is starting to be fulfilled as devotion to her grows steadily throughout the world. One of the great mystics of modern times, a “victim soul” chosen by Christ to suffer in atonement for the sin of humanity, she appears to become an important and well-loved saint in the Universal Church. Her life gives us an example of complete fidelity to the will of Christ, and also presents an astonishing and undeniable explosion of the supernatural to an increasingly secular world. Bedridden for life from the age of 20, after sustaining a serious injury some years earlier, while trying to escape from an attack on her virtue, she suffered unspeakable pain throughout her life and mystically underwent the Passion of Christ on Fridays to atone for the sins of humanity. She also had frequent ecstasies during which she saw and spoke with Our Lord and Our Lady and offered her sufferings to bring about the consecration of the world by Pope Pius XII to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an act which in turn shortened the duration of World War II. Her life reaffirms the immense value of suffering offered in union with Jesus, and stands as a beacon of hope to those who are suffering in any way. She prayed especially for youth, and has been proposed by the Church as “a model of purity and perseverance in the Faith for today’s youth.” Although she was never able to visit the site of the apparitions of Our Blessed Lady at Fatima, Alexandria’s extraordinary story has many connections to the Fatima events, and her message is essentially the same: “Do penance, sin no more, pray the Rosary, receive the Eucharist.” Because of this, she has been described as the “fourth seer of Fatima.” One can point to miraculous occurrences in the lives of all the saints, but Alexandrina herself became a living miracle, for in the last thirteen years of her life, she ate and drink absolutely nothing, existing on the, Holy Eucharist alone. Pope John Paul II said the following about Alexandria in his homily at her beatification ceremony in 2004: “Do you love me?” Jesus asks Simon Peter, who replies: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” The life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa can be summarized in this dialogue of love. Permeated and burning with this anxiety of love, she wished to deny nothing to her Savior. With a strong will, she accepted everything to demonstrate her love for Him. A “spouse of blood,” she mystically relived Christ’s passion and offered herself as a victim for sinners, receiving strength from the Eucharist: This became her only source of nourishment for the final 13 years of her life. With the example of Blessed Alexandrina, expressed in the trilogy “suffer, love, make reparation,” Christians are able to discover the stimulus and motivation to make “noble” all that is painful and sad in life through the greatest evidence of love: sacrificing one’s life for the beloved. Secret of holiness: love for Christ. - Blessed Alexandrina A living miracle of the Eucharist by Kevin Rowles Join us online @ www.communalfirstsaturdays.org There is power in prayer together.
My wife Mary and I were in a shopping centre earlier, which has a place that specialises in printing photographs / images, converting old video cassettes to DVD etc. I brought over a prayer card with the image of Blessed Alexandrina below and asked if they could enlarge it to fit into a photo frame to put on a cabinet. They said no problem and to come back in half an hour, which we duly did. The photo was excellent and as I was paying the assistanr for it, noticed that the scanned image was still on her computer screen. I pointed to it and said that the woman's name was Alexandrina and that she had lived in Portugal. She is a Blessed and will, hopefully, be Canonised. I also said that for the last thirteen years of her life she didn't eat or drink but was sustained by the Eucharist alone. The assistant looked very surprised and said "Just Holy Communion?" I nodded. "Jesus", she said somewhat irreverently. "Exactly", I replied. She was smiling as we left the shop.
