A few photos from our recent trip to Balasar. The week was wonderful and included a very enjoyable meet up with Padraig and his friend Heather, who made the trip down from Northern Spain. Unfortunately, they had to leave very early the next morning and we didn't get to take any photos. Praying at Blessed Alexandrina's room.
Prayer: "O Jesus, You who take delight in simple and humble hearts—so often forgotten and despised—exalt, through the grace of canonization, Blessed Alexandrina, who always desired to live hidden from the world and apart from its grandeur. Hear the supplications that we address to You through her intercession. Grant us, in particular, the grace we desire, if it be for Your honor, for the glorification of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the salvation of sinners—causes for which this, Your most devoted daughter, so generously offered herself as a sacrifice. Amen." Blessed Alexandrina, protect us.
THE SISTER OF FR. HUMBERTO AT THE HOME OF BLESSED ALEXANDRINA The following account is narrated in the third person, but the person in question is Fr. Humberto: “One day, Fr. Humberto received a visit from one of his sisters, who had come from Italy. They went together to visit Alexandrina, and that evening the lady stayed overnight in a room next to the one occupied by the sick woman. Deeply moved by having also witnessed Friday’s ecstasy, the lady was unable to sleep... Then, quite unexpectedly, she was overcome by another strange experience: waves of a mysterious perfume would occasionally envelop her in a dreamlike atmosphere!... ‘What a wonderful fragrance!’ she exclaimed, delighted. ‘I have never experienced anything like it!’ ‘Perfumes?!’ Deolinda exclaimed in great surprise. ‘That is something we do not use. Did they imagine that a poor country home was some kind of perfumery?’ ‘And yet,’ the lady insisted with great conviction, ‘I noticed a strong fragrance after my arrival, when I entered and approached Alexandrina’s bed. But last night, during the long hours when I could not sleep, I found myself enveloped several times in waves of very fragrant scents. ‘And it was no ordinary smell; it was a delicate, exquisite and highly varied fragrance. I did not sense it continuously, but only from time to time, in sudden waves.’ Deolinda and Fr. Humberto exchanged glances and smiled. The lady, very embarrassed, blushed deeply and no longer dared to say anything... At this point, her brother explained the strange phenomenon that had been occurring for years: in fact, an exceedingly delicate fragrance frequently lingered around Alexandrina. Hundreds and hundreds of people, both men and women, had often experienced and confirmed the same fragrance. Fr. Humberto himself, on his very first visit to Alexandrina, had been touched by that same fragrant aura. It was for this very reason that he had even recommended to Deolinda that she should not decorate the altar with strongly scented flowers.” If this phenomenon has no natural explanation, it can at least be explained on the mystical level, for it is not an unprecedented occurrence. Moreover, it was not only the pleasant fragrances of virtue that were experienced in Alexandrina’s room. The dreadful stench of sin also manifested itself—to her.
The references to "mystical fragrances" in the article above reminded me of St. Padre Pio. I had been wondering before seeing that article if Padre Pio and Alexandrina might have been aware of each other, as they were alive at the same time. I searched online and found this reference in a larger piece on Padre Pio and his contact with other Saints and Mystics on the site www.marypylelife.com: A Contemporary Mystic: Blessed Alexandrina da Costa Padre Pio reportedly had spiritual contact with Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, a Portuguese mystic who, like him, lived in near-continuous suffering offered for the salvation of souls. While there’s no documented meeting between the two, some sources claim they exchanged letters or spiritual messages through intermediaries. Both were seen as living victims of love, participating mystically in the Passion of Christ for the world’s conversion. The Souls of the Mystical Network In addition to these saints, Padre Pio had frequent contact with the souls in purgatory and claimed they would appear to him asking for prayers. He spoke of the spiritual “traffic” between heaven, earth, and purgatory as a natural reality. Once, when asked if he saw saints during Mass, he replied, “How could I not? They are all around the altar.” Legacy of Mystical Fellowship Padre Pio’s relationship with the saints was more than devotion—it was mystical companionship. He lived in constant dialogue with heaven, drawing strength from the examples of holy men and women who had walked the path of suffering, humility, and radical love before him. To this day, those who seek Padre Pio’s intercession often feel drawn into this wider circle of saints—a sacred family bound together in Christ. His life reminds us that holiness is not solitary, but a shared journey toward God.
From Jose Ferreira's Portuguese Fb page, translated to English: THE SUFFERING FACE OF THE SON OF GOD IN BLESSED ALEXANDRINA This miracle must have made a profound impression on anyone who learned of it. Father Humberto recounted it: In the autumn of 1944, a priest who knew very little about mysticism and knew Alexandrina only slightly had just finished a conversation with her. He stood up to bless her and offer her his hand to kiss, a gesture that even today our good people customarily request of priests with great reverence and faith. As he withdrew his hand, while speaking a word of encouragement to Alexandrina, he no longer saw the sick woman lying on that white pillow. Instead, in her place, he saw the sorrowful face of Jesus Himself. “It was not a fleeting impression,” the priest assured them, “but a true vision that lasted several minutes.” He was astonished, overcome by indescribable emotion. He no longer knew what to say. His throat tightened, and he stepped backwards, his gaze remaining fixed on that pillow, where sorrow seemed to have taken bodily form in the Face of the Son of God, until Alexandrina’s angelic smile reappeared. The priest left, but with the feeling of someone being drawn away from a powerful magnet. As soon as he was able to find himself alone, he later confessed, he had to weep with deep sobs and groans to release the indescribable and most tender emotion he had experienced. This was accompanied by a heartfelt, almost overwhelming, sorrow for his own sins. Image: Illustration from the cover of the Italian book about Alexandrina, Figlia del Dolore Madre di Amore (Daughter of Sorrow, Mother of Love).
I have many Saints I pray for intercession to, but I am so drawn to pray to Bl alexandrina. My youngest grandaughter, who at 15 is learning the Faith, told me her mother and her say the Rosary at night. I have been praying for both of them.
Geralyn and I pray the Rosary together daily. Will dedicate a decade tonight for mother and daughter!
