Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa
Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa (born March 30, 1904 AD in Balasar, Porto, Portugal; died October 13, 1955 AD in Balasar, Porto, Portugal) was a Portuguese Catholic mystic and victim soul. At age 14 she was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after jumping from a window to escape a man who was trying to assault her. She spent the last 13 years of her life bedridden, nourished solely by the Eucharist, and was known for mystical union with the suffering Christ. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 25, 2004. Her feast day is October 13.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa
| Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 13 |
| Profession | Catholic laywoman; victim soul; mystic; eucharistic faster; paralyzed from age 14; member of the Salesian Cooperators |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Diocese of Porto; 20th-century Portuguese Catholic mysticism; Fátima Marian tradition; Eucharistic mysticism |
| Patronage | Portugal; the sick and paralyzed; victim souls; Eucharistic devotion; those who defend chastity; victims of assault; Balasar; Póvoa de Varzim |
| Attributes | A bedridden woman; Eucharistic host (her only nourishment); a cross or crucifix (her participation in the Passion); the Fátima connection; the Portuguese flag or landscape; a paralyzed figure in prayer |
| Birthplace | Balasar, Porto, Portugal |
| Death Place | Balasar, Porto, Portugal |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died October 13, 1955, at Balasar; she was 51 years old; she had spent the last 13 years of her life (from 1942) without any food or drink other than the Eucharist — a fact documented by medical observation, including a 40-day observation by Dr. Cacilda Sousa de Pina (1943–1944) at the hospital of the Sisters of the Most Blessed Sacrament; she died on the anniversary of the Miracle of Fátima (October 13, 1917) — the date she was born spiritually, she had always said; she was beatified by John Paul II on April 25, 2004 |
| Primary Shrine | Balasar, Porto, Portugal — her home and tomb; October 13 feast; pilgrimage site |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; October 13 feast in Portugal and Diocese of Porto |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Alexandrina Maria da Costa was born March 30, 1904, in Balasar, a small village in northern Portugal near Porto. She was a pious child from a poor family, with a particular devotion to Our Lady.
On Easter Sunday 1918, at age 14, a man attempted to assault her and her two friends; to escape she jumped from a second-floor window. The fall left her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. She never walked again and spent the rest of her life bedridden in the family home at Balasar.
Over the following years her mystical life deepened. Beginning on Good Friday 1938, she experienced each Friday the Passion of Christ — entering prolonged ecstasies with stigmatic wounds, reliving the suffering of the Crucifixion. This continued until April 1942. From April 1942, the exterior phenomena ceased, but her interior life of union with the Passion deepened.
From 1942 until her death in 1955 she received no nourishment except the Eucharist. This was documented in a 40-day medical observation (1943–1944) by Dr. Cacilda Sousa de Pina.
She died October 13, 1955 — the anniversary of the Miracle of Fátima — at Balasar, at age 51.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 25, 2004.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Balasar, Porto, Portugal
Death location: Balasar, Porto, Portugal
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Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Alexandrina Maria da Costa have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| ✝️A Life of Sacrifice and Faith – Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa | 15–30 minutes | Journey of the Saints |
Shrines
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Known shrines
- Balasar, Porto, Portugal — her home and tomb; October 13 feast; pilgrimage.
Feast day
October 13
Veneration
Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa (1904–1955) was a Portuguese laywoman who was permanently paralyzed at age 14 and lived the last 13 years of her life sustained solely by the Eucharist — medically documented in 1943–1944. Mystical victim soul united to the Passion of Christ. Died on the anniversary of the Miracle of Fátima. Beatified John Paul II 2004. Feast October 13.
Prayers
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