Saint Rose of Viterbo

Every now and then we come across the term ‘a child prodigy’ or ‘a wonder child’. These terms describe ‘a person under the age of ten who performs in some domain to the level of an adult expert.’ This characteristic manifests in children in the fields of art, music, mathematics, science, and other areas of technology.

St. Rose of Viterbo was such a child, but with a difference. Her excellence, manifested at a very tender age, was the gift of profound spirituality.

She lived between 1235 and 1252 . She was born in Viterbo in central Italy at a time when Italy was not yet unified but divided into states. Rome and the areas around it were referred to as the Papal States that came under the jurisdiction of the Pope, even in political power. Emperor Frederick ll, seeking power over the Italian states, invaded the Papal states in 1240 when Rose was five years old. The Emperor was excommunicated by the Pope, but he succeeded in occupying the Papal states including Viterbo.

This was the ‘climate’ that surrounded the childhood and teenage years of  Rose. In her short life, her profound spirituality shone from a very early age in an extraordinary way. It is believed that when she was only 3, she prayed as she stood by the coffin of her dead aunt who came to life again. She was only 7 years old when she would spend her days in prayer and penance in a small room in her parents house. It was at this time that it is said Rose had a vision of Our Lady, who told her to become a lay Franciscan and to be ‘a witness of God in the world.’
She was only 12 years old when she went out in the streets to preach!

She spoke about the authority of the Pope, about repentance, justice and mercy, encouraging people to remain loyal to their beliefs. Even at that tender age, she did not refrain from speaking against the occupation of the anti-papal forces. As a result she was in danger of being killed. So the mayor exiled her together with her parents. As she moved from town to town, she did not cease to preach and convert people. She even predicted the death of Emperor Frederick, who in fact died eight days after her prediction.
On her return home, she asked to be accepted as a nun with the Poor Clares but she was refused. . .  because she could not afford to have a dowry!

She died a few years later when she was just 17 years old. Her body was moved to the convent of the Poor Clares, who had refused her as ‘a pauper and then accepted her as a saint.’