St. Rose, whose feast we celebrate on August 23, is the first saint of the New World. She was born to Spanish parents in Lima, Peru, in 1586, and at a very young age, she chose to consecrate her life to God. She practiced very intense prayer and penance daily, sometimes depriving herself of food and sleep.
She joined the Third Order of St. Dominic and lived in a little hut in her parents' garden, working to help support them. She was ill for the last three years of her life, and was cared for by a government official and his wife. She died at the age of 31 in 1617 and was canonized in 1671.
