From adolescence, Isabel was part of the volunteer association of the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, and her father was president of the St. Vincent de Paul Council of Barbacena.
Isabel moved to Juiz de Fora, also in Minas Gerais, in 1982 to attend a preparation course to enter medical school, since she dreamed of becoming a pediatrician to help children in need.
In addition to preparing to study, Isabel used to pray in the Church of the Cenacle, where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.
That year the young woman moved with her brother Paulo Roberto to a small apartment. On Sept. 1, as she was fixing it up, a man who came to assemble a wardrobe tried to rape her.
As Isabel resisted to maintain her chastity, the man became aggressive and hit her on the head with a chair, then tied her up, gagged her, tore her clothes, and tortured her.
As the young woman resisted to defend her purity, the man stabbed her to death.
During the homicide investigation, a blood-soaked carpet was found, and it was determined that the young woman had been stabbed 15 times.
The forensic doctors confirmed that the murderer failed to rape her.
The beatification process began in 2001.
Isabel’s tomb is located in Barbacena, where she was beatified. She also was baptized and received her first Communion there.
The church is now a place of pilgrimage for many faithful in Brazil, who pray before her remains asking for her intercession.
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This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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