Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/74

62 62 B. MARY VAZ She was declared Blessed by Pins V I. in 1783. A.RM. Stadler. B. Mary (68) Vaz, Aug. 17, 3rd O.S F., M. in 1627, at Nangasaki She was the wife of Ghispar Vaz. A.B.M, and the anthorities for Lucy de Fbeitas. Ven. Mary (69) Coronel, May 24, V. O.S.F., 1602-1666. She was abbess of the Conceptionist convent at Agreda. She wrote a Life of St. Anne and a more famous book called The MysttccU City of Ood, which has passed through many editions in divers languages. Her renown for holiness spread beyond the bounds of her own country. Many eccle- siastical and secular personages sent to consult her and ask for her prayers. She was for many years the correspondent and adviser of Philip IV. king of Spain (1621-1665) ; but he had not courage to follow the advice of this strong-minded woman, who has been called *' almost the only man at the time in all Spain." Notwithstanding the miracles that oc- curred at her tomb and the general belief in the Divine origin of her reve- lations, the books she wrote were disapproved by the Church and her canonization was thrown out Ancdecta. Biog, universeUe, Stadler. Kelly, HisL of Spanish Literature. Her works edited by Silvela in Eibadeneyra's Autores Espanoles. B. Mary (70) of the Angels, Deo. 1 6, 19, + 1717. She was a barefooted Car- melite, founder of Moncalieri. Her name was Marianna Fontanella. She was the tenth child of Giovanni Donate Fontanella, count of Baldissero, who held honourable offices in the public service at Turin. From her birth she showed points of resemblance to Tuekesa Cepeda, that great saint whose Order she was destined to adorn. When Marianna was six years old she was much interested in the lives of the saints, particularly those who lived in the desert. She arranged with one of her little brothers to steal away from home and go to the desert and there live in caves among the wild beasts. They furnished themselves with as much bread and wine as they thought they would want on the journey, for they supposed that once arrived in the desert, Gk>d would provide for all their wants. Their great difficulty was how to get away firom their father's house unperceived ; but one night,having discovered and appropriated the key, they determined to set off before the rest of the family were awake. They already fancied themselves in some hor- rible cave doing penance for their sins, and great was their vexation and many were their tears when on the appointed morning they awoke at the usual time and found they had missed the long coveted opportunity. For a long time their parents and nurses could not un- derstand the cause of Marianna's grief, but when they discovered her little store of provisions they got her to confess her plot, and were delighted with her piety. Bather more than a year after this, the child was very dangerously ill and her parents were in great distress. A Fran- ciscan monk exhorted the Countess to revive her faith in the Virgin Mary and ask her to cure the child for the sake of her immaculate conception. He also advised that the invalid should swallow a vigliettiyio of the conception. She took his advice ; went to her daughter's bed and gave her the vigliettino to swallow, saying, **My dear child, recommend yourself to the most holy Virgin." The little girl, who until then appeared to be at the point of death, instantly aroused herself and said, '' Mary, help me I " Then she had a vision of the Virgin Mary pray- ing for her to Christ, Who refused her prayer at first, saying that Marianna would be ungrateful to Him, but granted the child's life to His mother's persist- ence. Marianna was perfectly cured. She considered herself bound to show her thankfulness by a life devoted to her Saviour. Before long hor mother made her learn dancing and required her to be nicely dressed and to go into society. She obeyed, but it was pain ana grief to her. One day she found a broken image of the crucified Lord with- out the cross. She kissed it, and cried over it and said it had been cruelly treated. It replied that she was the person who was cruel to her Lord. She was in great distress and felt she must give up all considerations except the service of Christ. She went to the glass to arrange her dishevelled hair, and saw