During his Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Pope Leo XIV recalls the Saints and Blesseds who helped shape the country’s spiritual heritage, as their holiness was lived in tireless service to those most in need.
Vatican News
Uruguay is a diverse nation with a strong sense of its history and secular identity, yet with Christian roots, where religion is largely a private matter.
The country’s patroness is Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the Virgen de los Treinta y Tres, whose veneration dates back to the struggle for independence.
Alongside Marian devotion, Catholics in Uruguay have a deep devotion to the Saints and Blesseds who have marked the nation’s history over the centuries, serving the sick, the poor, and the marginalized, often quietly and always tirelessly.
Jacinto Vera: a bishop close to his people (November 6 – Vespers)
In his homily during the celebration of Vespers with bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, and seminarians in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Saints Philip and James in the Uruguayan capital, Pope Leo XIV recalled Blessed Jacinto Vera.
He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Montevideo, serving from 1878 until his death on May 6, 1881, during a mission in Pan de Azúcar.
At a time when the state was developing into a democracy under the influence of Masonic forces, and a strongly anticlerical government was asserting jurisdiction over the Church, Blessed Jacinto Vera defended religious freedom and the rights of the Church community and the poor. As a result, he was forced into exile.
Blessed Jacinto Vera
As a pastor, he worked tirelessly to advance the Church’s mission while seeking to avoid fruitless confrontations. His steadfast commitment to the Gospel and his pastoral dedication contributed greatly to the renewal of the clergy and the Christian life of the faithful.
Always close to the people, he promoted education and the Catholic press. He had a deep trust in Divine Providence and, during the cholera and yellow fever epidemics, devoted himself to helping the faithful and the destitute. His concern for those most in need earned him the name Padre de los pobres, “Father of the Poor.” He was beatified on May 6, 2023.
María Francisca Rubatto: Courageous witness to the faith (November 8 – Mass)
Uruguay’s first Saint, María Francisca Rubatto, was of Italian origin. She was born on February 14, 1844, in Carmagnola and was canonized on May 15, 2022.
The founder of the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of Loano, she lived in complete fidelity to God’s call.
After arriving in Montevideo in 1892, she went on to open houses in Argentina and Brazil. In Alto Alegre, Brazil, she supported the Capuchin Friars Minor’s St. Joseph of Providence mission.
St. María Francisca Rubatto
She was profoundly shaken by the killing of the Brazilian community’s seven sisters, together with four friars, two Third Order members, and 240 faithful, by a group of Indigenous people incited by unscrupulous individuals. Nevertheless, she continued to provide formation for the sisters and to support them in their dedication to God.
She died on August 6, 1904, leaving a clear witness of fidelity to the Gospel, love for Christ, and service to the Church and the poor.
Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella: Sisters of steadfast faith (November 8 – Mass)
Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella, two Uruguayan sisters martyred during the Spanish Civil War, were beatified on March 11, 2001.
They were murdered out of “hatred of the faith” on September 19, 1936, in Madrid, where they had moved with their family as young children.
They were closely associated with the Institute of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools, also known as the Piarist Sisters. Throughout their lives, the two women maintained a deep bond with the religious sisters, who had guided their formation and remained a point of reference for their Christian lives.
When numerous religious communities were forced to leave their houses, the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools also had to move, finding accommodation in an apartment in the Spanish capital.
Persecution did not spare them, however, and Dolores and Consuelo, who had continued to help and support them, were arrested and subsequently murdered.
Blesseds Dolores and Consuelo Aguiar-Mella (© Conferencia Episcopal del Uruguay)
Their deaths had a significant impact in Uruguay. Initially buried in Madrid’s Almudena Cemetery, their remains were transferred to the Cathedral of Montevideo in 2006.
They are regarded as among the most significant figures in the Uruguayan Church.
