Saint Rose of Viterbo

Her parents were not of noble birth, but had instead the gifts needed by a future Saint, holiness, virtue, piety, humility and charity. From her earliest years, Rose showed an alive, unending, overflowing love for the Church, for Jesus, the Blessed Mother, the Angels and the Saints. When she was just eight years old, she had a vision of the Blessed Mother in which Mother Mary told Rose she would be clothed in the habit of St. Francis. She was not to become a cloistered Nun, but a tertiary, part of the third order, remaining at home, giving witness to her family and neighbors by word and action of Jesus in her life.

She later became ill. But the Lord having too much for her to do, she soon recovered and donned the habit of the lay penitents of St. Francis. When she began, to contemplate Jesus’ suffering, and how wounded He was by the ingratitude of His children, Rose went to the people of Viterbo, preaching in the streets, knocking on doors, going from house to house, berating her neighbors for their complacency and apathy toward the freedom they had lost at the hands of Frederick II.

She told them they could be free; all they had to do was overthrow the Ghibelline garrison. She was all of age twelve! But her age did not deter the populace from listening, their hearts on fire! It had been so long since anyone had spoken of the beauty of Italy, of the promise the Lord made to His children not to leave them orphans. She told them they were not born to be slaves, but free! They listened! And miracles came about! Everywhere she went, she was greeted warmly; citizens having heard of her and the marvels surrounding her speechmaking, gathered to hear the Good News! Men who no longer had the will to get up in the morning were plowing their land, once more; after all, it was their land, little Rose had said so. And so, new life came into the ancient village of Viterbo.

Crowds began to gather; her father became nervous; soon, the authorities would hear of her and they would all be punished. What was wrong with her; after all, they had food on their table! He scolded; he pleaded; he berated her; he cajoled her; finally, she leaving him no recourse, he threatened to beat her if she did not stay home and cease her preaching. Rose replied, "If Jesus could be beaten for me, I can be beaten for Him. I do what He has told me to do, and I must not disobey Him."

Father and daughter seemed at loggerheads, when the local parish priest intervened; he urged her father to cease restraining Rose from doing her Divinely appointed duty. He withdrew his objections and Rose was free to preach; and preach she did, tirelessly rising early in the morning, retiring late at night, as if one driven, knowing time was short. This sounds like the urgency Jesus had with three short years to reach the children of God. This sounds like the time of Jesus; it sounds like today, with the few speaking out, the John Baptists of our day crying out in the desert, Repent and be saved! And the many.....?

She was free to preach for two years! Standing on the street corners of the town, crowds gathering, clamoring for more, her voice crying out, theirs joining in, they were a people to be reckoned with, she was uniting them, rallying support for the Pope and the Church. They took up the cry, Defend the Pontiff’s cause! Then, some villagers who had sold their souls to the Emperor for land and position became alarmed and began clamoring for her execution as an enemy of the Empire.

The mayor of the town would hear nothing of it, protesting the girl was innocent. He had a few reasons for his defense of Rose; he was a fair and just man, but also a prudent and wise man. He feared for his life, for by this time, Rose had become a little Joan of Arc. The townspeople had been resigned to the carnage of their existence; Rose brought them reason for hope and rejoicing. There was a light at the end of the dark tunnel they had been journeying through, and the mayor pitied anyone trying to put out that light.

What was the wisest course? Banish Rose and her parents from the village. And so he ordered them escorted out of town! The little family settled in Soriano; and it was there that Rose prophesied, announcing to all, the forthcoming death of Frederick II looming in the near future. He died in Apulia, on the thirteenth of that month. The papal party was reinstated in Viterbo; the citizens of Viterbo were slaves no more; free, at last.

Their little heroine was also now free, to return to her beloved village; but not before she was to go through a test by fire, truly fire! A citizen of Soriano, loyal to the Emperor and the royal Hohenstaufen family, threatened Rose with burning to death at the stake, if she did not renounce the Pope; Rose responded by asking her to be quick about it, thanking her for the privilege of dying a martyr’s death for the Faith. Having completely confounded her adversary, she not only disarmed her, she won her over for Christ and His vicar, the Pope.

Rose returned to Viterbo with her parents. It was time to go to the Convent of St. Mary of the Roses in Viterbo and ask for entrance as a postulant. As her parents were not able to supply the necessary dowry, the abbess refused her entry. Rose prophetically responded, "You will not have me now, but perhaps you will be more willing when I am dead."