Blessed Nhá Chica
Poor woman of Baependi, called the “mother of the poor”
- Rank
- Blessed
- Kind
- Layperson, Mystic
- Life
- 1810 – 1895
- Era
- 19th century
- Feast
- 14 June
- Countries
- Brazil
Life story
Francisca de Paula de Jesus, usually called Nhá Chica, was born around 1810 and, according to the Holy See's records, in São João del-Rei in Minas Gerais, Brazil. She was the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and grew up without schooling. Sources on her childhood are thin, and records disagree about both her birth year and her birthplace.
She lived in Baependi, a small town in Minas Gerais, in simple poverty. She used land she had inherited to build a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição) and looked after it for the rest of her life. People from across the region came to her for advice and prayer; according to the accounts, she shared her few possessions with those who asked for help. She was called the “mother of the poor”.
She died on 14 June 1895 in Baependi and was buried four days later in her own chapel. Pope Francis authorised the decree on a miracle, and she was beatified on 4 May 2013 in Baependi, with Cardinal Angelo Amato presiding. She was the first Afro-Brazilian woman to be beatified. Her feast day is 14 June.
Works and witness
- Lived simply in Baependi, Minas Gerais
- Built and kept the chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
- Received people who came for advice and prayer
- Died on 14 June 1895
- Beatified on 4 May 2013
Saints from the same country
References
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints: biography and beatification records, 4 May 2013
- Archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, materials on the cause of Nhá Chica
- Martyrologium Romanum (14 June)
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.