The first Brazilian saint, saint Mother Paulina, was canonized on the day of Saint Yves feast, May 19 – 2002.

Today, Brazil celebrates Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (December 16, 1865 – July 9, 1942), more commonly known as Saint Mother Pauline

She was born Amabile Lucia Visintainer in Tyrol, then part of Austro-Hungary, now in Italy. Like many others in the area, the Visintainer family was very poor and practicing Catholics. In 1875, the family immigrated to the State of Santa Catarina, along with many people of the town in Brazil, where they founded Nova Trento. She was known even at a youthful age for her piety and charity. She practiced in the church that still exists in the village. From an early age she spoke of giving her life to God. She had very little intellectual education, but a great love for the Catholic faith and for the suffering and poor.

On 12 July 1890, under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit priest, with a friend, she committed their lives to religious service, under dedication to the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. They began by caring for a woman suffering from terminal cancer, in a vey humble house was which was donated to the small community and the young girls began a schedule of religious living. After the woman’s death the following year, they were joined by a third friend. In 1895, seeing the need for a more formal and secure organization of the young women coming to them, decided to establish a religious congregation called the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The congregation grew quickly and in 1903 Pauline was elected their Superior General for life. She moved from Nova Trento to São Paulo, in order to take care of orphans, the children of former slaves, and aged slaves: slavery having been ended by the Emperor of Brazil only in 1888. In 1909 Mother Pauline was unjustly removed from her position as Superior General by the archbishop of São Paulo. She was sent to work with the sick without being able to assume an active role in her own congregation.

In 1918, she was brought to live at the General Motherhouse where she would remain until her death. Mother Pauline’s health began a long, slow decline in 1938, as she fought a losing battle with diabetes: her right arm was amputated. She spent the last months of her life totally blind. On 9 July 1942 she died with the last words, “God’s will be done”.

Mother Pauline was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 18 October (that is the probable birthday of Saint Yves!) 1991, during his visit to Florianopolis, which is when he was hosted at the great Jesuit College of the town. By the end, she was canonized on May, 19th, 2002 … on the very day of Saint Yves’ feast, which is the day of his death too. Her feast day is July 9 and she is invoked by diabetics and people who suffer cancers.