Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa

Based on her request, the following words were written on her tombstone:

“Sinners, if the dust of my body can be of help to save you, come close, walk over it, kick it around until it disappears. But never sin again: do not offend Jesus anymore! Sinners, how much I want to tell you…. Do not risk losing Jesus for all eternity, for he is so good. Enough with sin. Love Jesus, love him!”.

Feast Day is October 13

Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa was born in Portugal in 1904. When she was just 14 years old she chose to jump out of a high window so as to escape an attack upon her purity. Her spine was irreparably injured in the fall and she soon found herself bedridden for the rest of her life at the age of 20.

She did not despair however, and amidst unspeakable pain she entered upon an astounding vocation to “Love, Suffer and make Reparation” (Jesus to Bl. Alexandrina) and embraced a specific calling by Christ as a ‘Victim Soul’.

In this documentary, the life of Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa presents an astonishing and undeniable explosion of the supernatural, faith and virtue which is so relevant for today.

Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004, she has been propsed by the Church as “a model of purity and perseverance in the Faith for today’s youth”, and is set to become an important and well loved Saint in the Universal Church.

She is known to many in Portugal as ‘The Fourth Seer of Fatima’. Her life and message is extremely powerful and important for she offered herself as a Victim Soul to console Christ, bring about the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to save sinners.

Blessed Alexandrina is probably one of the most important figures of our time. Whereas the Fatima message is widely known and the three seers of Fatima venerated and promoted, Blessed Alexandrina is hardly even heard of in a lot of cases yet is known in Portugal as the Fourth Seer of Fatima. Her life and message is so vastly important, the weight of just how important she is has not yet been realized. Paralized at the age of 14 by jumping out of her window to escape intruders and protect her purity, Alexandrina gradually became bedridden.

At first the thought of being confined to bed was difficult to cope with and Alexandrina would ask friends to visit to play cards and help her through the day. Gradually Alexandrina began to understand that Jesus is a prisoner too in the Blessed Sacrament. She would face the Tabernacle as she lay paralized and in excruciating pain day after day in her little room. She then began to understand also the value of suffering united to Christ. Offering herself as a victim soul for sinners Alexandrina embarked upon a life of almost unbelievable pain 24 hours a day. With no comfortable position, Alexandrina would lay paralized an in agony always. Her prayers and sufferings were so powerful.

As Alexandrina was unable to move or be moved it is fascinating that after some time she began to experience the Passion of Our Lord. Our Lord told her that in order to bring out the Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary she would suffer every Friday. Leading up to the first time, Alexandrina was terrified as to what would happen. She entered into ecstacy and this paralized young woman, unable to move, would get out of her bed and moment by moment re-live the Passion of Our Lord all the way to Crucifixion and Death where she would suffer and die. This happened every friday 180 times until the consecration took place.

Alexandrina kept a photograph of Blessed Jacinta Marto one of the three Fatima Seers next to her bed. Sister Lucia of Fatima wrote to Fr Pasquale, saying “ May the Lord grant that Alexandrina’s cause of beatification advance as quickly as possible, for the glory of God. It is necessary that such a materialistic world sees that there are still souls capable of being raised into the realms of the supernatural.”

Alexandrina urged people always to live the Fatima Message, to pray the Rosary and offer Sacrifices for sinners. “Make reparation to Our Lord in the Adorable Eucharist! Penitence! Penitence! Penitence! Pray the Rosary devoutly every day. Practise the First Saturday devotion. Consecrate yourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”

Alexandrina pleaded with people to practise the First Saturday devotion and to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Brown Scapular for very good reason, as Our Lady Herself has promised to assist with the eternal salvation of those who practise these devotions. Our Lady revealed the First Five Saturday devotion on December 10th 1925 to Sister Lucia of Fatima, saying:-

“ . . . I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.”

On the morning of the 13th October, the 38th anniversary of Our Lady’s last appearance at Fatima and the day on which the miracle of the sun took place, Alexandrina received a vision of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who said to her “I am about to take you”. She received Holy Communion for the last time at 8am, and afterwards delivered her final poignant message to those present in her room, and to all humanity, crying out:- “Do not sin. The pleasures of this life are worth nothing. Receive Communion. Pray the Rosary every day. This sums up everything.” Alexandrina suffered extreme pain throughout the whole day, which she bore with great fortitude to the very end. At 8pm, she kissed the crucifix for the last time, and died at 8.29pm.

Alexandrina also lived a total fast on the Eucharist alone for 13 years and is an important figure bringing mankind back to an understanding, devotion and love of the Blessed Sacrament.

Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons and Feast, By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.