Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini (November 22, 1928 – August 7, 2004), also known as Maria Esperanza, was a
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n
mystic, in Barrancas in the State of
Monagas
)
, anthem = '' Himno del Estado Monagas''
, image_map = Monagas in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_m ...
near the
Orinoco River.
[Biography of Maria Esperanza](_blank)
at MariaEsperanza.org
On January 31, 2010, in the (Catholic)
Cathedral of St Francis of Assisi in
Metuchen, New Jersey
Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...
, the case for the
beatification
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
and
canonization of Maria Esperanza was opened by the Bishop
Paul Bootkoski of the
Diocese of Metuchen, which act gave her the title
Servant of God.
Maria's
Marian Apparitions
A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time.
In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian ap ...
were approved at the local level by the bishop,
but not by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible ...
, which has only approved 12 apparitions to date.
Life
Born on November 22, 1928, in Barrancas, Venezuela, Bianchini was the mother of seven children and grandmother of 20 children.
[
Believers claim that, while Maria Esperanza considered becoming a nun, it was revealed to her in a vision on October 3, 1954, that her calling was to the married life. It is said that in this vision of St. John Bosco, the saint told her she would first encounter her spouse on November 1, 1955, which she reportedly did.] She was particularly devoted to St Thérèse of Lisieux – the “Little Flower.” Believers hold that, from her youth, she lived a life of virtue and fidelity to God and received the gifts of supernatural knowledge, healing, visions, discernment of spirits, locution, ecstasy, levitation, the odor of sanctity, the stigmata
Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet.
Sti ...
, and the ability to read the hearts of others. Witnesses claim to have seen her levitating during mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
and engaging in bilocation. Her legend also recounts that Maria received the spiritual direction and the mantle of Padre Pio
Francesco Forgione, OFM Cap., better known as Padre Pio and as Saint Pius of Pietrelcina ( it, Pio da Pietrelcina; 25 May 188723 September 1968), was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a ...
, and received in the presence of her husband a bilocated visitation from Pio the day before he died.[Brooks, Stevern]
Where are the Mantles
p. 49-51, Xulon Books
In 1979 she created the Betania Foundation, a lay movement designed to evangelize, educate and develop society's well-being and family life, and promote social justice. Her family continues the mission of the foundation.[
]
Apparitions
Bianchini reportedly first saw an apparition of Mary in 1976. Still, she became a world-renowned figure after Mary allegedly appeared to her and 150 others at a farm named Finca Betania in Venezuela on March 25, 1984. Mary is said to have appeared under the title “Mary, Virgin, and Mother, Reconciler of all Peoples and Nations.” The apparition was deemed valid by Bishop Pio Bello Ricardo of Los Teques, Venezuela, in 1987.["Metuchen opens sainthood cause for Venezuelan mystic who died in US," The Catholic Review]
/ref>
References
External links
MariaEsperanza.org
*http://thecatholictravelguide.com/destinations/venezuela/betania-venezuela-apparitions-healings-mystic-maria-esperanza/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchini, Maria Esperanza de
1928 births
2004 deaths
21st-century Christian mystics
21st-century venerated Christians
Marian visionaries
People from Monagas
Roman Catholic mystics
Stigmatics
Venezuelan Christian mystics
Venezuelan Roman Catholics
Venezuelan Servants of God