SAINT LAURA MONTOYA, THE FIRST COLOMBIAN SAINT - (OCTOBER 21)

Laura Montoya Upegui  (Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena) was born on 26 May, 1874 in Jericó, Antioquia (Colombia). Was the second of three children of Juan de la Cruz Montoya and Dolores Upegui. 

When Laura was born her mother, who was a very devout woman, refused to breast-feed her until she will be baptized.  Her father, Juan de la Cruz takes the girl away, looking for a godparents and runs to baptize her daughter the same day of her birth.

The priest quickly looked for a suitable name for the baby in a Roman martyrology, and finally find the name "Laura".  Her father and godparents will replicate that Laura does not seem to be the name of a saint. To this the priest said: “then let her be the first saint with that name."

Childhood suffering, divine help

When Laura was only two years old, her father was killed by radical liberals for being an active member of the conservative party and the family was left in extreme poverty after all their goods were confiscated. At such a time of deep misery and loss, Laura's mother gave an example of Christian forgiveness and fortitude that would remain impressed in her young daughter's mind and heart forever. 

As already mentioned, her mother, Mrs.Dolores Upegui, educate their three children, Juan de la Cruz, María Laura and Carmelita in a authentic Christianity. Every night, before going to rest, the family would gather to pray the rosary.

Laura who, since her childhood liked to make a lot of questions, asked to her mother to tell her who was that men for which they prayed the rosary daily. Is he from our family? she asked.

Her mother simply answers: He is the murderer of your father… you must love it because we must love our enemies; they bring us closer to God.

Following her father's death, Laura was sent to live with her grandmother. She suffered greatly from misunderstandings and the lack of affection, feeling she had been left "orphaned".
However, she accepted with love the sacrifices and loneliness she experienced and sought refuge in God. 

Mystical encounter with the Lord

In her autobiography, Laura recounts a mystical phenomenon that happened when she was only seven years old, before this episode she had heard about God but had never interested in anything to do with religion. When she was on the farm of his grandfather, playing alongside an ant colony, felt that a ray had fallen and it had pierced her heart. In heaven there was not a single cloud and the whole day had been sunny.  
She tells: When I felt this ray, I had a true knowledge of God and his greatness, so deep, so magnificent, so loving, that today, after so study and learn, I don't know more about God than I knew at that time.

And concludes: I cried and screamed with joy, looked back to the ant colony, on it I felt God with unknown tenderness. I returned my eyes to heaven and cried, I called to the Lord like a crazy.

As she grew older, she was especially sustained by meditation on Sacred Scripture, the strength she received from the holy Eucharist and a trustful devotion to the blessed virgin Mary. 

When Laura was 16, her mother decided that her daughter needed to help the family in its financial difficulties and told her to apply to become a teacher. Although Laura was culturally and academically "ignorant", having grown up without a formal education, she asked to enter the "Normal de Institutoras" of Medellín to receive training to become an elementary school teacher. She was accepted and stood out for her high marks among the students. 

St. Laura Montoya during her life as a teacher

Called to "teach Christ'

Laura began teaching in different places of Antioquia. She did not limit herself to educating the students simply in academic knowledge, but sought to diffuse Gospel teaching and values.
She also felt called to the religious life, her heart set on God alone, and dreamed of one day becoming a cloistered Carmelite nun; at the same time, though, she felt growing within her the desire to spread the Gospel to the farthest corners of the earth, to those who had never met Jesus Christ.
She was ready to renounce her own "dream" of Carmel to be open to God's project, if his will was otherwise. 

An Indian with the Indians

At one time during her teaching career, Laura felt decidedly drawn to helping the Indian population in South America and wished to insert herself into their culture, to "become an Indian with the Indians to win them all for Christ". Recognizing their dignity as human beings in an epoch when they were considered by many as "wild beasts", Laura wanted to destroy this racial discrimination and to personally sacrifice herself in order to bring them Christ's love and teaching.

On 14 May 1914, she left Medellín together with four other young women and headed to Dabeiba to live among the native Indians. This new religious family, assisted by the Bishop of Santa Fe de Antioquia and known as the "Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena", was thought by some to be nothing more than a family of "religious goats", who were heading off into the wilderness to give the "beasts" a living Gospel catechism. 

Laura, however, cared little for public opinion, even if some of the comments made came right from within the Christian community itself.

She and her congregation were very attacked and despised from the beginning. Priests, bishops, other religious communities and lay people wanted to see his work reduced to ashes. But his faith and his love for the Indians pushed her to work more strongly for the glory of God.

Nothing seemed to be able to stop Mother Laura, nor criticism, nor problems or doubts. Her desire to take God to the depths of the jungle consumed her like a fire that was not extinguished inside her. No place was too far away for her and her sisters to arrive. Although she was a robust woman, she surrounded the steepest mountains, the most uncertain roads, the deepest valleys and even crossed the most impetuous rivers, for days and weeks, riding on mule, having to sleep on the floor of the jungle if it was neccesary in order to reach the indigenous villages.

Mother Laura, on mission among the indians.

Pedagogy of love

Mother Laura composed for her sisters a directory and other writings (her autobiography among them) to help them understand better their call to serve God among the Indians, and to live a balance between apostolic and contemplative life. She taught by example the "pedagogy of love" as the only way to teach the Indians, the way which allowed access into their heart and culture to bring them Jesus Christ. 

Mother Laura could be called "the American Saint Theresa" for her collection of spiritual writings. She left to her congregation, and the whole church, twelve books with her private letters, missionary experiences and a magazine, in which share and explains all her spirituality.

The last nine years of her life were lived in a wheelchair. Even so, she took this time to continue her work as a writer. With her reflections and spiritual writings she tried to keep alive the fire of the charism of her congregation in the hearts of her missionary daughters. Now, she should follow the mission from a contemplative life, day and night in front of the tabernacle, offering their sufferings for her congregation and their "sons" on the jungle.  Mother Laura died on October 21, 1949 in Medellín, after a long and painful illness. 

Her remains are venerated in the sanctuary that she helped to build, at side to the mother house of her congregation in Medellin - Colombia.

Today her daughters work in twenty one countries throughout America, Africa and Europe. 

To the glory of altars

Pope saint John Paul II through a decree of heroic virtues declared her as venerable on January 22, 1991 and beatified her on April 25, 2004. The beatification miracle involved the 1994 cure of an 86 year old woman with uterine cancer. She was the first colombian woman to be beatified.

Laura was canonized by Pope Francis on May 12, 2013. About 3000 Colombians attended the canonization ceremony.

The canonization miracle involves the healing of Dr. Carlos Eduardo Restrepo, who was suffering from lupus, kidney damage and muscular degeneration. After praying to Blessed Laura, the doctor was said to be completely cured. Laura Montoya is the first native-born colombian that is canonized by the catholic church.

Tomb and reliques of Saint Laura Montoya in her sanctuary in Medellín - Colombia.


Watch here a TV documentary about St. Laura Montoya with english subtitles!