Pope Leo XIV blessed a new Marian mosaic and an image of St. Rose of Lima installed in the Vatican Gardens. The installation renews the strong ties of faith and friendship between Peru and the Holy See. St. Rose of Lima, the first saint born in the Americas, was highlighted by the Pope as an example of holiness. The two commissioned works were created by the "Don Bosco Family of Artisans," an association of young people from the Peruvian Andes Mountains. The ceremony was attended by the Peruvian Ambassador to the Holy See and the President of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference.
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Pope Leo XIV presided over the inauguration and blessing of a mosaic of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a statue of St. Rose of Lima in the Vatican Gardens on January 31, 2026.1 2
The artworks, donated by the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference during their ad limina visit, were attended by Peru’s ambassador to the Holy See, Jorge Ponce San Román, and Bishop Carlos Enrique García Camader, president of the conference.1 2
Both pieces were crafted by the Don Bosco Family of Artisans, young artists from Peru’s Andes trained by Salesian priest Fr. Ugo De Censi.1 2
The statue by Edwin Morales depicts St. Rose holding the Child Jesus, with a ring and roses symbolizing mystical betrothal, and an anchor at her feet representing hope and defense against pirates.2
The mosaic by Lenin Álvarez Medina features the Immaculate Virgin surrounded by seven Peruvian Marian devotions in national colors, made with Venetian enamel, stone, gold, and techniques shared by Vatican’s Fabbrica di San Pietro artisans.2
Pope Leo XIV described the event as a joyous occasion renewing faith bonds with Peru, a country dear to him, amid the Gardens’ beauty reflecting creation.1 2
He highlighted the universal vocation to holiness, quoting Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium, and presented St. Rose—the first saint of the Americas—as a model for sanctification.1 2
The Pope prayed for Mary and St. Rose’s intercession and urged all to witness holiness today.1 2
Ambassador Ponce expressed Peru’s gratitude and invited the Pope to visit, noting the land awaits him with hope and faith.2
Bishop García called the Virgin a representation of Peru’s Marian faith, hope, and charity, with St. Rose embodying Latin America’s early holiness amid modern challenges like violence and indifference.2
Pope Leo XIV, who spent over a decade as an Augustinian missionary in Peru and later served as bishop of Chiclayo, holds Peru as a second homeland.2
The artworks symbolize communion between the Peruvian Church and the universal Church, strengthened by the Pope’s listening and missionary heart.1 2
St. Rose of Lima’s model of holiness in Catholic thought
St. Rose of Lima stands as a profound exemplar of holiness in Catholic tradition, embodying a radical commitment to penance, prayer, and obedience amid the challenges of lay life in the New World. Born in 1586 in Lima, Peru, she modeled her spiritual journey after St. Catherine of Siena, embracing severe austerities, devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin, and a vow of virginity that transformed her into the first canonized saint of the Americas. Her life illustrates the Church's teaching that holiness arises from heroic virtue in ordinary circumstances, serving as an intercessor and model for all faithful, particularly in fostering a "fire of love" that unites earthly penance with heavenly joy.
Rose, originally named Isabel, displayed extraordinary piety from infancy, marked by a mystical rose on her face that foreshadowed her name at confirmation in 1597. Her childhood was characterized by reverence for God, intense devotion to the Infant Jesus and the Blessed Mother—before whose altar she spent hours—and scrupulous obedience to her parents alongside diligent work, especially needlework. This foundation of prayer and mortification intensified after reading about St. Catherine of Siena, whom she adopted as her model, initiating fasts three days a week, secret penances, and acts to combat vanity, such as cutting her hair and wearing coarse clothing. Despite family ridicule and parental opposition, who desired her marriage, Rose's fidelity to her vocation exemplified the lay call to holiness amid domestic trials, echoing the Church's affirmation of the laity's equal dignity and shared path to perfection.
Central to Rose's holiness was her life of penance, secluded from the world yet engaged in it as a Dominican tertiary. She received the Eucharist daily, prayed extensively before the Blessed Sacrament, and endured extraordinary mortifications suited only to those divinely called, such as a crown of thorns and rigorous fasting. Her prayer, "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase thy love in my heart," captured this dynamic: penance not as self-inflicted torment but as a response to God's love, purifying the soul for union with Christ. The Church's liturgy honors this in her collect, portraying her as "set... on fire with your love, so that, secluded from the world in the austerity of a life of penance, she might give herself to you alone." Such practices align with Catholic doctrine on saints as those who practice "heroic virtue and [live] in fidelity to God's grace," proposing them as models amid Church renewal.
Rose's vow of virginity, taken amid supernatural inspirations, positioned her as a "handmaid of the Lord" in the New World, paralleling Mary's fiat in cooperating freely with redemption. Though lay, her total devotion mirrors the early Church's ministries and the laity's role in building Christ's Body through charity and mutual service. Popes have hailed her alongside Peruvian saints like St. Martin de Porres and St. Toribio de Mogrovejo as "luminous examples of holiness" shaping national identity and inspiring moral renewal. John Paul II invoked her in 2002 to counter modern isolation, urging bishops to revive Pentecost's unity through such figures, fostering a "desire for holiness" where "even winds and sea obey him."
Canonized by Clement X in 1671, Rose was the first saint from the Americas, her funeral attended by Lima's elite, signifying widespread fama sanctitatis—the people's instinctive recognition of Gospel witness. This aligns with Pope Francis's emphasis that saints emerge from "concrete life of Christian communities," grounded in family, work, and society, verified by enduring devotion and miracles (fama signorum). The Catechism underscores canonization as recognizing the Spirit's power, sustaining hope by presenting saints as "source and origin of renewal." Though her extreme practices are not for all—"suitable only for those few whom God calls"—they reveal the "universal spirit of heroic sanctity" accessible to every Christian.
Rose's model integrates hierarchical, Marian, and lay dimensions of the Church. While bishops perpetuate apostolic mission, her lay heroism reflects the People of God's unity in diversity, where all are called to sanctity without inequality. Echoing patristic typology of Mary untying Eve's knot through obedience, Rose's fidelity advanced salvation in a missionary land. Recent papal messages affirm saints like her as responses to Christ's call, countering fragmentation with joyful holiness. Her relics, as sanctified matter, sacramentally manifest Church unity, directing prayer to God through charity's network.
In summary, St. Rose of Lima's holiness—forged in penance, devotion, and obedience—exemplifies the Church's vision of saints as joyful witnesses from everyday life, intercessors who ignite love for God. Through her, the faithful are invited to pursue heroic virtue, treading "the paths of life on earth" toward heavenly delights.