7 notable Latin American Christians: saints, a pope, an evangelist

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Twitter

Mariana of Jesus Paredes

An eighteenth century illustration of Mariana of Jesus Paredes (1618-1645), the patron saint of Ecuador.
An eighteenth century illustration of Mariana of Jesus Paredes (1618-1645), the patron saint of Ecuador. | Public Domain

Born in 1618 to a prominent family in what is now Ecuador, Mariana of Jesus Paredes was known for her strict spiritual practices and being the patron saint of Ecuador.  

These practices reportedly included eating no more than an ounce of bread every eight to ten days, aside from communion at daily mass, and bodily mortification.  

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“During the 1645 earthquakes and subsequent epidemics in Quito, she publicly offered herself as a victim for the city and died shortly thereafter,” explained Catholic Online.

“It is also reported that, on the day she died, her sanctity was revealed in a wonderful manner: Immediately after her death, a pure white lily sprang up from her blood, blossomed and bloomed, a prodigy which has given her the title of ‘The Lily of Quito.’”

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