Jerónima de la Asunción

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Jeronima of the Assumption
professed religious, Poor Clare Nuns
Born 09 May 1555, Toledo, Spain Flag of Spain
Died 22 October 1630, Manila, Philippines Flag of the Philippines
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Feast 22 October
Saints Portal

Mother Jeronima de la Asuncion or Jeronima de la Fuente (May 9, 1555 - October 22, 1630) was the foundress of the first Catholic monastery in Manila and the Far East. De la Asuncion's monastery became known as the Monastery of Santa Clara in Spanish Intramuros, Philippines. For De la Asuncion's efforts as the first founding missionary woman in the Philippines, the Vatican had issued an apostolic decree for her beatification in 1734. De la Asuncion's monastery in Intramuros was also immortalized in the novel, Noli Me Tangere, written by Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Jeronima de la Asuncion was born in Toledo, Spain to Christian parents, Pedro Garcia-Yanez and Catalina de la Fuente. Her parents were both native to Toledo and were of noble lineage. De la Asuncion was the third from the eldest among four sisters. Jeronima spent her childhood in Toledo, where she learned the basics of Christian life at a very early age. At the age of fourteen, De la Asuncion met St. Theresa of Avila in Toledo. After that meeting, she felt the calling to a religious life. She was also influenced by the biography of St. Claire of Assisi. On August 15, 1570, De la Asuncion entered the Franciscan convent of Santa Isabel la Real de Toledo. At this convent, she joined two of her aunts who were already professed nuns at the time. She later occasionally functioned as Mistress of Novices.[1][2]

[edit] Voyage to the Far East

Although De la Asuncion learned about the intention of her congregation to establish a monastery of nuns in Manila, it was only on October 21, 1619 when she received approval to travel. The prelates appointed Fr. Jose de Santa Maria, O.F.M. as procurator to arrange the royal travel permits for Jeronima de la Asuncion, while de la Asuncion herself was appointed as foundress and first abbess of the Philippine monastery. The Philippine monastery would be the first of its kind to be established both in Manila and in the Far East.[1]

A pamphlet cover with a reproduced 1620 painting of Mother Jeronima.
A pamphlet cover with a reproduced 1620 painting of Mother Jeronima.

De la Asuncion's journey began in April 1620, with the initial group of six Poor Clare nuns. De la Asuncion was already 66 years old. From Toledo, they sailed by boat to Seville, Spain, where they were joined by two more nuns, and then they traveled on to Cadiz, Spain. From Cadiz, the group sailed on to cross the Atlantic ocean. By late September 1620, the nuns reached Mexico City and stayed there for less than six months. Two more nuns joined the group.[1]

On Ash Wednesday of 1621, De la Asuncion and her group left Mexico by road to cross the mountains towards Acapulco city. On April 21, 1621, the group boarded the galleon, San Andres for the Philippines.[1]

The women kept a record of their travel from Toledo to Manila. One of the nuns died as the San Andres galleon was crossing the Pacific, near the Marianas. The rest of the group set foot in the Philippines through the port of Bolinao on July 24, 1621. They reached Intramuros, the center of Manila at the time, on August 5, 1621. Their trip from Toledo to Intramuros lasted one year, three months and nine days.[1]

The primary goal of Mother Jeronima in coming to the Phiippines was, according to her Catholic beliefs, were the glorification of God and the conversion of pagans. De la Asuncion fulfilled this aim by implanting the Franciscan way of life in the Philippines. She opened the doors of her convent to all young Filipino women who had a calling to a religious devotion, regardless of class or color.[1]

[edit] Later life, death and beatification process

During the last thirty years of her life, De la Asuncion lived in constant illness. In early September 1630, her health deteriorated. She died at dawn on October 22, 1630 at the age of 75.[1] The remains of De la Asuncion was first buried in a niche within a wall inside the monastery that she founded, but later experienced five relocations. The first was in 1670 to hinder the activities of local devotees. The second happened in 1712 due to the monastery's reconstruction. At the time, De la Asuncion's remains were placed in the lower choir of the nunnery. The third relocation was during the British invasion of Manila in 1763, when the box containing De la Asuncion's relics was transferred to the Church of St. Francis in Intramuros. The remains were brought back to the St. Claire monastery in 1765. De la Asuncion's remains survived a bombing of the monastery during World War II. In the 1950s, her bones were finally placed permanently at a new monastery at Quezon City, Philippines.[1]

Although not born in the Philippines, Jeronima de la Asuncion became a religious inspiration for many Catholic devotees. She was described as a woman of resolute character in managing political and religious conflicts within and outside the confines of her convent. Steps towards her beatification begun in 1630.[1]

[edit] Portraits of Jeronima de la Asuncion

Modern-day photographs and images of Jeronima de la Asuncion are replicas of the painting by the Spaniard court painter, Diego Velasquez. The portrait was composed during De la Asuncion's stop-over in Seville, Spain, in 1620. The painting is described to convey the then sixty-six year old nun's "devoutness and strength of character through her stern expression and rugged countenance; her direct, outward gaze at the beholder; and her expressive accoutrements". De la Asuncion was then wearing a dark, sober habit while holding a tome and a crucifix. There were inscriptions on the painting. The text across the top of the canvas read "It is good to await the salvation of God in silence", while the ribbon that flows from De la Asuncion's mouth stated "I shall be satisfied as long as He is glorified".[2][3][4]

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ruano, Pedro, O.F.M. (Vice-General Postulator). Mother Jeronima de la Asuncion (1555-1630), A Biography, Monastery of St. Claire, Quezon City, Philippines, 1999.
  2. ^ a b c Serrano, Hanna, Tanya J. Tiffany and Ronald E. McNair. Mother Jeronima de la Fuente: Founder of First Convent of Nuns in the Philippines, A Woman Religious and Reflection of Christ, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, retrieved on: June 17, 2007
  3. ^ Zirpolo, Lillian. Madre Jeronima de la Fuente and Lady With A Fan Two Portraits by Velasquez Reexamined, Woman's Art Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring - Summer, 1994), pp. 16-21, JStor.org, retrieved on: June 24, 2007
  4. ^ Great Masters Gallery, Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez Art Reproductions, Jeronima de la Asuncion, c.1620, 79 x 51 cm, The Wallace Collection, London, UK, 2007, retrieved on: June 24, 2007

[edit] Bibliography

  1. Claussen, Heather L. and Ann Arbor. Unconventional Sisterhood: Feminist Catholic Nuns in the Philippines, Issue 8, The University of Michigan Press, 2001, and A Review by Carolyn Brewer, Murdoch.edu.au, October 2002, retrieved on: June 17, 2007 - ISBN 0477211221 X (hard cover)
  2. Lally, Father Campion, O.F.M. (Note: F. C. Lally is a missionary in Japan who has been chaplain to the Poor Clares in Japan for 49 years). Poor Clare Bibliograpy, Poor Clare.org, retrieved on: June 17, 2007
  3. Tantingco, Robby. First Filipino Nun was Kapampangan (Note: The first Filipino nun, Martha de San Bernardo, was under Doña Madre Jeronima de la Asuncion's congregation), Sunstar.com, March 06, 2007, retrieved on: June 18, 2007
  4. Brewer, Carolyn. Holy Confrontation: Religion, Gender and Sexuality in the Philippines, 1521-1685 (Note: This is an article mentioning Jeronima de la Asuncion and the Poor Clare's Bolinao Manuscript), Issue 8, October 2002, Manila: Institute of Women's Studies, St. Scholastica's College, 2001, 437 pp., and A Review by Barbara Watson Andaya, retrieved on: June 18, 2007 - ISBN 971-8605-29-0
  5. Bourne, Edward Gaylord. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803: Explorations, 1905, retrieved on: June 17, 2007
  6. Sanchez C. La Madre Jerónima de la Asunción y su fundación del monasterio de Santa Clara de Manila, Incidencias y consecuencias (Mother Jeronima of the Ascension and the Foundation of the Monastery of Santa Clara of Manila. Incidents and Consequences), Archivo franciscano Ibero-Oriental (Language: Spanish) , Madrid, Espagne, 1994, Vol. 52, No. 205-06, pp. 379-400, Publisher: Padres Franciscanos Españoles, Madrid, Espagne, 1943, and Cat.Inist.fr, retrieved on: June 18, 2007 - ISSN 0042-3718
  7. Intramuros, Historic Walled City of Manila, Santa Clara Monastery, WordPress.com, February 19, 2007, retrieved on: June 18, 2007
  8. Monasterio de Santa Clara, Katipunan Avenue and Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City, Manila, Philippines, MyTravelGuide.com, retrieved on: June 18, 2007
  9. 99 Kapampangan Who Mattered in History and Why, Center for Kapampangan Studies, HAU.edu.ph and Geocities.com, 2007, retrieved on: June 23, 2007
  10. Pascual Jr., Federico D. Religious Firsts, Postscript, ABS-CBN Interactive, ABS-CBNNews.com, March 06, 2007, retrieved on: June 23, 2007

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Flag of the Philippines Filipino Saints, Blesseds and Servants of God
Saint/s: Lorenzo Ruiz

Blessed/s: Pedro Calungsod

Venerable/s: Isabel Larrañaga Ramírez | Ignacia del Espíritu Santo

Servant/s of God: Dionisia De Santa Maria Mitas Talangpaz | Cecilia Rosa De Jesus Talangpaz | William Finnemann | Alfredo Maria Aranda Obviar | Joaquina Maria Mercedes Barcelo Pages | Francisca del Espiritu Santo Fuentes | Aloysius Schwartz | Eugenio Sanz-Orozco Mortera | Iustus Takayama Ukon | Jerónima de la Asunción | Maria Beatriz Del Rosario Arroyo‎


Persondata
NAME de la Asuncion, Jeronima
ALTERNATIVE NAMES de la Fuente, Jeronima
SHORT DESCRIPTION Foundress of the first Catholic monastery in Manila — Monastery of Santa Clara
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1555
PLACE OF BIRTH Toledo, Spain
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1630
PLACE OF DEATH Manila, Philippines
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