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
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
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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