Santa Laura Montoya

Colombia is a country that is 90 percent catholic. We had our first Colombian saint canonized on may 12th 2013. I know it was a while ago but I had not been able to post about it! Every one was very excited tuning in to the channel where they were showing it on TV in Rome. The anthem of the department she was form was sung this morning. She happens to be from the same department my family is from! Her convent was in the city we are from and she is from a small town just outside of the city or near the city but in the same department, which is like a state in the US. She died in 1949 and my grandma was born in 1945; she says she met her but seeing as she died when my grandma was only four years old we all have our doubts on if she really remembers her! My grandma was also a volunteer in a retirement home where Madre Laura’s convent was. Everyone is very proud to have her as the first Colombian saint and even more proud of having her be from our department and especially to have had her serve in our city!! I went to the convent where she served. Every thing was very beautiful and inspiring. All over the convent were wheelchairs and crutches and other things for disabilities which people who believe she healed them would give her whatever was keeping them back. There are also messages all over the walls that say thank you to Madre Laura for the miracles she made for specific people. As you can see in the pictures there are baby pacifiers and hats, that part kind of broke my heart but was glad she could help them. I also thought it was so cool to see the old fashioned wheel chairs and the other objects that were there from the past century. There were pictures hung all around the convent with some of her most well known quotes. I put my favorites up. I was able to go to the room where she lived the last years of her life and where she died. She had a baby Jesus on her side and she always kept him there. There are a lot of her old belongings, like her shoes, her silver wear, and just everything she used in her daily life. Her bible was there and her rosary, and I think a piece of her hair, that was a little creepy… There are flowers everywhere and there is a picture of her made in all flowers. That’s common here in Colombia to make figures all in flowers which is popular during a big festival here later in the summer. Santa Laura was a great woman and we are all very proud to have her as our first saint!