St. Alonso de Orozco Mena

  Posted on November 10, 2020  by admin  No comments

Born: 17 October 1500 at Oropesa, Toledo, Spain 

Died: 19 September 1591 in the College of the Incarnation, Madrid, Spain of natural causes, at his funeral the people of Madrid stormed the College and broke into Alonso’s old room, looking for relics of their beloved pastor, interred in the Augustinian church in Valladolid, Spain 

Canonized: 19 May 2002 by Pope John Paul II 

Feast day: September 19

Son of the governor of a castle. Studied at Talavera de la Reina. Studied music and served as choir boy in the cathedral of Toledo, Spain for three years. Attended the University of Salamanca, Spain at age 14. Joined the Augustinians in his early 20’s. 

Spiritual student of Saint Thomas of Villanova. Ordained in 1527. Noted preacher. Augustinian prior in Seville, Spain. Missionary to Mexico in 1549, but his severe arthritis caused his doctors to send him back to Spain. 

Prior of the convent in Valladolid, Spain in 1554. Preacher to the court of emperor Charles V, moving with the court to Madrid in 1561. He refused to accept the standard royal stipends, and lived as a humble monk. 

His door was always open to anyone seeking spiritual guidance, he spent his free time visiting the sick in hospital, prisoners in jail, and the poor living on the street. 

Noted writer in Spanish and Latin, including histories of the Augustinians. Had a great devotion to the Virgin Mary. Helped found Augustinian monasteries and convents, and to advance reforms within the Order.