Saint Rose of Lima went to heaven on August 24, 1617, on the feast of Saint Bartholomew Apostle, just as she had predicted. So, why is it celebrated on August 23 in some places and on the 30 in others? This is not a mistake, but rather a calendar and a special custom.
According to historian José Antonio Benito, contributor to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Pope Clement X, who canonized Saint Rose of Lima in 1671, set her feast day in the universal Church for August 30.
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Although usually the commemoration of a saint coincides with the day of his departure to heaven, it could not be given on the 24th because it was already the feast of Saint Bartholomew.
The nearest free date on the Church calendar was the 30th, so that day was chosen.
On the other hand, according to the historian, after the Second Vatican Council the liturgical calendar was reorganized, and in 1969 a new one was approved. The principle was maintained, however, that the feast of each saint should be celebrated on the date he died, unless the country’s Episcopal Conference saw fit for another day.
In this way, it was decided that Santa Rosa de Lima would be commemorated on August 23, probably because it was the day closest to the date of her death. Furthermore, the 24th continued to be Saint Bartholomew’s Day.
However, in Peru and many other countries the tradition was so deep-rooted that it was decided to preserve August 30 as the solemn feast of the first saint of America.
Abel Camasca
Journalist graduated from the Communication Sciences degree at the University of Lima. He has been part of the ACI Prensa journalistic team since 2014. Between 2016 and 2022 he was in charge of the production of the television program EWTN Noticias and Más que Noticias, a World Catholic Radio program. He often writes articles about the lives of saints.