Mama Lucha lives in city where St. Toribio died
By Kathleen Shantz
Special to The B.C. Catholic
Zana is a small town that most of us have never heard of, with a patron saint many of us have never heard of: St. Turibio de Mogrovejo (or Toribius of Mogrobejo).
Tucked away in the rural north of Peru, Zana has come to expect miracles ever since St. Turibio died there in 1606. Now the locals think another miracle has taken place.
A wealthy boom town in its early years, Zana was abandoned by its affluent citizens in the early 1700s, after attacks by pirates and destruction brought by a great flood.
The poor, the indigenous, and the African slaves were left behind to rebuild the town and carry on the Catholic faith, always looking to the example given them by St. Turibio, asking for his intercession, and then patiently awaiting great things from God.
The pace of life in Zana became unhurried, slowing to the point that, even today, one is almost more likely to see a donkey on the streets than a car.
Late in the fall of 2015, I visited St. Turibio de Mogrovejo Parish in Zana to help the new pastor, Father David Farfan Guerrero, formerly of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Sechelt and St. Ann’s in Abbotsford, start a blog.
Our main meal for each day was lunch, which was expertly prepared by a neighbour whom everyone called Mama Lucha. Late one night we heard her family shouting for help, and we witnessed what we think was the intercession of St. Turibio and the healing power of Our Lord in action.
Mama Lucha was exhibiting the signs of a massive stroke. She had lost mobility on one side and had collapsed, unable to speak. Her blood pressure had gone sky high until she finally lost consciousness. With no hospital in town and no car to transport their dear mother, all the family could do was shout for help and pray.
But the moment Mama Lucha collapsed, someone with a work van was driving nearby and rushed to help. As unconscious Mama Lucha was loaded into the back of the van and driven to the nearest hospital in a neighbouring town, Father Guerrero stayed with the family, comforting them and praying with them.
I went into the rectory chapel. Before the tabernacle, I begged Jesus to help our dear Mama Lucha. In the chapel wasa relic of St. Turibio de Mogrovejo, so I asked him for his intercession.
Following what seemed to be the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I sent many emails to Canada, asking my friends from the Ablaze prayer group at St. Mary’s Parish in Vancouver and others to join us in lifting Mama Lucha to the Lord. Even though it was very late at night, I began to receive responses of confirmation from the faithful in Vancouver right away.
At the first hospital, Mama Lucha’s condition was deemed too serious for local treatment, so she was sent to a larger hospital in the city, another hour away.
At the city hospital, Mama Lucha suddenly stabilized, sat up, and said, “I have to get back to Zana. What are Father David and the Canadians going to eat tomorrow?”
The doctor said it was a miracle.
Mama Lucha remained in the city for only two days. Two days after that, she was giving me a lesson in Peruvian cooking.
The people of Zana quietly gave thanks to Jesus for the life of their friend and for what they believed to be the intercession of their patron, St. Turibio.
It was just another day of miracles in Zana.
In the past 18 months, Kathleen Shantz has visited six mission projects in three developing countries, connecting their world to ours through the development of online media such as blogs, websites, videos, and Facebook pages. Shantz, a member of St. Mary’s Parish in Vancouver, blogs at journeytozana.blogspot.ca.
