Martyrdom and Sacrifice of Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliveira
Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliveira, a martyr of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, dedicated her life to serving the poor and elderly in Brazil. Despite facing challenges and a dangerous situation during her service, she chose to stay and continue caring for those in need, showing immense courage and devotion.
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Blessed Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Lindalva was born in a very poor area of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. She was the sixth of 13 children. She was baptized on January 7, 1954. Lindalva demonstrated a natural inclination toward the poorer children and spent much time with them. During her school years she was always happy to help the less fortunate. From 1978 to 1988 she held various jobs in retail sales and as a cashier at a gas station, sending some of her salary home to help her mother. Lindalva found time to visit the local home for the elderly every day after work.
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul In 1982, as she lovingly assisted her father in the last months of his terminal illness, she reflected seriously on her life and decided to serve the poor. In 1987, Lindalva applied for admission to the Daughters of Charity. On the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February 1988, she entered the postulancy and edified her companions with her joy and genuine concern for the poor.
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul Her character was marked by a sweet disposition but also by truth. In a letter to her alcoholic brother, Antonio, she wrote: "Think about it and reward yourself. I pray for you very much and I will continue to pray and if necessary I will do penance so that you are able to fulfill yourself as a person. Follow Jesus, who fought until death for the life of sinners and gave his own life, not as God but as man, for the forgiveness of sins. We must seek refuge in him; only in him is life worth living". A year later her brother quit drinking.
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul Sr. Lindalva was assigned 40 elderly male patients in the municipal nursing home in Salvador da Bahia. She undertook the more humble tasks and sought out those who suffered the most and cared for their spiritual and material well-being by encouraging their reception of the sacraments. Sr. Lindalva would sing and pray with them, and she even took her driving test so she could take them out for rides.
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul During January of 1993, a certain Augusto da Silva Peixoto, a 46-year-old man with an irascible character, managed to be admitted to the facility through the recommendation of another even though he had no right to be there. Sr. Lindalva treated him with the same courtesy and respect as the other patients, yet he became enamored of her. She prudently distanced herself from him and was cautious in his regard. Nonetheless, he explicitly declared his lustful intentions towards her. A simple solution would have been for Sr. Lindalva to leave, but her love for the elderly caused her to declare, "I prefer to shed my blood than to leave this place". Augusto's advances became so insistent and frightening that she sought the help of a health-care official to restrain this unruly patient. Although he promised to improve his attitude and behavior, he harbored hatred and vengeance that developed into a murderous plan.
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul On 9 April 1993, Good Friday, Sr. Lindalva took part in the parish Way of the Cross at 4:30 in the morning. By 7 a.m. she was back at work to prepare and serve breakfast, as she did every day. Enveloped in an insane rapture, Augusto approached and stabbed her 44 times shouting, "I should have done this sooner!". Sinking to the ground, she cried "God protect me!" several times. Patients ran for cover. Augusto then suddenly became calm, sat down on a bench, wiped the knife on his trousers, threw it on the table and exclaimed: "She did not want me!", and turning to the doctor, said, "You can call the police, I will not run away; I did what had to be done .
Bl. Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1953-93) Martyr, Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul "A few years were enough for Sr. Lindalva to crown her Religious life with martyrdom". --Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, O.P., at Sister Lindalva's funeral Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English Various dates, 2007
