Sister Lindalva was the first woman beatified in Brazil. She was still a young Daughter of Charity of four years of vocation when she was martyred. Her fidelity to her vocation and her indiscriminate love for everyone were so intense that she did not hesitate to give her life for them.
| 1953, 20 October | Birth |
| 1988, 11 February | Entrance into Postulancy |
| 1989, 16 July | Entrance into the Seminary |
| 1991, 26 January | Sending on mission to the Dom Pedro II residence, in Salvador, Bahia State |
| 1993, 9 April | Martyrdom |
| 2007, 2 December | Beatification in Salvador-Bahia, Brazil |
| 7 January | Liturgical feast |
Lindalva was born on 20 October 1953 in Açu, in the north of the State of Rio Grande, Brazil, and was the sixth in a family of thirteen children. Her parents, fervent Catholics, had a simple and deep faith.
Lindalva received a typical Christian upbringing. She was a generous child, often helping her mother at home. Whenever there were arguments among her friends, she tried to resolve them peacefully. Attentive to the suffering of others, she visited people in the town who were alone or poor. Sometimes she even gave them her own clothes, always in a sensitive and quiet way. With the passage of time, she felt she was called to follow Christ by serving those who are poor as a witness to the Father’s love for them. After completing her studies as an administrative assistant, she took care of her elderly and sick father. After his death, she asked to be admitted to the Company of the Daughters of Charity: “I am thirty-three years old; I belong to a simple, honest family. I have felt God’s call for a long time, but I have not been available to serve Christ until now. I am in good health and wish to help my neighbor and to be tireless in doing good.“
On 16 July 1989, Lindalva entered the Company of the Daughters of Charity in the Province of Recife. She was sent on mission in 1991 to the Dom Pedro II Residence in Salvador, Bahia State, as coordinator for the care of the sick men and the elderly.
Sister Lindalva cared for the elderly with a meek and humble heart. In a spirit of faith, she saw them as her masters and lords: “I ask God to grant us His wisdom and gentleness to serve well our masters, those who are poor.” She understood her vocation as a response to God’s will: “When God calls, no one can hide from this call and ignore it. Sooner or later, God’s will is fulfilled.” Her faith was expressed by a simple and total acceptance of the events of life, which she welcomed as a gift and call from God: “Every day of our life should be one of renewal and thanksgiving to God for the gift of life and the call to follow His Son, Jesus Christ, serving him in the person of the poor.” Her generosity of heart enabled her to overcome all difficulties: “In all my times of prayer, I feel such a strong desire to love our good God that I am sure I will reach that point, even if it takes me until the last day of my life.” She knew how to share her faith with other young people and support her companions when difficulties overwhelmed them: “When our hearts are troubled by doubts about our vocation, we must give ourselves totally to God.”
“We will come to know the love of God by carrying the cross.” These words of Sister Lindalva herself have taken on a prophetic meaning.
Energetic, always smiling and available, Sister Lindalva shone forth the presence of God; she lived her vocation as a servant of the poor in a spirit of justice inspired by love: she loved each person without favoritism or discrimination.
On 9 April 1993, Good Friday, Sister Lindalva made the Stations of the Cross during an early morning service with the Sisters of her community and the parishioners. The Cross is the ultimate sign of love given for another person: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).
When she returned home, Sister Lindalva was preparing breakfast for the residents, as she did every day. When she began her work, she was brutally murdered by a sick, forty-six-year-old man who, in a moment of violence, could not accept that she had refused his sexual advances.
This Daughter of Charity certainly did not expect to die at such a young age. After having offered her life, she also gave a witness by her death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).
The beatification process began by popular acclaim. People were impressed by the faith of this young Sister, her service to persons who are poor and her fidelity to her commitment that eventually led her to martyrdom. The beatification took place in Salvador-Bahia, Brazil, on 2 December 2007, in a large stadium with almost 60,000 people present.
