Ann of the Angels Monteagudo

Life

Ann de Monteagudo Ponce de Leon was born in Arequipa, Peru in 1602 to her father, Sebatian Monteagudo de la Jara and Francisca Ponce de Leon, her mother. Her parents placed her in San Caterina Dominican monastery with the intent of having her educated there when she was three. Eleven years later, when she was fourteen, her father withdrew Ann from the monastery where she was being educated, in favor of a marriage he had arranged but she refused.

Ann later had a vision where St. Catherine of Siena appeared and showed her a Dominican habit and said, "Ana [Ann], my child, I have prepared this habit for you. Leave all to God. Nothing will be wanting to you." That night, Ann ran away from her family and went to the monastery of San Caterina. When her father found out he arrived at the monastery in the morning and was furious with Ann. He declared he would never pay the amount needed to join the monastery and he disinherited and abandoned her there. Thankfully, the amount was provided by her brother, a priest.

In 1619, when Ann began life in the monastery, her kind and loving nature made many in the community enjoy her and in 1632, she was promoted to being a sacristan; in 1645, she was promoted to being a mistress of notices; then in 1647, a prioress. After a talk with the bishop, who told Ann that sins from the community had began to get out, Ann enforced a major reform among the monastery which made many of the sisters resent her. There were even threats against her life and three times she was almost poisoned.

Because of her strength in these trials she was richly blessed and stories are told of her abilities of prophecy, bilocation, supernatural discernment, visions, and other miracles. Many came to ask her for prayers or her counsel. One story recounts how King Philip IV of Spain, a lay Dominican, appeared to Ann after his death in 1665 and asked for her to pray for him. Later, he appeared again and told her that because of her prayers he entered heaven after only three days in purgatory.

One of Ann's greatest spiritual influences was the life of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Patron of Holy Souls. One day, while she was about seventy-four years old, she had a vision where she saw the Blessed Virgin Mary seated on a golden throne with St. Nicholas and a legion of angels beside her. St. Nicholas showed her purgatory where she saw with horror a multitude of souls burning in the purifying flames. The saint said to her: "On earth I helped the Poor Souls; I now consign that noble office to you." Ann requested to suffer on behalf of the most abandoned souls in purgatory and God accepted her request. For ten years afterward she suffered great torments of her body and soul.

During this decade of suffering for those souls in purgatory, she went completely blind and was continuously refreshed with periods of rapture. Angels came to her relief and souls from purgatory appeared to thank her. In visions she saw St. Bernard who gave her the Sacred Host for her communion and adoration and St. Nicholas who showed her the numerous souls that had entered heaven because of her suffering.

Ann died on January 10, 1686 at the ripe age of eighty-four. Later, her body was found to be incorruptible and with a fragrance of holiness. Many miracles of healing occurred during and after her burial. Pope John Paul II beatified Anna on February 2, 1985 while on a papal visit to Latin America.

Cateogry:Dominican sisters