Saints Who Faced Persecution
Religious and martyr (†1990) — Feast: September 26
She was born Antonia Luzmila in Coracora, Peru, and raised in a large, happy Catholic family. After being educated by religious sisters, she decided to join that same order: the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. At the age of twenty-nine, she was professed and took the name María Agustina — but she was affectionately called Sister Aguchita.
Aguchita served in Lima for decades as a cook, nurse, and schoolteacher. In 1988, her order asked her to go to their mission in La Florida. However, Aguchita knew that communist guerrilla groups, such as Shining Path, were hiding in that region and that they threatened anyone who opposed their attempts to gain followers and overthrow the Peruvian government. They particularly hated the Catholic Church. Aware of the dangers, Aguchita obediently accepted her transfer to La Florida to teach women and children.
On September 27, 1990, Shining Path guerrillas entered the village. They tried to find the order’s superior, but instead they found Sister Aguchita. They accused her of caring for the poor and preaching peace. Then they shot her, along with six other local men.
The devotion of the people of Peru toward the kind, caring religious sister who was willing to lay down her life for others grew over time, leading to Aguchita’s beatification in 2022.
Loving Father, show us how to share the peace of Christ with those around us.