Albertina Berkenbrock was born on April 11, 1919, in São Luís, in the parish of São Sebastião de Vargem do Cedro, in the municipality of Imaruí, State of Santa Catarina, to a simple and deeply Christian German family. She was the daughter of farmers Henrique and Josefina Berkenbrock, and had eight siblings. She was baptized on May 25, 1919, received the sacrament of Confirmation on March 9, 1925, and made her First Holy Communion on August 16, 1928.
When the time came for catechesis to prepare for the sacraments of confession and communion, Albertina stood out for the way she prepared herself—with great diligence and a generous heart. Her “first confession” became a gateway for her to frequently seek reconciliation. Her “first communion” was a unique experience, so much so that she herself said, "It was the most beautiful day of my life!"
Albertina developed a very filial devotion to Our Lady, venerating her with affection both at home and in the community chapel. She participated intensely in praying the rosary with her family. In her simplicity, she frequently entrusted her soul and eternal salvation to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Church.
She also developed a strong connection with the patron saint of her community, Saint Louis. This devotion, which was providential, mirrored the saint’s purity, both spiritual and physical. It was certainly preparing her for a day when she would defend this great value with her own life.
There is a remarkable consensus among the testimonies in the various canonical processes from those who knew and lived with her, describing her as a kind girl in the fullest sense of the word. Her natural meekness and kindness harmonized with a fully understood and lived Christian life. Her Christian practices gave rise to her inclination toward goodness, religious practices, and virtues, to the extent that a child of her age could understand and live them.
She knew how to help her parents with the work in the fields and especially around the house. Always docile, obedient, tireless, with a spirit of sacrifice and patience, she suffered in silence, even when her siblings mistreated or hit her, uniting her suffering with that of Jesus, whom she sincerely loved.
Her frequent participation in the sacraments and the depth with which she approached the Eucharist indicated a spiritual maturity she had attained; she was distinguished by her piety and devotion.
The Family of the Blessed
The context in which the crime took place is terribly simple, but the death of Albertina was brutal and violent. On June 15, 1931, she was tending to the animals on the family farm when her father asked her to look for a cow that had strayed. She obeyed and, in a nearby field, met Idanlício. She asked him if he had seen the animal pass by.
Idanlício Cipriano Martins, known as Manuel Martins da Silva, nicknamed Maneco, was 33 years old, lived with his wife near Albertina’s house, and worked for her uncle. Despite having killed a person before, he was regarded as an honest and hardworking man. Albertina often brought him food and played with his children, so she knew him well.
When Albertina asked if he had seen the cow, Maneco affirmed that he had, adding that he saw it heading toward the nearby woods, and offered to accompany her to help search. However, once they reached the woods, he made an indecent proposal and, upon being rejected, attempted to harm her. Albertina refused, and when she resisted, he grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground, and, unable to get what he wanted, took out a knife and slashed her neck. She died immediately. Testimonies from his prison companions revealed that the girl had rejected his advances, calling them sinful. Maneco’s intentions were clear, as was Albertina’s response: she refused to sin.
At the wake, Maneco tried to control the situation by pretending to mourn the victim, staying close to the house, and accusing João Cândido of the crime. However, before the murderer was identified, some people noticed a strange phenomenon: whenever Maneco approached Albertina’s body, the large wound in her neck began to bleed again.
João Cândido, the presumed murderer, was brought to the corpse of the girl. He swore, "I never saw this girl!" and protested his innocence in vain. Two days later, the mayor of Imaruí arrived, calmed the population, and ordered João Candinho’s release. He went to the chapel, took a crucifix, and, accompanied by Candinho and others, went to Albertina’s father’s house. He placed the crucifix on her chest and ordered João Candinho to kneel, swear innocence with his hands on the crucifix. At that moment, the blood from the wound stopped flowing.
Meanwhile, Maneco fled. After many travels, he was captured in Aratingaúba on his way to Imaruí. In prison, he confessed to the crime, admitting he had killed Albertina because she had refused his sexual advances.
Albertina’s funeral was attended by many people, all calling her a “little martyr” because of her temperament, piety, and delicacy. They were convinced she had preferred death to sin. Albertina sacrificed her life purely for virtue.
Due to the widespread fame of Albertina’s martyrdom and the many favors granted through her intercession, numerous people, both individually and in groups, began pilgrimages to the place of her death and her tomb in the São Luís cemetery. It can be said that this continuous pilgrimage has never been interrupted, even after 90 years since her death.
In 1952, in the same chapel where Albertina received her First Communion, the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Florianópolis convened to begin her beatification and canonization process. At the time, the parish of Vargem do Cedro belonged to this archdiocese. Later, after the creation of the Diocese of Tubarão, the first bishop of Tubarão, Dom Anselmo Pietrulla, OFM, continued the cause. Following Church law, a complementary process was conducted in 1956. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, Albertina's cause was halted from 1959 until 2000.
In May 2000, the third bishop of Tubarão, Dom Hilário Moser, SDB, resumed the process and appointed Father Paolo Lombardo, OFM, from Rome, as the postulant for her beatification and canonization cause. The postulant traveled to Tubarão in May that same year, taking the first concrete steps to restart the process.
In accordance with Church law, on February 12, 2001, Albertina’s remains were exhumed in the presence of the general postulant for the cause of beatification. During this time, the Ecclesiastical Tribunal conducted a third supplementary process regarding Albertina’s fame of martyrdom and sanctity, which was concluded successfully. On February 18, 2001, her remains were interred in a granite sarcophagus inside the Church of São Luís.
The Beatification of Albertina
With the decree of beatification signed by Pope Benedict XVI on December 16, 2006, Albertina Berkenbrock was beatified on October 20, 2007, in a solemn Mass in front of the Diocesan Cathedral of Tubarão. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal Saraiva, the prefect for the cause of the saints.
From: http://www.santosebeatoscatolicos.com/
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