Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos

Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos (29 July 1962 – 1 September 1982) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic that studied medicine before her murder following an attempted rape in her apartment.[1][2] Mrad Campos studied medicine hoping to become a pediatrician to help poor children (also hoping to do this in Africa after she graduated); she was involved in her local parish after having joined the Young Vincentian movement that came under the main organization.[3] Throughout her life she was dedicated to her faith and placed particular emphasis on Eucharistic Adoration and frequent attendance at Mass.[1][2]

Venerable
Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos
Laywoman; Martyr
Born(1962-07-29)29 July 1962
Barbacena, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Died1 September 1982(1982-09-01) (aged 20)
Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church

Her beatification process launched following her murder in 2000 leading to her being titled as a Servant of God. Pope Francis confirmed that she had been killed "in defensum castitatis" (to protect herself as a virgin in the face of an attack) and approved for her to be beatified; the beatification will take place in Mariana sometime in 2021.[1][3]

Life

Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos was born on 29 July 1962 in Barbacena to José Mendes Campos and Helena Mrad; her brother was Roberto.[3] Her baptism was celebrated on 15 August in the local parish church of Nossa Señhora da Piedade in Barbacena; she received her Confirmation on 22 April 1965 in the San José basilica from Archbishop Oscar de Oliveira before making her First Communion at the school that the Vincentian Sisters managed on 26 October 1969.[1][2]

Mrad Campos, affectionately known as 'Cris', studied at the Immaculata College that the Vincentian Sisters managed, becoming known for her kindness and for her above-average intelligence that set her apart from her peers. During this time, she often helped the poor or the old, providing them with food or other essential supplies.[1][3] During this period, she joined the Young Vincentians which came under the umbrella of the main group. Her goal in life was to become a pediatrician to care for poor children, also hoping to do this in Africa.

On 15 August 1982, she relocated to Juiz de Fora alongside her brother Roberto to a small rented apartment that was located near the church and school where Mrad Campos was to take her medical entrance examination.[3] Upon moving in, she immediately began cleaning it and purchasing new furnishings. However, on 30 August, she hired the tradesman Maurilio Almeida Oliveira to install a new wardrobe since he was reputable, reliable, and had reasonable prices for his services. The two began having a conversation, however, she grew gradually uncomfortable at his many suggestive comments, asking her to go on a date with him, despite her asking him to finish his work promptly and telling him that she was not interested. He then told her that he needed to leave to get a missing part so that he could install it either the next day or the one after that.[1][2] After her brother returned, she told him of the encounter.

Almeida Oliveira returned on 1 September but decided to attack her in an attempt to rape her since she had rejected his advances during the previous occasion. He grabbed her and hit her using a chair before he gagged her with sheets and tied her up before he ripped at her clothes. Mrad Campos fought him and tried to call out for help before he raised the volume on the radio and television to stifle her cries. He grew frustrated at her resistance before he stabbed her fifteen times before fleeing in horror.[1] Her brother discovered her later that evening; the investigation determined she was never raped throughout the ordeal but had thirteen stab wounds in the back and two in groin.[2]

Beatification

The beatification process commenced on 18 November 2000 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome issued the official "nihil obstat" (no objections to the cause) edict that enabled for the Mariana archdiocese to conduct the investigation into her life and holiness. The diocesan process opened in Mariana on 26 January 2001 before concluding a decade later on 1 September 2009. The results from the investigation were sent to the C.C.S. in Rome who issued a rescript that validated the process as having adhered to their regulations on 3 December 2010 before another rescript for additional submitted evidence was provided on 6 December 2013. The postulation (the officials in charge of the cause) submitted the official "Positio" dossier to the C.C.S. for evaluation before the theologians and C.C.S. members each assessed and approved its contents.

Pope Francis authorized a decree on 27 October 2020 that determined that Mrad Campos had died "in defensum castitatis" (to protect herself as a virgin in a forced attack) and approved for her to be beatified. The beatification shall take place in Mariana sometime in 2021.[3]

The current postulator for this cause is Doctor Paolo Vilotta.

References
  1. Larry Peterson. "This "martyr for purity" was killed in 1982 in Brazil". Aleteia. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. "Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos". Postulazione Cause Santi. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  3. "Beata Isabella Cristina Mrad Campos". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
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