Saint Frei Galvão (Antônio de Sant'Anna Galvão)

Antônio Galvão de França was born in 1739 in Guaratinguetá, in the Paraíba Valley of São Paulo, into a devout and well-off family. After studying with the Jesuits in Bahia, he entered the Franciscans, taking the name Antônio de Sant'Anna, and was ordained a priest in 1762. In São Paulo he was a beloved preacher and confessor, known for his kindness, humility and deep love for Mary.

In 1774 he helped found a house of religious women, the Recolhimento de Nossa Senhora da Luz, and spent decades designing and building its church and monastery, today the Mosteiro da Luz. He died there on December 23, 1822, and was buried in its church. Saint John Paul II beatified him on October 25, 1998, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in São Paulo on May 11, 2007, the first saint born in Brazil. Brazil celebrates him on October 25, the anniversary of his beatification.

Frei Galvão wrote a short Latin prayer to Our Lady on tiny pieces of paper, rolled them like pills and gave them to the sick and to women in difficult childbirth: "After childbirth you remained a Virgin; Mother of God, intercede for us." The sisters of the Mosteiro da Luz still prepare these "pills of Frei Galvão" and give them away free, with a novena.

Couples hoping for a child and expectant mothers often ask his intercession. Pilgrims visit his tomb at the Mosteiro da Luz in São Paulo and his sanctuary in Guaratinguetá.