Venezuela to proclaim first female saint thanks to endorsement from Pope Francis
On Monday, he opened the way to the canonization of Blessed Maria Carmen Rendiles by signing a decree recognizing the miracle associated with her as the founder of the Congregation of the Handmaids of Jesus.
The date of her canonization has not yet been set.
Carmen Rendiles was born on August 11, 1903 in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and died there on May 9, 1977.
From an early age, after the death of her father, Sister Randiles helped her mother support the family and worked in the local parish.
In 1927, she joined the French community in Venezuela and became a novice at the age of 24. In 1961, with the support of the local Catholic hierarchy, she founded an autonomous community.
In a press release Monday, the Venezuelan Catholic Bishops' Conference said she had overcome the loss of her arm, but her disability “did not prevent her from leading an exemplary Christian life.”
Venezuelan Catholic leaders requested her canonization in 1995. She was beatified in 2018.
According to the Vatican, Sister Rendiles miraculously healed a young woman who had been diagnosed with a form of hydrocephalus, a condition in which spinal fluid accumulates in the brain.
Her condition worsened until a mass was held at Sister Randiles' grave.
Her family prayed for her recovery, and after the sick woman touched the portrait of Sister Randiles, her health improved significantly.
“The young woman's recovery was complete, stable and lasting, and the event was considered scientifically inexplicable,” the Holy See said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Pope Francis gave his consent to the canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, born in October 1864, known as the “doctor of the poor,” the first Venezuelan lay person to be beatified.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
