Pope approves miracle attributed to American nun

Vatican Radio ^ | December 18, 2013

[NYer]

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has approved the attribution a miraculous healing to the intercession of a young American nun, opening the way to her beatification. Born and raised in New Jersey, Miriam Teresa Demjanovich (1901-1927) entered the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1926 and died one year later, taking her religious vows one month before her death.
The miracle that opens the way for the beatification of Miriam Teresa Demjanovich involves the restoration of perfect vision to a boy who had gone legally blind because of macular degeneration.
Silvia Correale, the postulator for Sr Teresa’s cause in Rome, said : “All ophthalmologists know that this condition cannot be totally healed. It can be stopped from advancing, but it cannot be fully cured.” The decision as to the miraculous nature of this healing was unanimous by all committees, she added.

Msgr Giampaolo Rizzotti of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints added that the miracle took place in 1964. The date of the beatification, he said, now depends upon the bishop of the diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, which first opened the cause, to contact the Vatican and establish a date.

Born in 1901, Sr Teresa was baptized and confirmed in the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic rite of the Church and raised in an Eastern Catholic household. She was the youngest of seven children, whose parents immigrated from Eastern Slovakia.

Sr Teresa’s vocation story demonstrates her perseverance in faith. Wanting to enter religious life upon her high school graduation, she postponed her entry to care for her ailing mother. After her mother’s death and upon her family’s urging, she began her studies in literature at the at Convent Station, New Jersey, where she met the congregation she would later join.

But first, in 1924, she decided to test her initial desire to join the Carmelites. She visited the community but was turned away due to health issues. She finally discerned a vocation to the Sisters of Charity and entered on 11 February 1925, soon after her father’s death.

As a postulant and novice, she continued to teach, all the while living a deep spiritual life. In June 1926, her spiritual director asked her to write the conferences for the novitiate. She wrote 26 conferences which, after her death, were published in a book, titled Greater Perfection.

Six months later, in January 1927, she fell gravely ill and was admitted to the hospital. She made religious profession in articulo mortis (in danger of death) on 2 April 1927. On 6 May, she was operated for appendicitis and died two days later.

Correale says Sr Teresa is considered to be a mystic. She developed a profound Trinitarian spirituality and shared with others the importance of entering into deep communion with the Trinitarian God.

[metmom]

It’s ridiculous that you put “rediculous” in quotes as if I misspelled the word.

A little more than disingenuous, isn't it?

[fatima]

:)

[Iscool]

Hey, it’s good to have a ‘Saint’ in every Parish...Makes for a better sales pitch...

[FourtySeven]

It’s also ridiculous that anyone believes a long dead nun healed anyone. God works miracles. Dead nuns don’t.

No one believes she healed the boy. I'm sorry that's not clear to you.

And I was quoting you, that's why I put the word in quotes.

[metmom]

Well, then, what’s the point of attributing a miracle to her and putting her on the road to sainthood?

[.45 Long Colt]

If she had no part in the healing, why in the world is a miracle attributed to her instead of God? And why does Rome believe it can determine who is and is not a saint?

Salvation is of the Lord! (see Jonah 2:9)

[FourtySeven]

Well, then, what’s the point of attributing a miracle to her and putting her on the road to sainthood?

The terminology "attributing a miracle to her" is a bit misleading (although not intentionally so).

The reason the miracle is said to be "attributed" to her is by her intercessory prayer, through her intercessory prayer, her prayer "availeth much" (cf Jas 5:16 this case, God hearing her prayer for the boy and Him choosing to heal him).

From this, .45 Long Colt's question in post 26 is answered, "And why does Rome believe it can determine who is and is not a saint?"

Because in praying for the boy's healing, presumably someone (maybe his parents I don't know it doesn't say) prayed to (asked) Miriam Teresa Demjanovich to pray to God for their son.

Since he was healed, it is concluded God heard Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's prayers for the boy. Since she had passed on when such prayer was requested of her, the only way God would have heard her prayers for the boy was if she were in Heaven, which then makes it safe to conclude she is a Saint (if another miracle is attributed to her intercessory prayer.)

[metmom]

Since he was healed, it is concluded God heard Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's prayers for the boy.

How do they know who else was praying for him and that God might not have answered any number of people's prayers for him, including his own and his parents?

Since she had passed on when such prayer was requested of her, the only way God would have heard her prayers for the boy was if she were in Heaven, which then makes it safe to conclude she is a Saint (if another miracle is attributed to her intercessory prayer.)

OK. So God doesn't hear the intercessory prayers of people on earth then?

Is that why Catholics pray to saints? Because they don't believe that God Himself hears and answers their own prayers that they pray to Him themselves? Even after Jesus promised that He would?

[FourtySeven]

Your questions here are good ones and they ask more about the process of canonization than I personally know. I only answered what I believe to be correct.

Specifically, your main question seems to be, “How does the Church determine the prayers of a potential Saint were what “availed” the healing/miracle, and not simply direct prayers to God?”

To that, I have no knowledge I’m sorry. Maybe someone else can chime in with the answer. Speaking for myself I’d like to know the answer to that question too.

[Berlin_Freeper]

[.45 Long Colt]

It’s more ridiculous than I realized.

[Syncro]

"And why does Rome believe it can determine who is and is not a saint?"

Because in praying for the boy's healing, presumably someone (maybe his parents I don't know it doesn't say) prayed to (asked) Miriam Teresa Demjanovich to pray to God for their son.

Since he was healed, it is concluded God heard Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's prayers for the boy. Since she had passed on when such prayer was requested of her, the only way God would have heard her prayers for the boy was if she were in Heaven, which then makes it safe to conclude she is a Saint

What a stretch, is Rome that in need of more people to designate as "Saints?"

James 5:16

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I'm sure this type of prayer was offered up in many different forms from the family of the child.

Boom, in the Name of Jesus these prayers went right to God the Father.

Why make a "Saint" out of a dead woman that was prayed to, and then had to pray to God? That detour would make her prayers (if even she heard the prayers to her) a bit late.

I have no problem with whoever Rome wants to designate "Saint,", but their proclimations don't make any of them anymore saints then every believer, and for sure not superior in sainthood.

"Since he was healed, it is concluded God heard Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's prayers for the boy."

How silly.

Since he was healed it is obvious that God heard the prayers of the family and healed the boy.

All Glory belongs to God; none of the glory belongs to this apparently pius good Christian woman.

[FourtySeven]

I thought you all might be interested in this, as it answers the question each of you raised directly:

The theological commission must also determine whether the miracle resulted through the intercession of the Servant of God alone. If the family and friends have been praying without cease to the Servant of God exclusively, then the case is demonstrated. However, if they have been praying to the Servant of God, to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph and others, then the case is clouded, and probably cannot be demonstrated. Thus, the task of the theological commission is two-fold, judge whether the cure was a miracle, and judge whether this miracle is due to the intercession of the Servant of God. The decision is forwarded to the Congregation in Rome.

Thanks for the challenging question. It was a good one. For myself, I'm satisfied with this answer, you may disagree with it, but for me it seems a satisfactory reply to the question, "How is it known, during the process of canonization, that a potential Saint's prayer were what 'availed' the miracle in question, and not merely prayers to God alone?"

I suppose one could further state, "Well, how is it known that no one on earth prayed directly to God (in this case) for the boy?" I do not consider this a reasonable objection given the above statement for the simple fact that reading the entire process of canonization linked to above, one can see it's a very rigorous process.

I sincerely doubt it's reasonable to believe the investigators would "overlook" cases where it can be either demonstrated or even reasonably inferred that someone prayed to God directly for a miraculous cure. In other words, I'm certain this commission looks for such examples of prayer directed to other Saints (or directly to God), and if found, the cause of sainthood is put on hold, as it would indeed cause the confusion you all asked about, which is, "There is no way to tell if someone's prayer on Earth to God, or the potential Saint's prayer to God, was what truly is attributable to the miracle". Again, you may disagree, but for me the matter is closed. The last word is yours, if you wish to add further thoughts on this matter.

May you all have a blessed Advent, and Merry Christmas season.

[Salvation]

How Many Miracles are Required to Canonize a Saint?
Saints [Catholic, Orthodox, Open]
SAINTHOOD 101: Rules for Becoming a Saint [Catholic Caucus]
The Process of Becoming a Saint (Canonization) [Catholic Caucus]
Pope Lists Criteria for Causes of Canonization

[metmom]

I suppose one could further state, "Well, how is it known that no one on earth prayed directly to God (in this case) for the boy?" I do not consider this a reasonable objection given the above statement for the simple fact that reading the entire process of canonization linked to above, one can see it's a very rigorous process.

Only rigorous enough if they can interview everyone in the world to make sure some other prayer didn't slip by unnoticed. Since I consider that it's simply not possible to interview and rule out the prayers of anyone who heard about this and who they prayed to, then there is no way of verifying that people only prayed to this saint and that the hundreds of people who know the family even casually, didn't pray to anyone else either. Interviewing only family and friends does not cover enough ground.

IOW, there's no means to verify that someone somewhere didn't pray without the Catholic church knowing about it. It's just not possible to interview EVERYONE in the world.

There are people I'm praying for that I am sure have no clue that anyone is praying for them because they don't know me. I know about the family situation indirectly and have been praying for them and the children involved and nobody asked me to.

In the Bible study I attend, we pray for people like that as well. When we hear about a situation, we pray even though we weren't asked because there's a need, and don't trumpet it aloud.

Long and short of it is, there's no way to know who's praying to who for whom.

So, if you are willing to accept what the Catholic church does as adequate, that is certainly your prerogative, and I'm glad you're satisfied with it.

Have a Merry Christmas likewise.

[.45 Long Colt]

Thanks for trying to answer the question. The problem I have is that there is no biblical basis for any of it.

[FourtySeven]

Thanks for trying to answer the question. The problem I have is that there is no biblical basis for any of it.

You're welcome. The links Salvation posted in post #35 may be helpful in that regard.

[GeronL]

A group of human beings getting together to tell Heaven and GOD what to do and think.

Yes, that’s Christian. lol.

[.45 Long Colt]

Indeed. God laughs at Rome.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3)