Sainthood in Sight for Kiwi

[Jim Finnel]

New Zealand's first candidate for sainthood, a free-thinking French-born nun who worked with the poor and promoted the rights of women and Maori in the 19th century, will this year come one step closer to being officially recognised by the Catholic Church as a saint, according to nuns at the Wellington order she founded, the Sisters of Compassion.

Mother Mary Joseph Aubert, who died in 1926, has been inching her way towards sainthood since 1997, when the New Zealand Bishops' Conference agreed to support calls for her beatification, the main step in a long and complex process leading to canonisation ( official recognition as a saint ).

The claim comes as Catholics look forward with increasing excitement to this year's likely canonisation of the Australian nun Mother Mary MacKillop, a contemporary of Aubert's who also spent time in New Zealand.

Mother Aubert ( born Suzanne Aubert ) arrived in Auckland in 1861, having nursed on the fields of the Crimean War of the 1850s. Over the coming decades, around the country, she worked for the poor, establishing food kitchens and caring for foundlings and orphans.

She was also a pioneering healer, developing and selling a range of herbal remedies, some of which contained cannabis as a pain-reliever.

In 2004, the Wellington diocese conducted a week-long Diocesan Inquiry into her life and good works, and sent documents to Vatican officials in Rome for consideration.

One of the requirements for sainthood is proof that at least one miracle has occurred in the name of a candidate, such as recovery from a terminal illness after prayers. The Diocesan Inquiry included details of a number of claimed Aubert-related miracles - two in the 1940s, one in the 1960s and another in the 1980s.

"I have utterly no doubt that the woman is a saint," said Sister Patricia Hannan, the Dominican nun who led the Diocesan Inquiry. "It's just that Rome has yet to get around to recognising that."

Sister Josephine Gorman, one of two nuns assisting with the process ( known as the Cause of Suzanne Aubert ), said that in the coming year Aubert was likely to be declared Venerable by the Vatican, a major step towards beatification, the last step before canonisation itself.

Gorman, 65, said she hoped to still be alive for the beatification, but "I don't mind if I die before she's canonised".

Former Wellington Diocese Cardinal Tom Williams said factors that were in Aubert's favour, included the fact that New Zealand does not yet have a saint of its own.

Vatican officials told Williams that when there was a well-established home-grown order, such as the Sisters of Compassion, the Church would look favourably on any application that meets the criteria.

Rome has appointed a New Zealander - Nelson-based professor in church history Maurice Carmody - to the role of Postulator, the person who pushes the Cause along. Normally, this person is based in Rome.

Gorman said Carmody's predecessor didn't speak any English, which made communications between New Zealand and the Vatican difficult. Carmody is fluent in Italian.

Carmody was reluctant to give a timeframe for Aubert being deemed "Venerable", but said the signs "are, so far, very encouraging.

"What we're looking for next is beatification [and] we would hope sooner rather than later."

Holding up the process is the appointment in the Vatican of a new Relatore, to whom Carmody reports. The previous Relatore has retired and Carmody has yet to hear of a replacement.

SUZANNE AUBERT ( 1835-1926 )

1835: Born June 19, in Loire, France.

1853-56: Nurse in the Crimean War.

1860: Flees France to NZ to escape family opposition to her choice of a religious life.

1860-69: Novice of the Irish order, Sisters of Mercy in Auckland. Missionary in Hawke's Bay.

1883: Establishes mission at Jerusalem, begins caring for unwanted children.

1892: Establishes the Sisters of Compassion's congregation at Island Bay, Wellington.

1926: Dies in Wellington, aged 91.


NewsHawk: User: 420 Magazine
Source: Sunday Star-Times (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2010 Sunday Star-Times
Webpage: Sainthood in sight for Kiwi heroine
Contact: editor@star-times.co.nz
Website: Sunday Star Times - National News - Stuff.co.nz | Stuff.co.nz
Author: Nick Smith

 

[Roseman]

WELL,,THAT IS JUST FASINATING!

So after reading this, we can assume that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in New Zealand, Pot was just a healing medical herb!!!
And still is to many!

What happened??

I imagine it had something to do with Lawyers and Politicians and people wanting control over other people.

 

[neededchange]

awesome!

 

[Heavyherb]

I always thought that all true believers in Yeshua (Jesus) were saints, im pretty sure thats what the Bible says......ill have to look up some scripture,,,,,

Question: "What are Christian saints according to the Bible?"

Answer: The word saint comes from the Greek word "hagios" which means “consecrated to God, holy, sacred, pious." It is almost always used in the plural, “saints.” "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:13). "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda" (Acts 9:32). "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons … “(Acts 26:10). There is only one instance of the singular use and that is "Greet every saint in Christ Jesus…" (Philippians 4:21). In Scripture there are 67 uses of the plural “saints” compared to only one use of the singular word “saint.” Even in that one instance, a plurality of saints is in view “…every saint…” (Philippians 4:21).

The idea of the word “saint” is a group of people set apart for the Lord and His kingdom. There are three references referring to godly character of saints; "that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints …" (Romans 16:2). "For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).

Therefore, Scripturally speaking, the “saints” are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christian are saints…and at the same time are called to be saints. 1 Corinthians 1:2 states it clearly, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” The words “sanctified” and “holy” come from the same Greek root as the word that is commonly translated “saints.” Christians are saints by virtue of their connection with Jesus Christ. Christians are called to be saints, to increasingly allow their daily life to more closely match their position in Christ. This is the Biblical description and calling of the saints.

How does the Roman Catholic understanding of “saints” compare with the Biblical teaching? Not very well. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in Heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In Roman Catholic teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is “beatified” or “canonized” by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In Roman Catholic practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshipped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.