MARY MacKillop's second miracle is expected to be confirmed by the Vatican in coming weeks, clearing the final hurdle for the Pope's approval of Australia's first saint.Canonisation Committee project manager Sister Judith Sippel told a conference in Sydney this week she expected the miracle to pass the final stage of medical scrutiny soon.
Sydney Archdiocese communications director Katrina Lee said yesterday Sister Sippel reported a key meeting would take place this month.
"The last group of people to look at all the documentation, as far as the medical aspect of the application goes, are meeting in Rome shortly," she said.
"They (the Canonisation Committee) expect that to pass without any problems and then it is a process of going through the Holy Father."
Mary MacKillop's first miracle, the 1961 cure of leukaemia in another woman, was approved in 1995.
Ms Lee said a public announcement of the second miracle's approval was not expected.
Vatican committees usually handed their deliberations over to the Pope without publicity, she said.
"It will depend entirely on when the Vatican wants to release it and when they want to announce the canonisation," she said.
Sister Sippel told the National Catholic Media Congress in Sydney this week that an announcement could be nicely timed with the 100th anniversary of the nun's death, on August 8 this year.
"We don't need any more miracles," Sister Sippel said, the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn reported on its web page.
"We believe the canonisation will be in Rome in the next 18 months and a major celebration will be held in Rome."
Sister Sippel and other sisters of St Joseph were not available for comment yesterday.
Editor of Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn's Catholic Voice Geoff Orchison said he was "surprised" the committee was talking about an early approval.
"It suddenly seemed to be rather more immediate," he said.
"These things drag on forever, they do go on and on."
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