A NUN who worked with Manchester's poor in the 19th century could become Britain's next saint.Sister Elizabeth Prout opened schools and gave a lifeline to thousands during the industrial revolution from her city centre base.
Her work, which centred around impoverished female immigrants who rushed to the city to work in the mills, has now put her in line to become the first female British saint for 40 years.
A file of her life, which took 14 years to prepare, will be sent to the Vatican - the first stage in the canonisation process.
If that is given the green light, officials will then head to Chile to complete the next stage and find proof of two miracles that are attributed to her.
Two terminally ill people - a man suffering from cancer and a woman suffering from brain damage - are both said to have been cured after praying to Sister Elizabeth.
The sister, who has been called a `Victorian Mother Teresa' was born in Shrewsbury in 1821 but became a nun in her early 20s.
She was based at St Chad's church in Cheetham Hill at a time when slums filled vast areas of the city.
Her daily walk up Deansgate to St Mary's church, the Hidden Gem, is said to have given her first hand evidence of the abject poverty of thousands of young mill workers.
She gave night classes and is thought to have opened nine schools across the region.
Many of those who benefited had flocked to the city to escape the Irish potato famine.
She is also said to have built homes and was branded `a revolutionary' in her own lifetime.
Sister Elizabeth founded the Passionist sisters, who helped women escape poverty by training them how to provide for themselves.
Their Manchester-based superior general, Sister Anne Cunningham, will celebrate a mass for her close to where she died in St Helens tomorrow.
She has been involved in the process and described Sister Elizabeth as `a pioneer'.
She added: "She was different because she brought people out of the convents to work for a living - something that wasn't common at the time. She was a humble, ordinary person who was innovative and had a lot of compassion."
Father Michael Walsh, spokesman for the Salford diocese, said that if Sister Elizabeth was made a saint she would be Manchester's first since St Ambrose Barlow.
He added: "It's a great compliment to have a local saint who contributed to the faith and the life of Manchester."
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