Pope Francis has approved miracles attributed to a Sicilian queen and a
20th-century Italian laywoman, placing them one step closer to
sainthood.
As groups of lay people devoted to saints from Italy, Spain, France and
England converge on Rome for a Year of Faith event this weekend, the
Pope advanced four causes for sainthood.
Queen Maria Cristina of Savoy, who married King Ferdinand II of the Two
Sicilies, is one of the two women who had miracles recognized by Pope
Francis.
She was known for being shy but also a dedicated advocate for the poor
and those condemned to death. She died in 1836, nine days after giving
birth to Francis.
Maria Bolognesi, the other woman for whom a miracle was approved, was an
Italian mystic who was known as the “silent woman of charity.” Besides
receiving visions, she also opened a convalescent home and lived a life
of poverty close to the poor.
Pope Francis also recognized a Spanish priest and a Polish nun as having lived lives of “heroic virtue.”
Father Joaquim Rossello Ferra, founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred
Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and Mother Janina Kierocinska, who founded
the Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus, can both now be referred to
as “venerable.”