Mother Teresa’s path to sainthood

The canonization of Mother Teresa marks the culmination of several steps that can take centuries but, in her case, have been hastened to a mere 19 years

“SAINTHOOD CAUSE”

Sep 5, 1997: Mother Teresa, born as Agnes Gonxha 
Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, dies from heart attack

Oct 1997: Archbishop Henry D’Souza of Kolkata petitions Vatican to waive usual delay of five years after death before initiating beatification process

Jul 1999: Diocesan inquiry into “saint of the gutters” starts to gather eye witness accounts attesting to Mother Teresa’s virtuous life

Aug 2001: Report on “reputation of sanctity” delivered to Vatican’s Congregation for the Cause of Saints

FIRST MIRACLE

Oct 2002: Congregation approves report of miracle attributed to Mother Teresa – overnight recovery of Indian woman suffering from stomach cancer after prayers to Mother Teresa in 1998, on first anniversary of nun’s death

Dec: After consulting panel of doctors, Vatican judges cure to be result of Mother Teresa’s supernatural intervention

BEATIFICATION

Oct 19, 2003: More than 250,000 people crowd into St. Peter’s Square as John Paul II proclaims Mother Teresa blessed – just six years after her death

SECOND MIRACLE

Dec 2015: Pope Francis clears way for Mother Teresa’s canonization by approving decree recognising second miracle attributed to her intercession with God – healing of Brazilian man who recovered from severe brain infection in 2008

CANONIZATION

Sep 4, 2016: Mother Teresa made saint in ceremony expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome

Source: AmericanCatholic.org
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