The
main theme of this Blog is sanctity- that of others, as well as our own. How
you may ask can we ever hope to be like someone who reached perfection in this
life? We tend to forget that they were human with all the negative traits we
possess. Some knew sin before a conversion, some experienced depression, discouragement,
hopelessness. Others dealt with hatred, lack of care of others, selfishness.
For every problem we experience in our own life, there is a saint who
experienced the same suffering in their life.
In
April 2019, we considered the life of a young nun who died in an earthquake in
Ecuador. She, along with an American Benedictine nun, is now being considered for
canonization. In her short life she knew
sin, hated in her Irish town, and had a major conversion, even though she thought
she wanted to be “famous”.
SISTER
CLARE CROCKETT’s early life was like so many teenagers today – caught up in the
fast pace, fun loving world, oblivious of where they were being led.
At
a retreat in Spain (she thought she was going for the “entertainment”), she
found her true calling.
“I
don’t know how to explain exactly what happened. I didn’t see the choirs of
angels or a white dove come down from the ceiling and descend on me, but I was
certain that the Lord was on the cross, for me.”
For more on her life, I highly recommend the 90 minute movie "All or Nothng" which can be viewed on Youtube.The postulator of the
cause of Sister Clare is Sister Kristen Gardner, a member Sister Clare’s order, the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. In 2020 she wrote a biography about Sister
Clare titled "Sister Clare Crockett: Alone with Christ Alone".
Father
Gerard Mongan, parish priest of Sr. Clare’s native parish of St. Columba’s, in
Derry, said she is already credited with bringing many back to the faith
through her conversion story.
“The
people of Derry and beyond are overwhelmed by the possibility that one day,
they will have their own saint. In particular, she has been an inspiration to
many young people who have been inspired by her life, especially her infectious
joy.She has already brought countless people back to the practice of their
faith. We all look forward to the official opening of her cause when she will
become (a) servant of God. Exciting times ahead!”
Perhaps
a less typical, hopefully soon to be saint, is the Benedictine nun, SERVANT OF GOD SISTER ANNELLA
ZERVAS (see Blog June 24, 2017) from Moorhead, Minnesota., She was born in 1900,
the second of six children into a devoutly Catholic family.
At age 15 (not too young in those days), she
entered the convent of the Benedictine Sisters in St. Joseph, Minnesota. She
was given the name Annella, to which her mother said: there is no saint with this name. The young
nun answered: “Then I shall have to be the first one.” She made her final vows
in 1922.
A
year later, Sister Annella began experiencing a chronic and debilitating skin
disease that caused extreme itching and other serious discomforts. It was diagnosed as pityriasis
rubra pilaris.
I
have always said that itch is worse than pain, and yet this young nun, who was
musically inclined, taught music in Bismarck, North Dakota. She was known for her good humor, offering up her suffering in union with the suffering of Jesus, finding in the Eucharist
her “greatest consolation.”
Her
body began to swell from head to toe, her skin turning a deep red and
burning with an insatiable itch. She developed sores and her skin sloughed
off in chunks and strips, with "thornlike stickers" developing within
her pores, which had to be painfully removed. At the time, there was no
significant treatment or cure.
She
died at age 26 in 1926 on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption, which was
fitting since she had a great devotion to Our Lady.
After
her death, people began to report receiving favors and miracles through her
intercession.
Patrick
Norton, a Minnesota man, born in 1962 in India, was rescued from the
streets of Mumbai by sisters from the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation
of (St.) Mother Teresa. He was adopted by a wealthy couple from Fairfield, Connecticut, and raised Catholic along with 13 adopted siblings.
He
claims to have had a vision in 2010 while working at Sister Annella’s grave and was
inspired to spread devotion to her. A father of three from Avon, he has
dedicated his life to sharing her story by reprinting and distributing booklets
about her life as well as giving talks.
"I'm
a nobody, I'm just a painter. All I know is paint brushes and drop cloths; I've
never promoted a saint. But I am promoting her. I said to the Lord, 'Let me
promote her through my deafness, my uselessness, my nobody. Let me live each
day for you, and I will tell the people (of her) through my nothingness.
"
She certainly is one to pray to for any skin ailment.
Sister Clare and Sister
Annella’s short lives can be an inspiration on how each of us can pursue
holiness in our own life, reminding us that God calls each of us to sanctity in
a unique way- no two saints are alike!