Carmelite canonisation and beatification announced

By The British Province of Carmelite Friars
Elizabeth of the Trinity and Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus
Photo of Elizabeth of the Trinity by Willuconquer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia)

On 4th March 2016 the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis has approved the decrees that will lead in the coming months to the canonisation of Discalced Carmelite nun Elizabeth of the Trinity, and the beatification of Discalced Carmelite friar Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus.

The announcement follows a private audience between the pope and the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which the Holy Father authorised the Congregation to promulgate decrees recognising miracles obtained from God through the intercession of various holy men and women.

Elisabeth of the Trinity

Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity was born Elisabeth Catez in France in 1880. A contemporary of another French Carmelite, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Elizabeth was also deeply contemplative, finding God’s presence in daily life and within herself. Her famous prayer “Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore,” is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, paragraph 260). She died at a young age in 1906 with a great reputation for holiness and a deep spiritual wisdom conveyed in her writings. In 1984 she was beatified (declared ‘Blessed’) by Pope John Paul II.

The miracle paving the way to Blessed Elizabeth’s canonisation relates to a Belgian woman, Mary-Paul Stevens, who had been suffering from the uncurable Sjögren syndrome. She was cured in 2002 after making a pilgrimage to Blessed Elizabeth’s Carmel in Dijon. The case was submitted to Rome in 2012.

A date for Elizabeth’s canonisation is expected to be announced on 15th March.

Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

The Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus was born Henri Grialou in France in 1892. He became a Discalced Carmelite friar, and went on to found the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie ” (Our Lady of Life). He died in 1967.

 


Article Source: The British Province of Carmelite Friars