A miracle through Henriette's intercession is needed for her beatification, the next step in the process before canonization to sainthood.
The Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas has been studying and gathering information on the healing of Christine McGee, which they believe could be that miracle.
Henriette's cause was officially opened in 1988, at the initiation of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan and the request of Mother Rose de Lima Hazeur, then the Superior General of the Sisters of the Holy Family, according to the Sisters' website.
Because the possible miracle occurred in the Diocese of Little Rock, they were the ones to undertake the investigation, starting in 2015.
According to the Arkansas Catholic, a diocesan tribunal has submitted formal documentation to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican, which is considering the evidence of the possible miracle and whether it will be approved for the cause of Venerable Henriette.
"We served as a fact-finding gathering source for the Holy See," Father Greg Luyet, JCL, told the Arkansas Catholic. Luyet serves as judicial vicar for the Diocese of Little Rock and oversaw the canonical processes involved in this stage of Henriette's cause.
Sr. Doris told the Arkansas Catholic that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has already issued "a decree of juridical validity," dated December 2018, which confirmed that the diocese met the documentation requirements necessary for a possible miracle to be considered.
There are currently at least four other Catholics of African American descent whose causes are being considered for sainthood, including Julia Greeley, Pierre Toussaint, Mother Mary Lange, and Father Augustus Tolton. If the possible miracle for Henriette's cause is approved, she would move on step closer to possibly being the first officially canonized saint of African American descent in the United States.
Correction 9/3: A previous version of this article said that Christine McGee was "rushed to the hospital by her mother." She was in fact rushed to the hospital after her mother was told that she was very ill. It has been corrected.
Correction 9/3: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Diocese of Little Rock informed the Sisters of the Holy Family of the investigation of the miracle, who then granted permission for them to proceed. It has been corrected.