Vatican City, Jul 3, 2008 / 08:50 am
The head of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, met with Pope Benedict today to present him with 14 causes for canonization in their various stages. Among those approved for advancement towards sainthood are Fr. Damien De Veuster, a Belgian missionary to Hawaii, and the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.
The miracle attributed to Fr. Damien is the cure of Audrey Toguchi, a 79-year-old retired schoolteacher who became ill in 1997 with a cancerous lump on her left thigh.
Upon discovering her cancer, Toguchi went to Fr. Damien’s grave and asked him to intercede for her healing. She then underwent surgery, but her doctor informed her afterwards that he could do nothing more since the cancer had spread to her lungs. Toguchi turned once again to Fr. Damien and the cancer soon began to inexplicably disappear of a four month period. To watch a video on Fr. Damien click here.
The miracle credited to the parents of St. Therese involved the healing of Pietro Schiliro, an Italian newborn who was born in 2002 with partial lungs. The condition was so grave that doctors could do nothing and Pietro’s parents immediately had him baptized.