Pope Francis has approved the canonization of Venezuela’s first female saint, Blessed María Carmen Rendiles.
The decree, authorized this week, recognizes a miracle attributed to Rendiles, paving the way for her sainthood.
Catholic leaders in Venezuela requested her canonization in 1995. She was beatified in 2018.
A date for the canonization ceremony has yet to be announced.
The Catholic bishops conference of Venezuela said in a news release on Monday that Rendiles struggled with the loss of an arm.
However, her disability “did not prevent her from developing an exemplary Christian life.”
Who was María Carmen Rendiles?
Born in Caracas, Venezuela on August 11, 1903, Rendiles dedicated her life to service from a young age.
Following her father’s death, she assisted her mother in supporting their family while also working at a local parish.
Her devotion led her to join a French congregation in Venezuela in 1927, becoming a novice at 24.
Years later, in 1961, with the backing of the local Catholic hierarchy, she established the autonomous Congregation of the Handmaids of Jesus.
Rendiles passed away in her birthplace on May 9, 1977.
What is the miracle attributed to Rendiles?
According to the Vatican, she miraculously cured a young woman diagnosed with a type of hydrocephalus, a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up within the brain.
Her condition had worsened until a Mass was celebrated before Rendiles’ grave. Loved ones prayed for her recovery. And after the sick woman touched Rendiles’ portrait, her health improved.
“The young woman’s recovery was complete, stable and long-lasting, and the event was deemed scientifically inexplicable,” the Holy See said in a written statement.
Another Venezuelan saint
Earlier this year, Pope Francis approved the canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández (born October 26, 1864), known as “the poor’s doctor,” the first Venezuelan layperson to be beatified.
