A plausible miracle attributed to her has been referred to Vatican doctors for scrutiny.

New Zealand Catholic bishops, in Rome for a pilgrimage and a meeting with Pope Francis last week, discussed the possible canonisation of Suzanne Aubert with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican agency responsible for studying sainthood nominations.

Bishop of Hamilton Stephen Lowe said the discussions - with Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation - were very positive.

"Two medical experts will examine the extensive reports of the possible miracle attributed to Suzanne Aubert," said Lowe, who is also Secretary of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference and one of the five New Zealand bishops in Rome for an Ad Limina Apostolorum visit.

"If one of the two doctors' findings is positive, it will then be referred to a medical board. If their report is positive, a theological commission will then examine the doctors' reports."

After that, if then approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the outcome will go to Pope Francis for his approval, and New Zealand will have its first "Blessed."

Proof of a second miracle will be required for Suzanne Aubert to reach the next step, being canonised as a saint.

The New Zealand bishops approved the start of her sainthood process in 1997.

A diocesan inquiry was held in 2004, after which Suzanne Aubert was given the title "Servant of God". Following the formal acceptance of her nomination, Pope Francis declared her "Venerable" in 2016, the key step before being declared "Blessed."

Lowe said Becciu was very familiar with Suzanne Aubert and her Sisters of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington. The cardinal was once the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature (the Vatican embassy) in New Zealand.

"The process ahead could still take quite some time," said Lowe. "However, we were assured that the Congregation of Saints are taking particular interest in this case."

Becciu is very interested in returning to New Zealand and hopes that this will happen during his time as Prefect.

"As the New Zealand bishops, we were very well received at the Congregation and came away feeling very hopeful. In the meantime, we continue to pray for the ‘Cause of Our Mother Suzanne'. Please join us in prayer for this Cause."

Source

Supplied: David McLoughlin
Communications Adviser, NZ Catholic Bishops
Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa

The Sisters of Compassion, founded by Suzanne Aubert, and the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference agreed that the first Sunday of October will be marked as a day of celebration.

All parishes have been asked to include a special Prayer of the Faithful at masses on that day and to make copies of the intercessory prayer card available.

In addition, a special 6-minute video presentation has been produced for playing at mass. It features a number of Sisters of Compassion as well as Cardinal John Dew and several Bishops.

Bishop Charles Drennan, the liaison Bishop for Suzanne Aubert's Cause, commented: "Kiwi culture readily celebrates its sports heroes and sometimes its high achievers in arts and music."

"Suzanne Aubert's gutsy life focused solely and relentlessly on the needs of others. This helps us celebrate a radical life of practical faith."

He went on to say, "Mother Aubert's life shifts holiness onto our streets and fields. Hers is a gumboots and sleeves-rolled-up type of saintliness that resonates in this country and overseas too - with growing interest in her Cause in France and parts of the Pacific."

Suzanne Aubert chose to leave her native country of France and spend 3 months travelling to New Zealand on a whaling boat so that she could answer the call of Christ: the call to serve the sick, the orphaned, the elderly and those whom society seemed not to notice. Her response to what she encountered was to establish NZ's first soup kitchen that still serves almost 40,000 meals a year.

She established orphanages for abandoned children throughout New Zealand and provided care for the disabled, the sick and the dying.

When she died, Suzanne was accorded the largest funeral ever in NZ for a woman. Wellington city stopped to pay their respects and publicly acknowledge what this remarkable woman had achieved.

Her wairua or spirit lives on in the work of the Sisters of Compassion. The work of the Sisters today is very much supported by their co-workers through their engagement in social work, pastoral care, prison and hospital chaplaincies, education, working with disadvantaged, migrant communities, and care of the sick and the elderly.

Pope Francis officially declared Suzanne Aubert Venerable last year. This the second of four steps on the journey to her being officially recognised as a Saint.

As a result of the national celebration day on 1 October, the anniversary of her death 91 years ago, it is hoped that many more New Zealanders will learn of the spirituality and good works of Venerable Suzanne Aubert.

The new financial accountability regulations came after reports of gross abuses on the use of donations from the faithful.

At least two books by Italian journalists revealed that the Vatican's saint-making process brought in hundreds of thousands of euros in donations for each saintly candidate but had virtually no financial oversight as to how the money was spent.

The books estimated the average cost for each beatification at around 500,000 euros ($550,000), with much of the proceeds going to a few lucky people with contracts to do the often time-consuming investigations into the candidates' lives.

The new rules call for an administrator to be named for each saintly cause who must "scrupulously respect" the intention of each donation.

The administrator must keep a running tab on expenditures and donations, prepare an annual budget and be subject to the oversight of the local bishop or religious superior.

That person must also approve the annual budget and send it to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints — the Vatican office responsible for reviewing saintly candidates, investigating miracles and preparing the cases for the pope's ultimate decision.

The rules also set out the mechanism by which each cause pays the congregation for its services finalizing the beatification or canonization, though it doesn't specify how much is given.

The rules were published just days before Pope Francis is due to set the official date for the canonization of Mother Teresa.

Sources

Vatican Radio
The Daily Mail
AP/Yahoo
Image: AP/Vatican Radio