Last Thursday, Pope Francis approved the publication of the decree recognizing the “heroic virtues” of the seeress of Fátima Lúcia de Jesus, paving the way for her beatification, the Sanctuary of Fátima informed.
The decree’s approval came after an audience granted by the pope to the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, in the morning, the Vatican’s Sala Stampa reported.
Sister Lúcia, the eldest of the three seers of Fatima, is considered by those responsible for the sanctuary of Cova da Iria to be the “central figure in the knowledge and dissemination of the Message addressed to humanity by Our Lady in the apparitions “, in 1917 .
In a note published on its website, the Sanctuary of Fátima emphasizes that the adoption of the decree recognizing the “heroic virtues” is a “central step in the process leading to the proclamation of a faithful Catholic as Blessed, the penultimate stage for the declaration of sanctity”.
“The beatification requires recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the now venerable Lúcia de Jesus,” the note adds, noting that “in the Sanctuary of Fátima this morning the bells rang, in a festive sign for the ‘joy of this moment’, as mentioned by the Rector, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, who led a spontaneous prayer in the Little Chapel of Apparitions, in which collaborators, volunteers and pilgrims participated”.
The decree containing the heroic virtues of Sister Lúcia must be read in the presence of the Bishop of Coimbra, who approved the process in its diocesan phase, at an appropriate date, informs the Sanctuary of Fátima.
Lúcia de Jesus was born on March 28, 1907 in Fatima. After the death of her cousins - Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto – Lúcia entered the Institute of the Sisters of Santa Doroteia in 1925, where she remained until 1948.
Her journey as a religious Doroteia was lived mainly in Spain, where she had the two apparitions that completed the cycle of the message of Fatima, with the requests for the consecration of the first Saturdays (1925), in Pontevedra, and for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1929), in Tuy.
“During this time, at the behest of the Bishop of Leiria, he writes his first memoirs, starting one of the means by which he will spread the message of Fatima: his written work,” according to his biographical notes.
He entered the Carmelo de Santa Teresa in Coimbra on March 25, 1948, where he remained until his death, February 13, 2005.
Recognition of Lucia’s “heroic virtues” is a joy to those who love Fatima — bishop
The Bishop of Leiria-Fátima, José Ornelas, considered that the pope’s approval of the decree recognizing Sister Lucia’s “heroic virtues” is a “joy” for those who “love Fatima and are inspired by the presence of Mary”.
“Firstly, because the little shepherds would not be complete without Lucia, but above all because it was she who made known the memories of the whole event of Fatima,” the prelate said in statements from the Sanctuary of Fatima.
For José Ornelas, “Lúcia is an example of the effect of the message of Fatima on those who approach her, in a life given to God”.
The also president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference added that “like the first two little shepherds [Francisco e Jacinta] represent the age of childhood, those who were the object of Mary’s special affection, Lúcia represents maturity, the age of reason, of meditated memories, matured and transmitted by her own pen”.
In turn, for Cardinal António Marto, Bishop Emeritus of Leiria-Fátima, Sister Lúcia was “the bearer of a message she internalized in her own spirituality”, emphasizing the “discreet and humble way” in which Lúcia lived “her love for God, Our Lady, the Church and all humanity”.
“This spirituality, sanctity and virtues of hers are very human: she was not an alien, she did not live outside our orbit; she was human and very feminine, an intelligent and perceptive woman, resourceful and supportive, full of joy and infectious humor, as testified by the sisters of Carmel,” added Antonio Marto, who is a member of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints.
The cardinal, also quoted on the page of the Sanctuary of Fatima, also emphasized the “historical and universal dimension of sanctity” that this moment signifies.
“Now we hope that a miracle will come soon so that we can participate in the great celebration of his beatification and canonization,” added António Marto.
The Rector of the Sanctuary of Fátima, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, stated that Lúcia de Jesus was “a remarkable figure in the Portuguese 20th century, a remarkable figure in the Church despite her discreet life”.
The declaration of recognition of Sister Lucy’s heroic virtues is a cause for “responsible joy” for the Sanctuary of Fatima, said the priest, for whom “it is the recognition of Fatima as a school of holiness and the message of Fatima as a path of communion with God and that is what we see reflected in Sister Lúcia’s life, which makes us responsible to make Sister Lúcia’s life better known”.
The vice-postulator of the Beatification and Canonization of Sister Lúcia also underlined that “Lúcia collects in herself all the spirituality of the message of Fatima and also the spirituality of Carmel; but she is a figure who transcends the boundaries of this physical space of Fátima and of de Carmelo, because Lucia is a universal figure”.
“I believe it can be a source of inspiration for so many of us who are searching for the Lord, who are going through difficult times, through confusing times,” added Sister Ângela Coelho.
The Episcopal Conference welcomes Sister Lucia’s declaration of “heroic virtues”.
The Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) expressed “great joy” this Thursday at Pope Francis’ approval of the decree recognizing the “heroic virtues” of Sister Lúcia de Jesus, one of the three seers of Fatima.
The Portuguese Catholic Episcopate emphasizes in a note quoted by the Ecclesia agency that the Vatican’s decision is an “important step” towards the beatification of the Carmelite nun who died in 2005.
“In this moment of joyful celebration, the Episcopal Conference expresses special harmony with the Order of the Discalced Carmelites and with the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, hoping that the ongoing process, in prayer and study, may soon will lead to Sister Lucia’s beatification,” the CEP note added.
The two other seers of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, were canonized by Pope Francis in Cova da Iria, on May 13, 2017, on the centenary of the apparitions.
Sister Lúcia’s Beatification Process “Gaining New Impetus” – Responsible
Those responsible for the process for the beatification of Sister Lucia believed that, with the approval proclaimed this Thursday, the case is given a “new impetus” with the Pope’s recognition of the seer’s “heroic virtues” of Fatima, without a miracle that would allow her to be beatified.
“With this new step on the road to holiness, Venerable Lucia de Jesus is recognized by the Church in the heroic practice of the virtues, as well as in the authenticity of her spiritual path. A miracle that, once approved, will lead to her beatification and further one that will lead to her canonization,” said those responsible for Sister Lúcia’s beatification, in a note published on their website.
“From this moment on, Lucia is recognized as venerable,” those responsible for the trial write in the note released this Thursday.
The phase of the process leading to approval began on October 13, 2022, with “the handing over of the Positio to the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints in the Vatican,” they recall.
The contents of that document, at about 2,000 pages and divided into two parts, “were read and studied by nine theologians who, assembled in Congress, unanimously approved it,” the note adds.
Source: DN
