Canonization of two Holy Land nuns


On Sunday, May 17, 2015, Pope Francis canonized four women religious and among them the first two Palestinian Arabs in modern times.

canonization two mariams
The four women religious canonized by the Pope were:

- French Sister Jeanne-Emilie de Villeneuve (1811-1854), foundress of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Castres,

- Italian Sister Maria Cristina (1856-1906), foundress of the Oblation Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament,

- Palestinian Carmelite Sister Mariam Bawardy (1846-1878), foundress of the Carmel in Mangalore and in Bethlehem,

- Palestinian Sister Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas (1843-1927), foundress of the Sisters of the Rosary.

Regarding the two new saints from Palestine, the 78 year old Pontiff said that both exemplified an aspect of giving witness to the risen Lord by showing "unity among ourselves."

"Sister Mariam Baouardy experienced this in an outstanding way," he noted. "Poor and uneducated, she was able to counsel others and provide theological explanations with extreme clarity, the fruit of her constant converse with the Holy Spirit. Her docility to the Spirit also made her a means of encounter and fellowship with the Muslim world."

"Sister Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas came to understand clearly what it means to radiate the love of God in the apostolate, and to be a witness to meekness and unity," he continued. "She shows us the importance of becoming responsible for one another, of living lives of service one to another."

View the canonization mass here

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