Mumbai

Colaba nuns seek sainthood for founder

Nuns of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady have initiated the long-drawn-out process to have Monsignor George Fernandes, a lover of the poor, declared a saint

Manoj R Nair

Posted On Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 06:39:22 AM

The road to sainthood
The long, complicated process to sainthood could take years, or sometimes even centuries.

Recently, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican department in charge of the process, introduced new requirements, including voluminous documentation of the candidate’s life.

The road to sainthood involves:
The process starts when an order or a local church sends information to the Vatican on a candidate’s life, especially about his piety and social service.

If the panel accepts the information, the candidate is declared as ‘Venerable’ – somebody who can be prayed to as an intercessor.

If a miracle is attributed to the candidate posthumously, the candidate is declared ‘blessed’ or ‘beatified’.

After a second miracle is confirmed, the Vatican issues a canon declaring the person a saint.

An order of Catholic nuns in Mumbai is seeking sainthood for their founder. The Poor Sisters of Our Lady, who manage schools, orphanages and old age homes, have called for information on the life of Monsignor George Fernandes who established the order in 1939.

Collection of information is the first stage of a lengthy process before the Vatican formally declares a person a saint. Only two Indians figure in the Catholic Church’s list of saints (see box).

The Poor Sisters of Our Lady, which has its headquarters at Stephen Hall in Colaba, decided to seek sainthood for their founder, known as a lover of the poor, in May 2008.

Sister Cecilia deSouza of Holy Cross Convent, Kurla, who is in charge of collecting information, said, “We particularly want information on his life and dedication to god. He did a lot for the poor of every parish he was posted.”

Having got the go-ahead from Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the nuns are in search of testimonies of people from parishes where the priest worked, such as Church of Our Lady of Salvation (Portuguese Church), St Michael’s (Mahim) and St Andrew’s Church (Bandra).

In Dadar, Father Fernandes served as an assistant priest in the 1930s. Father Benny Aguiar, former editor of ‘Examiner’ who is now based at Portuguese Church, said that Fr Fernandes introduced Sunday School at the church. “The school is still flourishing and the idea spread to other parishes.

At a time when Antonio Da Silva in Dadar catered to rich students, he started a primary school for children of poor migrants from Goa who had settled in Dadar,” said Aguiar.

Fr Fernandes died in 1970 and was buried at St Andrew’s. The order he established now has 175 nuns and apart from India, they work in Italy, Austria and other countries.

In Mumbai they run Divine Child High School, Andheri, and teach at Holy Name, Colaba and St Anne’s, Dabul.

Father Antony Charanghat, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bombay said: “It is the first time a priest from Mumbai is being considered for sainthood.

It is said that he was responsible for encouraging many young people to take up priesthood.” The nuns are aware it is a longwinded process. “We are starting it, somebody will have to take it forward,” said Sr Cecilia.

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Colaba nuns seek sainthood for founder

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