Elizabeth of the Trinity
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Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD (
Elizabeth was a gifted pianist and had strong feelings for the Carmelite charism. Of that experience as a professed religious she wrote in a letter: "I can't find words to express my happiness. Here there is no longer anything but God. He is All; He suffices and we live by Him alone" (Letter 91).[1]
Pope John Paul II celebrated her beatification in Paris on 25 November 1984; Pope Francis approved her canonization on 3 March 2016. The date was decided at a gathering of cardinals on 20 June 2016 and she was canonized as a saint on 16 October 2016.
Life
She was born on 18 July 1880 as Élisabeth Catez at the military base at
Elizabeth had a terrible temper as a child. After receiving her First Communion in 1891 she gained more self-control and had a deeper understanding of God and the world. She also gained a profound understanding of the Trinity to which she cultivated an ardent devotion. Elizabeth visited the sick, sang in the church choir and taught religion to children who worked in factories.[2]
As she grew older Elizabeth became interested in entering the
At the end of her life, she began to call herself "Laudem Gloriae". Elizabeth wanted that to be her appellation in Heaven because it means "praise of glory." She said: "I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself." Her spirituality is considered to be remarkably similar to that of her contemporary and compatriot Discalced Carmelite sister, Thérèse of Lisieux, who was cloistered at the Carmel in Lisieux; the two share a zeal for contemplation and the salvation of souls.[3]
Elizabeth died at the age of 26 of Addison's disease,[2] which had no cure. Though her death was painful, Elizabeth gratefully accepted her suffering as a gift from God. Her last words were: "I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!"
Sainthood
In Dijon the beatification process started in 1931. The process lasted a decade until 1941. Her writings were gathered and after careful investigation were incorporated into the cause and approved as being valid additions on 28 January 1944.[4] A second process opened in 1948 and closed in 1950; the official introduction of the cause – under Pope John XXIII – came on 25 October 1961 and bestowed the title of Servant of God on the late nun.
The third and final process was opened in 1963 and closed in 1965 while two decrees ratified both processes in 1969 and on 13 March 1970; this allowed the
The miracle needed for her beatification was investigated from 1964 and closed in 1965; it received validation in 1969. John Paul II approved the healing as being a legitimate miracle in 1984, allowing for Elizabeth to be proclaimed "Blessed."
Pope John Paul II on the occasion of an apostolic visit to Paris beatified Elizabeth on 25 November 1984.
The second miracle needed for sanctification was investigated in the diocese of the healing's origin from 11 July 2011 until 25 August 2012; it received ratification several months later on 28 June 2013.[5]
Pope Francis on 3 March 2016 approved the second healing as being a miracle attributed to Elizabeth's intercession and thus approved her canonization as a saint. A date of canonization was determined at a gathering of cardinals on 20 June 2016.[2] Her canonization was celebrated on 16 October 2016.
The postulator of the cause at the time of her canonization was Father Romano Gambalunga.[5]
Feast and patronage
Her
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity". Discalced Carmelites. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ a b c Bunderson, Carl. "Who was Elizabeth of the Trinity? The story behind a new saint". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
- ^ a b "Elizabeth of the Trinity". Loyola Press. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 62.
- ^ a b "1906". Hagiography Circle. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Order of Carmelites, Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore Archived 2019-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 8 November 2019
External links
- Saints SQPN
- Works by or about Elizabeth of the Trinity at Internet Archive
- Elizabeth of the Trinity. Complete Works. 2 vol. Trans. Alethia Kane and Anne Englund Nash. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1984, 1995.
- Moorcroft, Jennifer. He Is My Heaven: The Life of Elizabeth of the Trinity. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-935216-25-1
- Lilles, Anthony. "Elizabeth of the Trinity: A Saint for Our Time", National Catholic Register