Pinay teen’s sainthood inquiry got Vatican approval

By J.Lo

“Lætare! Rejoice! to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the diocese, as Vatican judged nothing stands in the way of diocesan inquiry into the life of sanctity and heroic virtues of ‘Servant of God,’” Laoag Bishop Renato Mayugba said in  circular  diocesan inquiry into  sainthood cause of Filipino teenager Nina Ruiz-Abad, who died at the age of 13 in 1993, has been permitted by  Vatican.

Diocese of Laoag in Ilocos Norte will commence  local inquiry into reputation and sanctity of Abad.

Laoag Bishop Renato Mayugba will initiate  diocesan process and commence with its inquiry.

Mayugba submitted  detailed biography of the candidate to Vatican dicastery and petitioned for permission to begin his investigation.

He did this after securing  Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ support during its plenary assembly in July 2023.

Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted  “nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way),”  one of the stages in the preliminary phase of  cause.

Beatification  and canonization cause of Abad would officially open on April 7 or Divine Mercy Sunday, Mayugba noted.

Session  at the St. William’s Cathedral Church in Laoag will be open for  public to witness.

Abad, a young girl from Sarrat, was described as having  strong devotion to the Eucharist and devoted her life to distributing rosaries, bibles, prayer books, holy images and other religious items.

Abad died at the age of 13 on Aug. 16, 1993 from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an incurable cardiac disease.