Mass for our Blessed Miriam Teresa planned on her feast day (Video)
“What we really need is a miracle,” said Sister Maureen Corcoran of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth about the push to canonize Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, SC, a Bayonne native who passed away in 1927 and declared Blessed in 2014.
The shrine for Blessed Miriam Teresa is housed in the Motherhouse Chapel of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in Convent Station, where a Mass in her honor will take place on her feast day, May 8.
The Mass will be held in the Holy Family Chapel at 11 a.m. The public is also welcome to visit Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich’s shrine, which was just reopened to the public following the pandemic.
Blessed Miriam has been recognized as a unifying force between the Eastern and Western Churches and a reminder that all individuals are called to pursue holiness.
Blessed Miriam was born in 1901 into an immigrant family belonging to the Byzantine-Ruthenian rite of the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed just five days after her birth and grew up immersed in the rich liturgies and traditions of the Eastern Church at Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church in Bayonne. Later, when her family moved, Miriam continued to attend daily Mass at St. Vincent’s Roman Catholic Church in Bayonne, where her faith continued to flourish.
Despite her desire to become a Carmelite sister and pursue a contemplative religious life, the Carmelites could not accept her due to her poor eyesight. After attending the College of Saint Elizabeth (presently known as Saint Elizabeth University) in Convent Station from 1919-1923 and graduating with the highest honors in literature, she joined the Sisters of Charity. She taught English literature at the Academy of Saint Elizabeth beginning in 1925.
Miriam had some profound religious experiences. According to Miriam, the Blessed Mother appeared to her when she was a college student, and the “Little Flower” appeared to walk with her when she was a novice.
From as early as three years of age, she is said to have understood the Holy Trinity.
At the request of a priest who was her spiritual mentor she wrote talks on spiritual growth for the sisters. The talks were later published under the title “Greater Perfection.”
Before being able to make her final vows, Sister Miriam encountered severe health problems. Her priest and confessor, Father Benedict Bradley, received her vows while she was on her deathbed at the age of 26.
After her death, her family and friends, recognizing her holiness, began to pray to her and received many favors in response, according to the Sisters.
In 1963, after prayers to Sister Miriam by family, faculty, and students at Saint Anastasia School in Teaneck, a 9-year-old boy was instantly cured of bilateral macular degeneration. This is a disease of the eyes that was declared medically incurable.
The Diocese of Paterson initiated the canonization process in 1945.
Pope Francis accepted the findings of a lengthy investigation in December 2013, which included the miracle of the Teaneck boy, leading to the declaration of Blessed Miriam Teresa on Oct. 4, 2014. The Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark hosted a celebratory ceremony, marking the first beatification ceremony in the United States. This event was celebrated by both the Roman Catholics and the Byzantine Catholic Churches.
In order to be recognized as a saint, a miracle must be attributed to prayers for the intercession of the holy person. This miracle should be spontaneous, irreversible, and occur without medical treatment following prayer for the designated individual’s intercession.
“This is hard today,” Sister Corcoran said. “Even with prayers to her and a miraculous recovery, most have sought medical treatment.”
The faithful are asked to pray the Blessed Miriam Demjanovich prayer on May 8.
Almighty and eternal God, who called the virgin Blessed Miriam Teresa to the height of charity
on earth to prepare her for eternal Life in heaven, make us, strengthened by her intercession,
imitate her humility, so as to arrive at the same perfection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readers who know of a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Miriam are asked to notify The Blessed Miriam Teresa League of Prayer at P.O. Box 476, Convent Station, N.J. 07961 or 973-290-5315.
The Blessed Miriam Teresa Shrine in the Motherhouse Chapel is by appointment only. To find out more and to download a prayer card visit www.scnj.org/blessed-miriam-teresa.
