Ruth Pakaluk, a woman who lived in Worcester for decades, will have her life investigated to determine whether she qualifies for canonization.
Pakaluk was a mother who attended St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester, according to a website chronicling her life and work. She was an anti-abortion advocate who also campaigned against the implementation of a sex education curriculum in Worcester Public Schools in 1992. She also founded the Worcester-based chapter of the pro-life group: Massachusetts Citizens for Life.
In 1998, Pakaluk died of breast cancer, according to the website. She was 41 years old.
Pakaluk was officially elevated to the status of Servant of God, the first step required for someone to become a saint, according to Raymond Delisle, the communications director for the Worcester Diocese.
The Vatican sent a letter to the diocese this month notifying Pakaluk’s supporters that the church saw no obstacles that would hinder the pursuit of her canonization, Delisle confirmed.
While the first step to sainthood has been taken, Delisle notes that it could be years before Pakaluk is deemed worthy of canonization.
“It took years for even Mother Teresa to be a saint,” Delisle told MassLive. “I mean, sometimes these causes can take 100 years, 20 years, you never know.”
The next step for Pakaluk is for her to be deemed as venerable, someone who has lived a life of heroic virtue, Delisle said.
A committee with standing at the Vatican will need to be formed to conduct research into Pakaluk’s life and will have to make the case to the Vatican that she was venerable.
If she is deemed as venerable, the next step towards canonization is for the Vatican to investigate and verify if Pakaluk performed a miracle after her death. The miracle has to come through the intercession of someone on her behalf. If the miracle is verified, Pakaluk would receive the title of “blessed.” If a second miracle is verified, then she can be declared saint.
Pakaluk isn’t the only Worcester resident who has been declared a Servant of God, according to Delisle.
Audrey Santo, a girl who was left in a vegetative state following a near-drowning accident, was given the title but has not been deemed as venerable, Delisle said. Santo died in 2007 at the age of 23.
There have been miracle claims associated with Santo, with believers saying they were healed from their sickness thanks to her intervention, according to the Telegram & Gazette’s obituary of Santo.
