Holiness and beatification

Logo officiel pour la béatification du Père Marie-EugèneRecognition of a saintly life

The witnesses get involved

After his death, Fr. Marie-Eugène continues to pursue his mission. Recognizing his holiness of life, the people of God invoke his aid for all sorts of reasons. Numerous testimonies have been sent to Notre-Dame de Vie Institute. At the same time, his teaching on the life of prayer and of active involvement in the world continues to be spread widely.

In 1983, the Father General of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, who was present for the beatification of Raphael Kalinowski in Poland, encouraged the general responsibles of Notre-Dame de Vie Institute to ask that the cause of canonization of Fr. Marie-Eugène be opened.

The inquiry is opened

Given his reputation of sanctity, his Cause of Beatification and of Canonization was opened in 1985 by Abp. Raymond Bouchex, Archbishop of Avignon who formed an ecclesiastical tribunal and a commission of experts. 25,000 pages of documents and of testimonies were sent in 1994 to Rome, to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints. The latter then undertook to write a Positio presenting a well-documented biography and all the elements needed to judge the heroic virtues (theological and cardinal virtues, and annexes), i.e., of the sanctity of Fr. Marie-Eugène. This Positio on the heroic virtues was finished in 2000.
The Theologian Consultors, after their discussion to ascertain if the Servant of God had praticed the Christian virtues in heroic fashion, arrived at a positive conclusion.

 

Yes, he lived a heroic life

On 19 December 2011, Pope Benedict XVI pronounced favorably on the heroic virtues of Fr. Marie-Eugène, who was then declared Venerable.

For a Venerable to be declared Blessed, he must accomplish a miracle recognized by the Church. Several scientifically inexplicable cures were presented to the postulation. One of them was retained: :

From an “inexplicable cure”

to the recognition of a miracle

A deteriorating situation

It’s about a child. This infant was born with large cysts. When he was 11 days old, he was operated on, and at 2 weeks old, he again underwent an emergency operation. Several days later, the surgeon noticed a major leak coming from a wound in the thoracic canal. The infant was seriously malnourished (3.200 kg, at 28 days). The doctors were worried: the infant’s life was in danger.

The call for heavenly help

The mother noted in her diary: “We need a miracle.” It is this miracle that the infant’s great aunt implored through the intercession of Fr. Marie-Eugène, the day she received a letter from the parents telling her that the situation was hopeless.

The unbelievable cure

Now, it was precisely on that day when, inexplicably and without any previous sign of improvement, the leak, which had not ceased till then, suddenly stopped. The mother wrote on that same day: “The miracle took place today.” The following day, the doctors certified that the infant was truly cured. He began to take on weight, “like a plane taking off”, according to the doctors. Three days after, he could return home. Since then, he enjoys perfect health.

Venerable Fr. Marie-Eugène can be declared Blessed

Two inquiries are needed: one on the life of the Servant of God, and the other on a possible miracle.
In front of the positive result of these two inquiries and the relevance of the message nurtured and transmitted by Venerable Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus, Pope Francis authorized his beatification. This decision was officially communicated on March 4, 2016.
In celebrating his beatification on November 19, 2016, the Church offers to a greater number of people the possibility of getting to know him and to benefit from his witness. It encourages us to confide our intentions to his prayer.
The Blessed thus carries on his mission, coming to the encounter with those seeking meaning in life, those who are seeking God.
Making him known more widely in his double dimension as Father and Spiritual Master contributes also in helping him to accomplish his mission in the Church
.

Towards the canonization?