The family of Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, an Irish nun recognized for founding the Carmelite Order for the Elderly and Infirm, is hoping that Pope Leo XIV will further her long-standing pursuit of sainthood.
Mother Angeline, who is credited with two miracles involving the healing of sick children, passed away on January 21, 1984, right on her 91st birthday.
She established the order back in 1929 in north Germantown, aiming to create a nurturing environment where elderly individuals, regardless of their financial situation, could live with dignity.
In 2012, Pope Benedict had already been involved in her cause.
Currently, her canonization case is with Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago.
“What could be more fitting than for an American pope to make her a saint?” remarked her grandmother, Katie McCrory.
“She had European ideals and everything, spoke French, and was quite cultured, yet her influence was mainly in America,” she added.
Father Mario Esposito, who is overseeing the beatification and canonization efforts for Mother Angeline, noted that the Pope could take her cause to heart, especially given his recent emphasis on elderly care.
“He’s American, so he likely understands medical issues better. Catholic health care in the U.S. is crucial. Carmelite nuns have been leading the charge against physician-assisted suicide,” he explained.
“I think these issues resonate with him, particularly regarding the care of the elderly,” he added.
For McCrory to reach sainthood, her next step is beatification, which requires evidence of a single miracle.
Her life story mentions two miraculous events linked to her intercession, but the Vatican feels that the lack of sufficient medical records doesn’t support either claim convincingly.
Esposito recounted a case from the early 2000s where a young child with encephalitis exhibited very limited verbal skills and physical activity. After being taken to Mother Angeline’s grave in Germantown, the child began to laugh and showed vibrant energy.
“The family has maintained since then that he was never the same,” Esposito said. “Now she’s in her 20s, and doing wonderfully.”
Sadly, the initial medical records regarding the child’s condition were deemed inadequate for Vatican investigators to move forward.
In another incident, a mother was told that her fetus had achondroplasia, a genetic condition. After seeking Mother Angeline’s assistance, the child was born healthy and of normal stature. “When the baby came into the world, the doctor—an expert in that syndrome—said he’d never seen anything like it,” Esposito noted about the case.
However, the mother decided against genetic testing while pregnant, resulting in a lack of medical documentation to support the miracle claim.
McCrory originated from County Tyrone, Ireland, and spent her younger years in Scotland before training in Rome to join the Little Sisters of the Poor. She moved to the United States in 1915.
The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm currently operate, sponsor, or co-sponsor over 20 elder care facilities across the United States, including locations in New York, Florida, and the Pope’s home state of Illinois.
