The Vatican has given the green light for an inquiry into the cause for sainthood of Laureana Franco, a Filipina lay catechist known as “Ka Luring.” Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara announced on Wednesday that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has granted the “nihil obstat,” indicating that nothing stands in the way of her beatification and canonization process.
Archbishop Charles John Brown, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, delivered the dicastery’s decision to Bishop Vergara.
Ka Luring, originally from Hagonoy in Taguig, left her job at the Philippine Air Force to dedicate her life to catechism, serving in various public schools. Notably, she was the first female lay minister in the Archdiocese of Manila, before Taguig became part of the Diocese of Pasig in 2003.
Despite her initial attempt to become a nun being thwarted by health issues, Ka Luring’s dedication to the church never wavered. In 1990, she was honored with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, the highest papal recognition awarded to a layperson. She passed away in 2011 after a battle with cancer.
“May I ask for your unceasing prayers as we do the next steps required by the dicastery,” Bishop Vergara said, emphasizing the lengthy process ahead.
The path to sainthood is extensive, involving rigorous examinations by theologians, bishops, and cardinals after the diocesan phase. If deemed valid, the cause is presented to the pope, who may declare the individual “venerable.” Beatification requires a miracle attributed to the individual unless they were martyred for their faith. Canonization, the final step, necessitates an additional miracle.