RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Sister Dulce, the first woman born in Brazil to become a saint, will be canonized on October 13th, 2019 at a celebration hosted by Pope Francis in the Vatican in Rome.
The information was released on Monday, July 1st, in a press conference held in Rome, the Vatican, and in the Bem-Aventurada Dulce dos Pobres Sanctuary in Salvador.
Born as Maria Rita de Souza Brito Lopes Pontes in 1914, she was known to Brazilian Catholics as simply Sister Dulce, the mother of the poor.
At an early age, Pontes would open her family’s modest house in Salvador to those in need of food and shelter. In 1933, she entered the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God and received the name of Sister Dulce, in honor of her mother.
In 1936, Sister Dulce founded the first Catholic workers’ organization in the state of Bahia and started a health clinic for poor workers. She opened a school for workers and their children in 1939.
The Vatican announced the canonization of Sister Dulce in May of this year, when a second miracle attributed to the nun, also known as “The Good Angel of Bahia,” was recognized by decree.
Dulce’s second miracle recognized by the Vatican results from a man who lived in Bahia being healed after being blind for 14 years. He took part in the press conference this Monday.
The miracle occurred after the man prayed to Sister Dulce to intercede for him on account of conjunctivitis shortly before going to bed. When he woke up the next day, the man had improved from his illness and could see again, according to the Archdiocese of Salvador.
The miracle intrigues doctors, because, even after seeing again, the man’s exams show damage that should hinder his sight.
In addition to these two recognized miracles, more than 10,000 other accounts made by faithful around the world are stored by the Sister Dulce Social Works (OSID) in Salvador. There are testimonies of cancer cure, overcoming drug addiction, getting a job, solving family debts and problems as well as surviving severe accidents.
The Vatican has four demands regarding the authenticity of grace until it is considered a miracle: to be preternatural (science cannot explain), immediate (happening immediately after prayer), lasting and complete.
After being hospitalized for 16 months due to a worsening of her respiratory problems, Sister Dulce died at the age of 77, on March 13, 1992, in Santo Antônio Convent, and she was buried at the Basilica of Our Lady of Conception. On 26 May 2000, her body was transferred to the Chapel of Santo Antônio Convent.
At the time of her death in 1992, Sister Dulce had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, had received two personal audiences with Pope John Paul II, and had, almost single-handedly, created one of the largest and most respected philanthropic organizations in Brazil.
Her work with the poor in Salvador, Bahia, made her a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic Church. In 2003, she was named Servant of God by Pope John Paul II. She is considered the most influential religious person in Brazil in the 20th century.
A new movie will be coming out in November in Portuguese about the life of Sister Dulce.