January 14, 1934: Joan Antida was proclaimed a saint.
“The Lord has a dream for each of our lives. Let us carry it out with joy!
Are you called to the consecrated life? Then be holy by living out your commitment with joy.
Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church.
Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your
brothers and sisters, by fighting for justice for your comrades, so that they do not remain without work, so that they always receive a just wage.Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus.
Tell me, are you in a position of authority? Then be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.
This is the path of holiness, and it is so simple! To see Jesus always in others.
(Pope Francis, May 22, 2022)
Toward canonization: the miracles through the intercession of Joan Antide.
On May 23, 1926, the beatification of the Venerable Joan Antide was being celebrated in St. Peter’s.
Sister Paola Alieri had been confined to a wheelchair for a severe heart failure for some time. The nuns were gathered in the chapel to give glory to God for their Foundress, the new Blessed. Suddenly, Sister Paola Alieri rises and leaves the wheelchair forever. Her very weak heart has convincingly resumed beating, full of tenderness and concern for the poor and the suffering.
The following year, Sister Cecilia Pastena was instantly cured of a severe ear infection, which was then incurable. She had entrusted her deafness to Blessed Joan Antide, in order to be able to listen to the voice of God and the voice of the last again.
Two miracles attested by the Vatican’s medical commission that led to the canonization of Mother Thouret.
Two miracles for which we also ask the intercession of Joan Antide Thouret: sensitive ears and a courageous heart.
After canonization: the statue inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica a 5-meter statue is dedicated to the saint, placed since 1949 in the right east transept, penultimate niche.
The famous sculptor Quadrini shaped the statue from a block of marble weighing 16 tons.
Joan Antide,
declared a saint at the opening of the calendar year,
in January 14,
remind us that the days given to us by Providence are
to give ourselves to God with generosity,
to be companions on the journey with those who struggle or lag behind,
to live with the Church,
to feel like citizens of the world.
Amen
