Vatican approves inquiry for Pinay teen’s sainthood

MANILA, Philippines — A diocesan inquiry into the sainthood cause of Filipino teenager Nina Ruiz-Abad, who died at the age of 13 in 1993, has been permitted by the Vatican.

The Diocese of Laoag in Ilocos Norte will commence a local inquiry into the reputation and sanctity of Abad.

Laoag Bishop Renato Mayugba will initiate the diocesan process and commence with its inquiry.

“Lætare! (Rejoice!) to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the diocese, as the Vatican judged that nothing stands in the way of the diocesan inquiry into the life of sanctity and heroic virtues of the ‘Servant of God,’” Mayugba said in a circular yesterday.

Mayugba submitted a detailed biography of the candidate to the Vatican dicastery and petitioned for permission to begin his investigation.

He did this after securing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ support during its plenary assembly in July 2023.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted a “nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way),” which is one of the stages in the preliminary phase of a cause.

The beatification and canonization cause of Abad would officially open on April 7 or Divine Mercy Sunday, Mayugba noted.

The session at the St. William’s Cathedral Church in Laoag will be open for the public to witness.

Abad, a young girl from Sarrat, was described as having a strong devotion to the Eucharist and devoted her life to distributing rosaries, bibles, prayer books, holy images and other religious items.

Abad died at the age of 13 on Aug. 16, 1993 from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an incurable cardiac disease.