The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recognizes a 13-year-old Filipino girl Niña Ruiz-Abad, as a possible candidate for sainthood. Receiving approval from “a bishop at an episcopal conference in the Diocese of Kalibo,” the organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines looks to formally investigate her background before her 30th death anniversary come August 2023.
Youtube: INQUIRER.net
Diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy–a fatal heart disease at the age of 10, the teenager exhibited “unusual” behaviors for her age, devoting her youth to “distributing rosaries, Bibles, prayer books, holy images, and other religious items.”
The Quezon City-turned-Sarrat, Ilocos Norte resident performed exceptionally well inside the classroom, recognized as the top performing pupil in her grade school class, before transferring to the College of the Holy Spirit in Quezon City in her second year of high school due to her mother's work assignment. Ruiz-Abad suffered a heart attack while at school on August 16 of the same year, where she, unfortunately, passed after arrival at the hospital.
Recognized for the rosary dangling around her neck paired with white dresses, Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag, Ilocos Norte bore witness to her short-lived existence, as she poses as an ideal example of “piety and perseverance” amongst the youth. With the approval from the CBCP, her road to canonization begins, possibly spanning years before she is distinguished as “Venerable,” then “Blessed,” and then “Saint” from Rome.
