On October 15, 2023,Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens announced the first steps being taken that could open the cause for the canonization of Sister Annella Zervas, OSB.
Sr. Annella joined the Order of St. Benedict in St. Joseph at the age of 15, in 1915. She made her perpetual vows seven years later in 1922. She worked as a music teacher at St. Mary's School in Bismark, North Dakota. In 1924, she developed a debilitating skin disease called pityriasis rubra pilaris. There was no medical treatment at the time for the disease that caused her skin to ooze, burn and fall off. She died at the age of 26, on August 14, 1926 at her family's home in Moorhead, MN. She is buried at the St. Benedict Monastery cemetery in St. Joseph, MN.
A Minnesota man named Patrick Norton says he saw a nun appear to him when he was painting a light post near the cemetery in 2010 in front of Our Lady's grotto. Watch an interview with Patrick where he tells the story here: The Sanctity of Two Hearts. He later identified her as Sr. Annella from photos he found at the cemetery.
Read the article from Catholic News Agency here: Minnesota bishop issues letter about steps needed for Sister Annella Zervas' cause
Find out more about her cause with the Crookston Diocese visit this website.
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