The miracle for the beatification of the Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa
Pope Francis authorised Cardinal Angelo Amato, SDB, Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate decrees regarding the beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Celeste Crostarosa.
The miracle for the beatification of the Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa
Pope Francis authorised Cardinal Angelo Amato, SDB, Prefect for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate decrees regarding the beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Celeste Crostarosa.
The miracle attributed to her intercession is described below:
Sister Maria Celeste (in secular life: Anna Maria) Lagonigro, from when she was 7-8 years old, suffered from otalgia (ear pain), recurrent otorrhea (ear drainage) and rhinorrhea (discharge of mucus from the nose), which, in the description of the treating physician, Dr. Elia Albanese, was diagnosed as: chronic purulent otitis media, with a perforation of the tympanic membrane and hypoacusia (hearing loss),with tubo-tympanic phlegm and chronic rhino-pharyngo-tracheitis. The disease evolved for about 10 years with a succession of phases of exacerbations and phases of quiescence and was accompanied by a worsening hypoacusia (hearing loss). During this period she was treated with a medical therapy which did not produce a radical capacity for improvement, but only determined the “extinguishing” of the exacerbation phase and did not stop the chronic degenerative inflammatory process. The patient complained of otalgia (ear pain) and often fever, followed by a secretion from her ears similar to the secretion from her nasal passages.
Sr. Maria Celeste’s illness was certainly debilitating, even if this did not imply a poor prognosis. From the age of 7-8, up to age 17-18, the patient regularly had to deal with a painful set of symptoms and a functional hearing loss. A family friend said for example: “Sr. M. Celeste Lagonigro, right from when she was a child, began to suffer from hearing problems, especially in her left ear. I remember very clearly that the poor child always had to carry a handkerchief in her hand to wipe her nose and ear, since her ear discharged pus and mucus came from her nose, and if I wanted her to hear me, I found out that it was much better to direct my voice to her left ear. The result was that Anna Maria came to be under the care of Dr. Elia Albanese and her illness was called chronic purulent otitis”.
The medical care practised, especially in the acute phases, although partially adequate, was always aimed at avoiding the need of surgery.
September 13th 1955, on the occasion of the celebrations for the second centenary of the death of the Ven. Servant of God, Maria Celeste Crostarosa, the patient was brought by one of her fellow Sisters to the remains of the Ven Servant of God and encouraged to rest her head, on the side with her diseased ear, on the breast of the Foundress. All of a sudden, as Sister Lagonigro testified, the pain and the otorrhea disappeared and her hearing returned. Subsequent inspections carried out by several different specialists and micro-otoscopic examinations demonstrated the following in the left ear: a small area of atrophied scarring on the posterior inferior quadrant and a scarcely perceptible linear scar on the anterior inferior quadrant; in the right ear: a frayed calcified patch on the lower anterior quadrant and an oval-shaped area of previous perforation healed up, in the posterior inferior quadrant. Both an audiometric test and a bio-impedance analysis detected a modest neuro-sensorial deficit and perfect functioning of the tympano-ossicular complex. The results of the tympanogram demonstrated that at the moment of the examination disturbances of the tubal function were not present.
As is known, Sister Maria Celeste Lagonigro’s illness began when she was still living in her parents’ home and it continued after her entry into the convent, at the Monastery of the Most Holy Saviour of the Redemptoristine Nuns of Foggia, founded by the Venerable Servant of God, Maria Celeste Crostarosa. A few days after her clothing, which took place on the 8th September 1955, she was to celebrate the bicentenary of the death of the Venerable Servant of God, on the 14th September 1955. For the occasion, the body of the Foundress was brought from the Church of St. Dominic into the Convent and was placed in the Chapter room. At about the hour of 7 p.m. on 13th September, the whole religious community of the Redemptoristine Sisters assembled around the remains of their Foundress, including the Sister who was still suffering her illness. Sister Maria Celeste Lagonigro has always invoked the help of the Mother Foundress and on that day, she recommended herself again to the Ven. Servant of God, to obtain from the Lord the grace of healing. She was accompanied in her prayers by the other Sisters, who addressed the same invocation to their Foundress. One of her fellow Sisters, prompted by her profound faith, dragged the sick Sister to the Ven. Servant of God’s casket and made her place her sick ear and her whole head on the Ven. Foundress’ breast. This is how Sr. Lagonigro tells us what happened: “For my state of illness, many prayers had been addressed to the Ven. Mother Crostarosa, both by me and my mother, and also by my fellow Sisters.
On the 13th September 1955, at 7 o’clock in evening, after the canonical recognition of the remains of the Venerable Crostarosa in the Chapter room of the monastery, where I had been admitted while still a novice, and the two postulants, Sr. M. Angela and Sr. M. Paula, I found myself unexpectedly taken by the arm by the Sister Infirmarian and housekeeper of the monastery, St. M. Giovanna Arbore, who made me place my head on the breast of the Venerable Mother before the casket was closed and sealed. At the same instant in which my head touched the body of the Venerable Mother, I noticed a great wellbeing and at that moment heard the voices of the Sisters present in the Chapter room. Immediately I was convinced I had received a miracle. (…) The following morning, 14th September, the day of the centenary of the death of the Venerable Mother, I got up with my ears completely dry and healed. I heard the sound of the bell perfectly when it rang to wake up the community, while beforehand, every morning one of the Sisters had to come and shake me and wake me up. Since then I have suffered no more otitis, not even when I was affected by colds and ‘flu”.
Her family members and her fellow Sisters unanimously confirm her account.
The medical consultants, on 19th February 2015, have unanimously confirmed the immediate, complete and lasting healing of the patient, which is scientifically inexplicable.
The Congress of Theologians expressed the same positive and unanimous opinion in regard to the intercession of the Ven. Crostarosa, on 9th June 2015.
The Ordinary Congregation of Cardinals and Bishops, on 3rd November last, have agreed unanimously with the Theologians Consultors and the Medical Experts, expressing an affirmative opinion.
On 14th December, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the Decree regarding the miracle of the Ven. Maria Celeste Crostarosa, opening the way to the celebration of the rite of Beatification, which will be held in Foggia on 18th June 2016.
Fr. Antonio Marrazzo. C.Ss.R