Is a four year old too too young to be a saint? No, and there are innumerably more saints in heaven than have been canonized...
Pray for us, Nellie.From Theotokos.org:
Exquisite Miniature: Nellie Organ, 1903-1908
Book Review from Family Roundup, the magazine of the National Association of Catholic Families, October- December 2011, page 17 (http://www.cfnews.org.uk/)
Exquisite Miniature, by Leo Madigan, is the story of Ellen (‘Nellie’) Organ. Nellie was born in Ireland in 1903; her father was a member of the Royal Artillery and her devout mother, a tertiary of St Francis. At the feet of her mother, she quickly developed a deep love for our heavenly father, whom she referred to as ‘Holy ‘God’.
Losing her mother to tuberculosis at two years old, and her father unable to raise the children, Nellie was sent to an orphanage in Sunday’s Well. Here, it was discovered that Nellie herself was in very poor health. She had severe dental caries that was destroying her jaw, a painful deformity of the spine, and had also contracted tuberculosis.
Her story is inspirational in that it shows such a deep faith, despite her young age, in the goodness of God. She seemed to understand redemptive suffering and was deeply loved in the convent, becoming widely known in the surrounding community as a child of remarkable faith and piety. Nellie Organ died in 1908 at the age of four.
She exhibited such a longing for our Lord in the Eucharist and such a deep faith that she was able to receive the sacrament of confirmation and receive the Eucharist several times before she died. There seemed to be no doubt among those who knew her that they were in the presence of a saint.
This is a beautiful story of a soul deep in love with God, one which made such an impact on all who knew her despite her short life.
When asked what Holy Communion was, [Nellie] said ‘Holy communion is Holy God I receive him on my tongue and He goes down into heart and makes me, the nuns and the other children holy.’
Mo "Worse" Dowdy could learn a few things from this four year old.
On the strength of that answer, the Bishop allowed Nellie, though barely four years old, to receive the Sacrament. Shortly after her death, Pope Pius X lowered the age of First Communions, citing Nellie as his inspiration.
Leo Madigan is a New Zealander who has lived for many years in Fatima, Portugal. He has written a number of books on the Fatima apparitions and shrine.
*Huh? Look here.
No comments:
Post a Comment