After M. Caterina's death, on 6 May 1887 when she was 74 years old, a large crowd took part in the stately funerals and the Muslims said "Our mother is dead, the Saint is dead". Nevertheless her fame of holiness manifested before her death. Sister M. Scolastica Soldati writes about her:
She had the gift of prophecy and miracles. In 1865 the community of Santa Chiara della Carità in Ferentino disengaged from the commitment of the Egyptian mission and Madre Caterina suffered a lot for this choice. She was resigned to God’s will and she predicted that one day the community would have rejoined her mission. This happened thirty years after, in 1895. She predicted the future and she could also heal the infirms. In May 1884, after the Vesper, I was out of the chorus talking with M. Caterina about my daily duties, when the cloakroom attendant of Lady La Hedive, Mrs Jeanne, arrived out of breath. She was crying and she shouted: "Mother, Mother abbess, give me something that belongs to you, something I could put on my husband's eyes that is losing sight for a terrible ophthalmia. The doctor doesn’t know what to do anymore: please, give it to me. “Wretched lady, what could I do'' said the Mother. So I suggested trusting: “Give her one of your handkerchiefs”. Suddenly the Mother withdrew to pray in her room, she took a handkerchief and she gave it to the woman; she ran to lay it on her husband’s eyes confidently. After less than an hour she came back yelling joyfully: “Mother, Mother my husband recovered perfectly. Thank you!”. Mother Caterina was so glad: she didn’t award herself for the miracle, but the woman’s faith and God’s goodness. (Positio 1962, Ad 47 interr., proc. fol. 85 terg)
A popular feeling proclaimed her saint while she was still alive, for all the graces obtained for her intercession. Anyway the miracles weren’t the reason for her holiness, it was for her proper behaviour; her existence was a living miracle of God.
She was buried in the Latin cemetery in Cairo. Both, Christians and Muslims, felt sorry for this loss. Her body remained in the Clot-Bay abbey until 3rd November 1967. Since that day it has rested in the church “Cuore Immacolato di Maria”, next to the convent.
The cause for her beatification started in 1937 and it was introduced by her faim of holiness, from the esteem received from the Egyptian authorities, the diplomats and the European governments and from the goodwill that the two popes Pio IX and Leone XIII showed to M. Caterina and her sisters.
Pope Giovanni Paolo II beatified her on 14 April 1985
Spoglie della Beata
Morte_Madre3x.jpg
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/Morte_Madre3x.jpg
57Traslazione0.5x.jpg
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/57Traslazione0.5x.jpg
unnamed.jpg
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/unnamed.jpg
IMG.jpg
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/IMG.jpg
spoglie.jpg
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/spoglie.jpg
P1030498.JPG
https://www.francescanedegitto.org/images/Beatificazione/P1030498.JPG
