New procurator for Delille cause
By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald
It has been 13 years since Mother Henriette Delille, the free woman of color who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1842 in New Orleans to teach and care for the enslaved, the poor and the elderly, was declared “venerable” by the Catholic Church.
In order for Venerable Henriette to take the next step to beatification, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints would have to certify to the pope that a miraculous healing has occurred through her intercession.
And, now, the Sisters of the Holy Family have enlisted an experienced Roman “procurator” – Dr. Waldery Hilgeman – to present such a case to Vatican officials.
Little Rock case
The tribunal of the Diocese of Little Rock is investigating the medically unexplained healing of a young woman who was seriously ill in 2018 when she was admitted to a small, rural hospital and then later transferred to a larger hospital in Little Rock.
“Our main task right now is to confirm the alleged miracle from Little Rock,” said Sister Sylvia Thibodeaux, head of the Henriette Delille Commission Office. “We’re working with the family and working with the judicial vicar, Father (Gregory) Luyet, and with Bishop (Anthony) Taylor.
“We need the records of the actual tests from when she was first admitted. They did tests on her brain because she was in a deep coma and remained in that coma for several days. Those are the only records that have to be located, so we’re working on that.”
Sister Sylvia said the prayers for the intercession of Mother Henriette on the woman’s behalf began almost immediately “when they discovered how sick she was.”
“The family began praying, and we know that because it’s a family that the sisters know, and they were familiar with Mother Delille’s story,” Sister Sylvia said. “The whole family started praying, and they also sent the information to the community.”
Fruitful trip to Rome
Sister Sylvia and historian Dr. Virginia Gould traveled to Rome in January to meet Hilgeman, who had been recommended by Cardinal Peter Turkson because of his credentials and his current work in promoting other sainthood causes.
On June 22, Mother Lange’s canonization cause advanced to the next stage when Pope Francis approved the promulgation of a decree recognizing that she heroically lived according to Christian virtues. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints declared her “Venerable” Mary Lange.
“Dr. Hilgeman is their postulator, so that speaks well of him,” Sister Sylvia said.
Cardinal’s recommendation
During a visit to New Orleans last fall, Cardinal Turkson visited the sisters’ motherhouse on Chef Menteur Highway. They asked if he might suggest a successor for their postulator, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, who had retired in 2020 after nearly two decades working with the cause.
“We told Cardinal Turkson that we had been without a postulator for nearly three years, so he told us he would recommend someone,” Sister Sylvia said. “He told us how the process would work and that we should come to Rome. The cardinal knows Dr. Hilgeman personally. Dr. Hilgeman also has the cause of Cardinal Otunga from Kenya. He’s got 15 years of experience with the dicastery. He’s in his 40s, and he speaks English fluently.
“He’s also a canon lawyer and a civil lawyer with experience in research. We thought he was a good fit. He’s very enthusiastic about Mother Delille’s cause and was privileged to be invited.”
Sister Sylvia said Hilgeman was impressed with Venerable Henriette’s history – how she was teaching the enslaved at a time in pre-Civil War New Orleans when it was against the law to do so.
“He also has an understanding of slavery,” she said. “His mother is Brazilian and his father is Dutch, and he told us, coming from Brazil and having lived there, he has an understanding of slavery. It’s important because, to understand Mother Delille’s story, you have to understand slavery in America.”
Hopeful, energized
Sister Sylvia said she is enthusiastic that the cause continues to move forward, and she was energized by her trip to Rome.
“What we went for, we achieved, and that was to hire a responsible, experienced postulator who could stay with the cause for a while, who seems very interested and has the ability to take the cause to the next level ” she said. “He appears to have a deep faith for a young person in today’s world, which was very impressive. He’s not in it for the money. He immediately told us, he didn’t know the situation of our community. He would let us make him an offer. We think it’s a good sign to get a postulator who is at that level.”
Sister Alicia Costa, congregational leader, said she hopes the new postulator will bring new momentum to the cause.
“We want her canonized, but we know it’s a long process,” Sister Alicia said.
pfinney@clarionherald.org
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