Vatican approves inquiry for Beatification and Canonization of Filipina Laureana 'Ka Luring' Franco

The Vatican has approved the inquiry into the life of Laureana 'Ka Luring' Franco, a Filipino lay catechist who left her job at the Philippine Air Force to become a full-time, unpaid catechist.

Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara announced that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints issued the "nihil obstat"—Latin for "nothing stands in the way"—for Franco's cause for beatification and canonization.

"The apostolic nuncio, Abp. Charles Brown, and his secretary, Msgr. Giuseppe Trentadue handed me the ‘nihil obstat’ from Rome for the cause of beatification and canonization of Servant of God Laureana ‘Ka Luring’ Franco," Vergara stated in a social media post on Wednesday, July 10.

The path to sainthood is often based on miracles attributed to the candidate after their death. Erickson S. Javier, the postulator for Franco's cause, shared with GMA News that some Catholics have reported miracles associated with Franco.

One notable case involves a person in the UK who awoke from a coma after 10 days following prayers at Franco's grave. Another case involves a person who recovered from a heart attack after praying at her grave.

Franco worked as a telephone switchboard operator at the Philippine Air Force in the 1960s. In 1969, she left her job, joined the Legion of Mary, and became a full-time catechist without pay.

She was also the first female lay minister in the Archdiocese of Manila and one of only two women authorized to distribute Holy Communion.

Franco, a catechist from Taguig, received the Papal Award - Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice - from John Paul II in December 1990 and the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Award in 2002.

She was the eldest of eight children and died of ovarian cancer in 2011 at the age of 75.

The Pasig Diocese, which includes Taguig, announced Franco's cause for sainthood in February 2024.

Bishop Vergara has requested prayers for the success of her sainthood cause.