Pasig diocese seeks possible sainthood of ‘Ka Luring’

MANILA, Philippines — The Diocese of Pasig has begun its inquiry that would seek to recognize the late catechist Laureana “Ka Luring” Franco as a new saint of the Catholic Church from the Philippines.

During a mass at the Minor Basilica and Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne in Taguig last Aug. 21, Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara “announced the establishment of a historical commission, tasked with examining Franco’s extensive written works and contributions to the Church,” according to an article in Vatican News, the official online news site of the Vatican.

In Vergara’s homily, he recalled how Franco – who died battling ovarian cancer in 2011 at the age of 75 – “inspired” him while he was a seminary formator, saying mass at the St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Barangay Hagonoy, Taguig where Franco worked as a volunteer catechist since the 1960s.

“I saw in her humility, diligence in serving as a catechist and a practice of poverty that is full of trust in God in her ministry,” Vergara said on CBCP News, the online news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The Vatican previously declared “nihil obstat” or no objection for the process of Franco’s beatification and canonization.