By Courtney Mares
Vatican City, Jan 13, 2025 / 11:50 am
The beatification cause of Sister Clare Crockett, an inspirational young Irish religious sister who died in 2016, formally opened Sunday with a ceremony at the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid, Spain.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the diocesan phase of the process, in which an elected tribunal will investigate her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness.
Crockett, who died in a 2016 earthquake in Ecuador at the age of 33, is now titled “servant of God,” the first step in the Catholic Church’s path to sainthood.
More than 100 people traveled from her hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, to attend the event, including Bishop Donal McKeown. South American Cardinal Fernando Chomalí Garib, the archbishop of Santiago de Chile, also attended.
In Derry, approximately 500 people gathered at a movie theater to watch the ceremony broadcast live.
“The people of Derry are so proud of her,” McKeown told The Irish News. Crockett’s story “is a very striking example of someone who had a conversion experience and dedicated their life to Jesus.”
Crockett was born on Nov. 14, 1982, in Derry. As a charismatic and fun-loving teenager, she had a gift for acting and was contracted to present a television show on Channel 4 in the U.K., attracting interest from Nickelodeon.
Imagine a young girl, partying, drinking, and smoking in her early teens. That was the life of a girl who would later become Sister Clare Crockett.
Her life took a drastic turn when she attended a Holy Week retreat in Spain at the age of 17 with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, a community known for its focus on the Eucharist, Marian spirituality, and youth outreach.
Reflecting on her experience in Spain, Sister Clare shared in her personal testimony that she was once “very superficial and a wild child.” However, everything changed when she participated in the Good Friday adoration of the cross and kissed the feet of Jesus.
She described feeling a profound change within her, a realization that the Lord was on the cross for her. This moment marked the beginning of her journey of conversion and healing, eventually leading her to join the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother.
Despite the challenges of leaving behind her old life, Sister Clare entered religious life in 2001 in Spain, taking her first vows in 2006 and her final vows in 2010. Known for her infectious joy and selfless dedication to others, she served in Spain, the United States, and Ecuador.
Tragically, Sister Clare passed away on April 16, 2016, during a devastating earthquake that struck the school in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, where she was teaching music. Her legacy of faith, transformation, and service continues to inspire many around the world.
