On Sunday, 13 October, Cardinal John Henry Newman and four faithful women were declared Saints. When speaking at the Mass of canonisation, Pope Francis reminded us that Saints are people who recognised their need for God’s help, who took risks to discover God’s will and to help others and who nurtured a habit of thanksgiving.

It is important to remember that we are all saints in the making and how we live our Christian lives matters.  During the Mass Pope Francis, quoted Cardinal Newman:  “The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world does not. The Christian is cheerful, easy, kind, gentle, courteous, candid, unassuming; has no pretence ...with so little that is unusual or striking in his/her bearing, that he/she may easily be taken at first sight for an ordinary person”.  Referring to Cardinal Newman's famous hymn "Lead, Kindly Light," the Pope prayed that all Christians “would be kindly lights amid the encircling gloom”.Let us ask God to help us be those “kindly lights”.

The four women who were canonised were: 

Mother Mariam Thresia (1876-1926) was an Indian mystic and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family. Mother Thresia cared for the poor, sick, and dying in Kerala, visiting those with leprosy and measles. She also preached to the poor and the rich alike the importance of happy, healthy families to uplift all of society. In 1914 Thresia founded the Congregation of the Holy Family, which has grown to have 176 houses around the world with 1,500 professed sisters.

Marguerite Bays This 19th century Swiss laywoman and stigmatist, who dedicated her life to prayer and service to her parish community without marrying or entering a religious community. As a Third Order Franciscan, she lived a simple life as a dressmaker and carried out a lay apostolate as a catechist.

Mother Giuseppina Vannini  A 19th century religious sister from Rome known for founding the congregation of the Daughters of St. Camillus dedicated to serving the sick and suffering. She is the first Roman woman to be canonized in more than 400 years, according to ACI Stampa.

Sister Dulce Lopes  This Brazilian sister was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. Born as Maria Rita Lopes in 1914 in Salvador de Bahia, Lopes began inviting the elderly and those in need into her home at the age of 16. Two years later she joined the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God.

In 1959, she founded the Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce, which grew into largest charitable organization in Brazil providing healthcare, welfare, and education services. Today the foundation includes Roma teaching hospital in Bahia and the Santo Antonio Educational Center which provides free education to 800 children living in extreme poverty.