Possible first miracle for St. Nagatha

There is a reported possible first miracle for St. Nagatha! Yesterday, I blogged about St. Nagatha the Patron Saint of Nagging Wives.  In case you missed it, it was a piece about the beatification and canonization process for the fictional character Saint Nagatha. I intended it to be fun and only slightly educational, although I do stand by the general process and terms used.

Now I'm not the sharpest guy out there, but I did know enough to make sure that post was "cleared" by my wife. Just kidding. No, I'm not. I really did make sure I would not get in "trouble" first. Besides, she was the inspiration for the post. Well, I mean she gave me the idea by a question she asked.

Anyway, she doesn't always "play along", but yesterday she certainly did, and it's only fair that I share her retaliation with you.

After posting, I thought it would be a good idea for me to take my four year old daughter Monica out on some errands. I figured it would be a good way to get out and spend some quality daddy-daughter time.

First stop, Target, to exchange a backpack for my seven year old son Brandon. Brandon had picked out the backpack with his aunt on a special day they shared a few weeks ago.  He literally used it once, and he broke the zipper. Target had no problem with me making the exchange without a receipt. They just needed to see my driver's license.

Oh oh! I could not find it in my wallet. It was not in my van. I went back home and searched the other car, then the house. Nowhere! My wife Kendra told me to pray to St. Anthony, which I did. I remembered that I used it when I closed a bank account at Chase last Tuesday. They had it. Relief!

I sent a text to Kendra to say:

"Glad to have my license. NOT happy that Chase did not have the courtesy to call me for over a week."

She simply sent a picture in a reply text:

I replied:

"Made me smile."

Kendra replied again:

"I guess that's the first miracle for St. Nagatha."

Touche Kendra! I love it! Thanks for playing along.

St. Nagatha the Patron Saint of Nagging Wives

Is Saint Nagatha the patron saint of nagging wives? Before you head to New Advent, Google, or (eek) Wikipedia, this whole thing started with a question from my wife,

"Who is the patron saint of nagging wives?"

The past week had been quite draining on me as there were concerns about family in the path of Hurricane Isaac, and some even bigger spiritual and emotional storms. I have a bad habit of not eating well during such times, which is not really good for someone with a history of diabetes, and she was "lovingly nagging" (not my description) at me to take better care of myself. I guess I had that "husband mode" look on my face, provoking the question.

Saints and Silliness

Since I could not find a patron saint of nagging wives (shocker), I thought it would be fun to come up with one on my own, perhaps learning a little about the Catholic process of canonization along the way. I warn you though, that this is purely for fun and not intended to be real catechesis or anything like that. Thus, I present to you, Nagatha.

Virgin, Confessor, or Martyr?

First, we will have to distinguish whether Nagatha was a virgin, confessor or martyr since the process varies in the causes of each.

Assuming that Nagatha was a nagging wife herself, and having a consummated, Sacramental Marriage, let's eliminate the examination of her cause as a virgin.

Now, I know you're thinking I'm going to go for the martyr's cause since it's conceivable that Nagatha met an untimely demise due to her excessive nagging, but I'm leaning towards her husband being a good Catholic man who understands that Nagatha's irritability is truly the result of a caring heart, thus he calls on the Holy Spirit for the gift of Fortitude whenever violent images are aroused in his mind. (Love you Honey.)

So we will take up the cause for Nagatha as that of a confessor, not as in the confessor we visit in Reconciliation, but as in one whose life's example has shown heroic virtue in confessing the Christian Faith before the world.

I guess Nagatha's husband would either have been someone very influential wherein Nagatha would have had an exponential influence upon "the world" or Nagatha's nagging itself would have had to have been world-renown.

Nagatha's Cause Begins

We'll have to speed things up a bit, and you'll have to fill in some of the names and places and other particulars in your own head.

Ok, we'll need a Vice-Postulator to get things rolling with the Processus, handling the Informative Inquiries, instituting the Processes de Non Cultu (no public prayer), and Processiculi Diligentiarum, which is the examination of writings. I hope her husband kept all of those sticky notes and "honey do" lists.

The vice-postulator will get all of that to the Congregation of Rites, where it will see a portitor, some judges, maybe get translated, copied, given to a cardinal as relator of the cause (not to be confused with a Realtor) deputed by the pope. Somewhere along the way, Nagatha is declared "Servant of God" (bells, harps, and angelic voices singing, "Ahhhhhhh" please).

Some theologians get involved with re-working those sticky notes and lists, questions have to be answered, the cardinals of the CoR receive the positio 40 days (hmm) before the official review. If everything's ok, they issue a decree of or to (I'm confused) quod in causâ procedi possit ad ulteriora.

To Veneration and Beyond!

They do some debating and stuff and then if all goes well, they issue another decree and ask the pope to sign it. Very interesting to me is that the pope signs this decree in his baptismal name and not his pontifical name. It is at this point that Nagatha is given the title "Venerable" (more bells, harps, and angelic voices singing, "Ahhhhhhh" please).

They start looking for miracles, asking for the help of bishops in partibus, and an inchoative process is started to protect the ne pereant probationes.

While all of this is going on there are debates and discussions behind the scenes. At this point, I'm thinking I would have had less writing to do if Nagatha was a martyr. Only miracles which are attributed to Nagatha after she is declared venearble may be considered.

Super Virtutibus beats a holy cow any day

They continue looking at the miracles, proceeding with things such as more paperwork (super miraculis) to determine super virtutibus, employing the help of 2 physicians along the way, etc.  There "class" of proven miracles will determine how many are actually required.  After a single "first class" miracle is proven, or the correct formula needed for second, third, or fourth class miracles is reached (along with the corresponding processes of course), the pope will announce such.

There will be another meeting of the CoR where they will again debate, but thankfully "only once" to proceed with the solemnities of beatification.  The pope then issues a pontifical brief and our Nagatha is now Beatus or Blessed (even more bells, harps, and angelic voices singing, "Ahhhhhhh" please).

Fire the cannon...I mean Canon!

Nagatha's cause for sainthood now rests upon the proof and processes for the second miracle (or whatever the correct formula dependent upon class). Of course the CoR meet about all of this three more times, and if they're all "good with that" then they hold a super tuto. The pope then issues a Bull of Canonization and Nagatha officially becomes St. Nagatha!!!! (ultimate amount of bells, harps, and angelic voices singing, "Ahhhhhhh" please).

--------------------------------------------
Another and final disclaimer:  This post is intended to be fun and only slightly educational. I used a few sources of information but based the post mainly on information at New Advent. Blessings.