CONVENT STATION Can there be a saint from the Garden State? EWTN, the television network dedicated to Catholic programming, is examining that question through the holy life of and miracle attributed to Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, a Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth, born in Bayonne on March 26, 1901.
Coinciding with the date of her death in 1927, EWTN will air its original series, “They Might Be Saints,” at 5:30 p.m., Friday, May 8, featuring Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich. Her beatification took place on Oct. 4, 2014 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. She studied at the College of St. Elizabeth here from 1919 to 1923. She later entered the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in 1925. Shortly after her profession of vows as a Sister of Charity, Sister Miriam Teresa died in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth, on May 8, 1927. She was 26 years old.
Known as the “Miracle Hunter,” Michael O’Neill, creator and producer of “They Might Be Saints,” hosts the show that examines the lives of men and women of faith on the path to sainthood and the search for miracles needed for them to reach sainthood.
“The series is named ‘They Might Be Saints’ because it tells the stories of Americans on the path to sainthood, not yet officially canonized saints and examines the requisite search for canonization miracles,” O’Neill told The Beacon.
According to the process of the Catholic Church, after it has been determined that the would-be-saint has lived a heroically virtuous life, two miracles — one before beatification and one after — are needed to establish that the candidate is with God interceding for us here on earth. People are fascinated with the lives of the saints — especially those who walked amongst us on American soil — and it seems everyone loves a good miracle story,” O’Neill said.
The episode features recreations of Blessed Miriam Teresa’s life and a recreation of the miracle attributed to her — the healing of 8-year-old Michael Mencer, whose eyesight was restored after his Catholic school teacher gave him a prayer card and relic of Blessed Miriam Teresa in 1963.
“I've known of Blessed Miriam Teresa for many years,” O’Neill said, “partly because I have become familiar with all the causes here in the United States and know that she was the very first person to be beatified in America. Because I study miracles, I became familiar with the account of her intercessory miracle an absolutely amazing story of Michael Mencer, who became the first known person in the history of the United States to be cured of macular degeneration,” O’Neill said. “When you pair that with the central message of Blessed Miriam Teresa to the universal call to holiness — that anyone can became a saint in their ordinary lives — it is no exaggeration to say that hers was the No. 1 story I wanted to do an episode on when I created the series.”
Several Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth and other local people, who are involved in the sainthood process, are also featured in the episode giving insight on Blessed Miriam Teresa’s life and the importance of her mission. Some of the episode was filmed on location at the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth here in Morris County. Filming began about a year and a half ago.
Sister of Charity Mary Canavan, vice postulator of the cause, said, “The show will allow more people on an international level to learn more about her life. She is a model of holiness and we can look to her to always strive to be holy every day. The episode was well done and I think that it will inspire others to that call to holiness that here is a Jersey girl who just might be a saint.”
For the Sisters of Charity and many others involved in the cause, the process to sainthood continues. Sister Mary, who is responsible for advancing the cause locally, encourages the faithful to continue to pray and read Blessed Miriam Teresa’s book “Greater Perfection.” Also, anyone who prays through the intercession of Blessed Miriam and receives a possible miracle is asked to contact her office. “We’re still waiting for the second miracle to happen in God’s good time,” Sister Mary told The Beacon.
“I am very proud of this episode because anyone who watches it will become familiar with the person of Sister Miriam Teresa as told through meaningful interviews with key people, archival photographs of this saintly woman and beautifully filmed recreations of key moments in her life,” O’Neill said.
“The intense and arduous process of canonization — which most Catholics find mysterious — is covered in great detail and viewers will be fascinated by the story of the miraculous healing and how it came to light,” O’Neill said. “Blessed Miriam Teresa's message is so important to anyone trying to live their faith and I think this episode will show her as a great model for our modern world and should have a big impact on anyone who learns her story.”