There’s an unfolding story decades in the making, with its roots in rural Central Louisiana, eventually leading to the very steps of Vatican City inside Rome. This story involves the powerful claim of sainthood based on the deeds of a 12-year-old girl.
Charlene Richard may have been born in Acadiana, Louisiana but her story has spread far beyond her birthplace since her death 66 years ago. Only two weeks before she died in 1959, doctors diagnosed her with acute lymphatic leukemia. Charlene was hospitalized at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Lafayette. In that brief time, and continuing ever since then, Richard would come to be known as the “Little Cajun Saint.”
A growing number of faithful believe she answers prayers from beyond the grave. As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, Nanette Reiners, president of the Charlene Richard Foundation, says church leaders at the Catholic Dioceses of Lafayette and Alexandria have now submitted evidence of the unexplainable happenings that have occurred as a result of Charlene’s intercessions.
Reiners says in the few weeks Richard had left she still offered her suffering for other people every day. This was all part of a belief known as ‘redemptive suffering’, a Catholic doctrine in which “human suffering, when united with the suffering of Jesus Christ, can be a source of spiritual benefit.” Reiners says of Richard's personal sacrifice, “It was never about ‘I’m in pain,’ ‘I’m suffering.’ ‘Poor Me.’ It was always, you know, she offered it for everybody else.”
According to literature provided by the foundation, before Richard died, both the hospital chaplain, Joseph Brennan, a newly ordained Catholic priest, along with Director of Pediatrics, Theresita Crowley, a nun, began telling people that Richard was ‘special.’ “Brennan and Crowley claimed that those for whom Richard prayed recovered from their illnesses or became Catholic.”
After Richard’s death people began visiting her grave in the community of Richard, northwest of Lafayette. Then, as construction began on a new church, people began sending prayer cards with donations. It wasn’t long before testimonials came out in which believers said they had benefitted from their prayers to Richard. As Reiners explains, “Some of the stories that have been happening have been sent to Rome and they’ll study them and look into all the virtues of Charlene’s life and stuff. And that’s where we are right now with the process of canonization.”
And the story of the Little Cajun Saint continues to attract attention to this day. A memorial mass honoring Richard took place on Monday at St. Edward Catholic Church in Richard. People from across the country arrived to celebrate Richard’s life and legacy on the 66th anniversary of her death on August 11.
The Catholic church has four stages of canonization, of which Richard now stands at step one in the process, known as servant of God. Then comes venerable, blessed and saint. There are 11 canonized American Saints. Richard would be the first from Louisiana.
