GERMANTOWN, N.Y. — The family of an Irish-born nun who founded a pioneering order of sisters dedicated to elder care in upstate New York is turning to the newly elected American pope with a heartfelt plea to advance her long-standing cause for sainthood.
Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, known for her work establishing home-like nursing facilities where the elderly could live with dignity regardless of wealth, died on January 21, 1984, her 91st birthday. Her grandniece, Katie McCrory, expressed hope that Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born pontiff, might champion the cause. “What would be more fitting than an American pope making her a saint?” Katie McCrory told the New York Post. She added, “She had European ideals and everything, spoke French, very cultured, but her impact was in America.”
Born in County Tyrone, Ireland, McCrory spent her adolescence and teenage years in Scotland before studying in Rome to become a Little Sister of the Poor. She arrived in the United States in 1915 and, in 1929, founded the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm in Germantown, New York. The order's mission was radical for its time: to create environments where rich and poor elderly individuals could coexist in comfort and respect, countering the institutional feel of many care facilities of the era.
Today, the Carmelite Sisters operate, sponsor, or co-sponsor more than 20 elder-care facilities across the United States, including locations in New York, Florida, and Illinois — the pope's home state. These facilities have positioned the order at the forefront of Catholic health care, particularly in advocating against physician-assisted suicide and promoting the dignity of life for the aging population.
The path to sainthood for Mother Angeline has progressed steadily but faces hurdles. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI recognized her life of “heroic virtue,” granting her the title of Venerable — a significant milestone that acknowledges her exemplary faith and service. Now, her canonization case rests in Rome under Pope Leo XIV, who has shown early interest in issues of elder care and the protection of vulnerable lives.
Father Mario Esposito, the vice postulator for the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, sees a natural alignment between the pope's background and the nun's legacy. “First of all, being an American, he would be more sensitive to the issues in health care,” Esposito said. “Catholic health care in the United States is a very big thing. The Carmelite Sisters have been at the forefront of being against physician-assisted suicide.” He continued, “These are issues I’m sure the pope cares about. Life has become under attack, especially the elderly.”
Esposito noted that Pope Leo XIV's focus on such topics could make Mother Angeline's cause a personal priority for the pontiff. The next step toward sainthood is beatification, which requires the Vatican to verify at least one miracle attributed to the candidate's intercession. Mother Angeline's case boasts two such purported miracles involving the healing of children, though neither has been officially recognized due to insufficient medical documentation.
In the first incident, which occurred in the early 2000s, a toddler showing symptoms of encephalitis — including being non-verbal and exhibiting very low physical activity — was brought to Mother Angeline's grave in Germantown. According to Esposito, the child was placed on the tombstone and immediately began laughing and displaying newfound energy. “The family said from then on, the child was different,” Esposito explained. “Now she is in her twenties and doing beautifully.”
Despite the dramatic recovery, Vatican investigators deemed the medical records inadequate because they did not explicitly detail the child's initial diagnosis. Without clearer evidence, the event could not be classified as a confirmed miracle.
The second alleged miracle involved a pregnant woman whose unborn child had been diagnosed with hypochondroplasia, a genetic skeletal disorder that typically results in dwarfism. After the mother prayed to Mother Angeline for help, the baby was born healthy and of normal size. Esposito recounted that the delivering doctor, an expert in the syndrome, was stunned. “When the baby was born, the doctor, who was an expert in this type of syndrome, said he’d never seen anything like it,” Esposito said.
However, the mother had declined genetic testing during the pregnancy, leaving a gap in the medical records. This lack of prenatal documentation has similarly prevented the Vatican from approving the case as a miracle, according to Esposito.
The family's appeal to Pope Leo XIV comes at a time when the Catholic Church is navigating broader discussions on health care ethics, particularly in the U.S., where debates over end-of-life care and assisted suicide continue to intensify. The Carmelite Sisters' facilities, which emphasize compassionate, faith-based support, align closely with these conversations. By advancing Mother Angeline's cause, the pope could highlight the order's contributions and reinforce the Church's stance on the sanctity of life.
While the miracles remain unverified, supporters like Katie McCrory and Father Esposito remain optimistic. The nun's transnational story — from Ireland to Scotland, Rome, and ultimately America — underscores her global influence, but it is her American legacy that the family hopes will resonate with the pope. As the cause progresses in Rome, family members and advocates continue to pray for a breakthrough that could elevate Mother Angeline to the ranks of the saints.
Should beatification occur, it would mark a pivotal moment not only for the Carmelite Sisters but also for Catholic elder care initiatives nationwide. With over 20 facilities under their umbrella, the order's work touches thousands of lives annually, providing a model that blends spiritual care with practical support. Pope Leo XIV's involvement could amplify this mission on an international stage, drawing attention to the challenges faced by the elderly in modern society.
For now, the family waits in hope, buoyed by Mother Angeline's enduring example. As Katie McCrory put it, the connection between an American pope and an American impact feels providential. The Vatican's deliberations could take months or years, but the plea has been made, and the story of a nun's radical compassion lives on.