Mural to Sr Clare Crockett in Derry A Derry-born nun who died in an earthquake in Ecuador has been hailed as an inspiration for youth following the announcement she will soon be officially put on the path to sainthood.
Sr Clare Crockett wanted to become a famous actress in Hollywood and was on the path to doing so until she attended a retreat in Spain on Good Friday and felt a strong call to religious life. Sr Clare subsequently joined the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother (SHM).
Fr Gerard Mongan, parish priest of her native Long Tower parish said that she already has a “huge following of devotees who are inspired by her remarkable conversion story”.
“The people of Derry and beyond are overwhelmed by the possibility that one day, they will have their own saint. In particular, she has been an inspiration to many young people who have been inspired by her life, especially her infectious joy,” Fr Mongan said.
Bishop Fintan Gavin, Chairman of the Council for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development for the bishops’ conference told The Irish Catholic that part of Sr Clare’s attraction “is that people can relate to her as a young woman, a woman who didn’t set out on this path for holiness immediately… she lived a life of a teenager and then through encountering Christ, changed her life”.
“She was also a person who had a very prayerful and serious side and had a lot of fun attached to her as well… I think she’s a very real saint for young people today,” Bishop Gavin said.
Sr Kristen Gardner SHM, who is in the same order as Sr Clare and will be officially promoting her beatification cause said that Sr Clare’s story has “such a strong impact on young people in Ireland because they identify with her. They see her as one of them, she had her dreams, she wanted to go to Hollywood, she loved partying… and yet, she discovered a greater love, she discovered that only Christ could satisfy her desires for greatness and for happiness and this is what inspires young people”.
Sr Kristen said that Sr Clare was young and “full of the true joy that only God can give” which is “quite the opposite of how nuns are often portrayed in films”.
“However, this film portrayal is not the true reality of religious life. When one gives one’s life to God, one finds true joy and happiness. And Sr Clare is an example of that,” she added.
The opening of the cause for the beatification of Sr Clare Crockett will take place on Sunday, January 12, 2025 in the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. From this point she will be declared a servant of God and the intensive scrutiny of her life and ministry will continue with both a postulator and vice postulator appointed to present the case to the Vatican.