This past Sunday, October 19, 2003, Mother Teresa was honored in a Mass celebration by Pope John Paul II and is now a step closer to canonized sainthood. More that a quarter of a million people were in attendance for the two hour beatification ceromony held in Saint Peter's Square.

To reach beatification, the first step toward canonization, one posthumous miracle must be attributed to the candidate and proven. Mother Teresa has been credited with the miraculous cure of a woman in India. The woman had a stomach tumor and, on the first anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, she prayed in front a photograph of Mother Teresa and the next morning her tumor was gone.

For Mother Teresa to be canonized, she'll need to have a second miracle attributed to her.

Peace in Christ,
Melissa Knoblett-Aman