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| Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich |
That day, the Chapel being open, we decided to enter and say our obligatory prayers. A serene, peaceful setting, the Holy Family Chapel was the perfect place to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
After our prayers and contemplation, we were greeted by Sister Regina Bernard, who graciously asked if we’d like to see the relics of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich. We happily and excitedly agreed.
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| Holy Family Chapel, Convent Station, New Jersey |
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Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was born on March 26, 1901, in Bayonne, New Jersey to Ruthenian immigrant parents, the youngest of seven children. She was raised in the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Rite. After losing her mother to the Spanish Influenza pandemic in 1918, she studied at the then-named College of St Elizabeth. It was at the College of St Elizabeth’s St Rita Hall where as a student, Miriam Teresa had a vision of our Blessed Mother from her dormitory room. Miriam Teresa went on to graduate from the College of St. Elizabeth in 1923 with the highest honors. Shortly after, Miriam Teresa accepted her first teaching position.Miriam Teresa had been discerning entering a religious order, and she finally joined the Sisters of Charity of St Elizabeth, receiving the habit in 1925. As a postulant and then a novice, she taught at the Academy of St Elizabeth, still located on the Convent Station campus. Sister Miriam Teresa was known for her piety and devotion to the Holy Rosary. Much of her time when she wasn’t working would be dedicated to prayer. Sister Miriam Teresa also wrote twenty-six conferences for the novitiate at the request of her spiritual advisor which are now compiled in the book titled Greater Perfection.
Unfortunately, in 1926 Sister Miriam Teresa’s health began to decline precipitously. Suffering from tonsillitis, appendicitis, myocarditis, and nervous exhaustion, Sister Miriam Teresa took her permanent vows in periculo mortis in April 1927. She died on May 8, 1927. Her funeral was held in the Holy Family Chapel and she was buried in the Holy Family Cemetery on the grounds of the Sisters of Charity of St Elizabeth motherhouse.
After a number of cures were reported due to her intercession, an official investigation by the Church was begun in 1946. In 2012, Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI and was beatified in 2014 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, the first time a beatification was ever held in the United States.
In 2016, the remains of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich were transferred from the crypt to a new shrine in Holy Family Chapel. In a room adjacent to the Chapel, we find some of the personal items owned by Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich: her crucifix, her statuette of the Infant Jesus, her watercolors, brushes, and a picture of violets she painted symbolizing the Trinity as she was also an amateur artist.
We still await and pray fervently for her canonization.
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| Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's Crucifix |
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| Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's Statuette of the Infant Jesus |
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| Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich's Watercolors |
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| A watercolor of violets representing the Trinity by Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich |
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Sister Regina Bernard led us to the shrine on the left of the high altar, recounting the story of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demianovich and her relics. The beautiful shrine is contained within an alcove, framed by gothic-style arches. This shrine serves as a perfect permanent resting place for the relics of this Blessed Miriam Teresa. The relics themselves are preserved within an octagonal reliquary cask, fitted with a Waterford crystal for the purpose of viewing said holy relics. Beneath are rectangular boxes containing soil taken from her gravesite which form the base of the shrine.Joining Sister Regina Bernard, we prayed before the relics of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, begging for her intercession. Kneeling before the holy relics, we peered inside the crystal oculus. Strands of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich’s hair lay across the crystal, and deep within the reliquary, we beheld her bones, the holy relics of this blessed woman.
Kneeling before her relics in veneration and prayer, the devotion of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich touches our hearts. Her brief time with us, nearly one hundred years past was a gift from our Lord Jesus Christ. In her humility and service, she bestowed upon us a model of sanctity, humility, and dedication to God.
~ Pasquale De Davide
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| The Reliquary |
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| The reliquary's Waterford crystal oculus, with strands of hair |
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| Inside the reliquary: the holy relics of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich |
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Prayer for Canonization of Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich
Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, Whom Blessed Miriam Teresa loved so ardently, grant that we, like her, may become ever more conscious of Your Divine Presence within our souls. We implore You to continue to show signs that Your humble servant enjoys glory with You in Heaven, and to hasten the day when we may render her a lasting tribute of our veneration and love.
Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, Whom Blessed Miriam Teresa loved so ardently, grant that we, like her, may become ever more conscious of Your Divine Presence within our souls. We implore You to continue to show signs that Your humble servant enjoys glory with You in Heaven, and to hasten the day when we may render her a lasting tribute of our veneration and love.
