When Father Ryan Patrick was laid to rest over 140 years ago, some may have thought it was his final resting ground. But no, the local Catholic church has different plans for old Fr. Ryan, and has put plans in motion to make a posthumous move.
Looking for a Miracle
An epidemic of yellow fever came through Chattanooga 140 years ago. Instead of fleeing the city, which is what other healthy people did, Fr. Ryan stayed behind to serve as a minister for those too sick to leave. He eventually died from the outbreak, and was buried in the local cemetery. Pope Francis recently declared a new path to sainthood for Catholics who willingly carried out their faith, knowing it would lead to certain death, which sounds a lot like Fr. Ryan’s situation.
How a Priest Becomes a Saint
The local church had to go to court to dig up Fr. Ryan because his next of kind, unsurprisingly, couldn’t be located. Since this is the first time someone from Tennessee had every been considered for sainthood, the courts didn’t really have precedent on how the church should get approval.
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