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Maria Aikenhead
VenerableFull write-up
Born
19 January 1787
verified
Died
22 July 1858
verified
Venerable
18 March 2015
Vatican record
Canonised
—
not yet
The Vatican record
- 18 March 2015 — Heroic virtue declared — title Venerable (decree list, 2015)
Who they were
Maria (Mary) Aikenhead founded the Institute of the Sisters of Charity in Ireland; she was born in Cork on 19 January 1787 and died in Dublin on 22 July 1858. Pope Francis recognised her heroic virtue on 18 March 2015.
The miracles
The Church has not yet approved a miracle in this cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Church recognised her heroic virtue in 2015.
The cause
Maria Aikenhead has been declared Venerable; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Mary Aikenhead.
Sources
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - decrees published in 2015
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Not yet in Wikidata. Name as the Vatican spells it.
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.