LAOAG (Agenzia Fides): “Rejoice!” wrote the Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines, after the Holy See granted the nihil obstat [no objection] to begin the process of beatification of Filipino teenager, Niña Ruiz-Abad [1979-1993], who from now on will be called “Servant of God”.
The news was read out in all churches in Ilocos Norte generating great joy among the faithful.
The cause already received the full support of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines during its July 2023 assembly [Sunday Examiner, 3 September 2023].
The Diocese of Laoag, where Abad came from, will commence a local inquiry into her reputation and sanctity, according to Bishop Mayugba, who is the competent authority in charge of launching the diocesan phase of the beatification cause. This process will officially open on April 7, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the Cathedral of Saint William of Laoag, with the first session of the specially convened diocesan tribunal.
Niña Ruiz-Abad was born on 31 October 1979 at Capitol Medical Centre in Quezon City, the daughter of a couple of lawyers, but her father died when she was only three years old. She grew up in Quezon City, along with her sister Mary Anne.
She studied at the Child Study Centre of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City and later at the Holy Angels Montessori School in the same city. Her mother, a devotee of Divine Mercy, moved with her daughters to Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, in April 1988 due to her work at the Department of Justice.
Niña attended Mariano Marcos State University High School in Laoag. She was described as having a strong devotion to the Eucharist and devoted her life to distributing rosaries, bibles, prayer books, holy images and other religious items.
An unwavering faith encouraged her, even though she was beginning to feel the effects of heart disease. When Father Danny Pajarillaga met young Abad for the first time in 1993, he immediately realised that she was a unique, spiritually “special” girl. She stood out among her classmates for her fervent faith in the Eucharist and for the time she dedicated to prayer.
Those who knew her remember that she “was a walking testimony of piety and religion, she was always dressed in white and with a rosary around her neck.”
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
Abad was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at the age of 10 and she lived three years of illness with joy and deep faith.
“Niña’s life was a life of prayer, adoration and an intimate relationship with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said Bishop Mayugba.
She is buried in a public cemetery in Sarrat and her grave is a place of pilgrimage.
“Today, children and young people are inspired by the life of Niña Ruiz-Abad to live a life rooted in prayer. Her story continues to reach the hearts of many people because it is an example of how with God obstacles can be overcome,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines wrote.
