An American Mom's Faithful Witness and Cause for Sainthood - Auspice Maria Ep. 26 with Bishop James Ruggieri
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The article Bishop Ruggieri references in this episode can be found here.
Transcript:
Well, welcome back to the Auspice Maria podcast. I'm Bishop James Ruggeri of the Diocese of Portland in Maine. And I'd like to reflect today on an article that was published recently by Catholic News Agency, publication date is November 19th, 2025, and it's titled, “Vatican Says Sainthood Cause for American Mom of Seven Can Move Forward.”
But before delving more deeply into the details of the article, I just want to again offer a prayer asking God to guide and direct this podcast always and that it touch hearts and lives as God deems best.
So Lord, we thank you for the privilege to just be instruments of your grace and recipients of your grace, and we just pray that your Spirit move this podcast however it may need to move in our hearts and the hearts of those who hear it. We ask all this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Also just again, thank you for listening. I really appreciate your attention to these podcasts and hopefully you are blessed by it. Special shout out as I begin also to Jake, my producer, in gratitude for his work and sacrifices in making this possible.
So now back to this article. I was really moved by it when I read it. It's an article, as I shared the title—I’ll share it again—“Vatican Says Sainthood Cause for American Mom of Seven Can Move Forward.” It's written by Matt McDonald, who's a staff reporter for the National Catholic Register and editor of the New Boston Post.
I want to acknowledge the work of Matt McDonald and Catholic News Agency for bringing forward the story of Servant of God Ruth Pakaluk, a wife and mother from Worcester, Massachusetts, whose life the Church is now formally investigating in view of possible canonization. Her story offers us what I feel is an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on holiness according to our state in life. It also provides a beautiful doorway into the themes of gratitude and thanksgiving, which are foundational to the Christian life.
The article introduces us to Ruth as the, quote, “block mom.” The mom with brownies ready, the mom whose door was open, the mom whose presence made her home a place of warmth, fun, and safety. From the perspective of Catholic spirituality, that is remarkable in itself. Holiness is not primarily spectacular. It is the steady, loving, sacrificial giving of oneself in the circumstances God has entrusted to us.
Ruth was a mom of seven, a wife, a convert, a pro-life advocate, a woman who suffered illness with heroic patience, a woman whose daily fidelity formed a culture of goodness in her home and neighborhood. I'm struck by how her holiness unfolded not in monasteries or mystical visions, but in kitchens and carpools, debates and school committee meetings, daily Mass, and daily sacrifice. This is precisely what the Church means by the universal call to holiness.
As the fathers of the Second Vatican Council teach in the document on the Church, Lumen Gentium, section 41: "Each according to his own gifts and duties must steadfastly advance along the way of a living faith which arouses hope and works through charity."
I believe Ruth is an excellent example of this radiant truth.
And one of the more important insights that emerges from her story is that holiness takes shape within the commitments we already have. For Ruth, holiness took the form of marriage lived with fidelity and generosity; motherhood embraced as a vocation of love; intellectual life used in the service of the truth; suffering offered with trust and serenity; community involvement rooted in charity and justice; the ordinary tasks of cooking, cleaning, reading with her children, teaching the faith, and welcoming neighbors.
The Church has always taught that our state in life is not an obstacle to sanctity—it is the place where sanctity is formed. And to illustrate this, as St. John Paul II teaches in Familiaris Consortio, the beautiful document on the family, in section 34: "in God's plan, all husbands and wives are called in marriage to holiness."
Holiness is living one's mission with love. Ruth did that, not perfectly but really faithfully, not gloriously but beautifully. Again, I return to a quote from St. John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio, this one from section 17 (the previous one was from section 34): “Family, become what you are.”
So beautifully that presents an image. The family is the domestic church. It is a place truly where all those who are members of that family become saints, become their fullest human selves. And that fullest humanity blossoms in sainthood, blossoms in an eternal relationship with God in heaven.
Another theme that emerges from the article is Ruth's gratitude. Gratitude is not simply a feeling; it is a spiritual posture. It is a way of receiving life as a gift, even when the gift is heavy. Ruth lived with gratitude for her faith, with gratitude for her children and husband, with gratitude for the Eucharist—which she identified as her deepest consolation—and with gratitude even in suffering, especially in her final illness.
The article recalls how she offered two reasons for attending daily Mass: one personal—the desire to stay close to her infant son who had died—and the other theological—that at every Mass, the incarnation and the redemption are made present through the resurrected Christ, sacramentally present in the Eucharist. Thanksgiving, she realizes, is not something Christians do once a year. It is the very shape of the Christian life. Every Mass is an act of thanksgiving. And the word “Eucharist” itself means thanksgiving.
Holiness grows wherever gratitude becomes the pattern of life. And what is the opposite of gratitude? Complaints, self-focus, negativity, to name a few.
In this, too, Ruth teaches a lesson. Those who lived with her recall that she never complained. Although complaining is not necessarily something wrong, it reflects Ruth's ability to focus on gratitude. She didn't complain about her illness. She didn't complain about her limitations. And she didn't complain when she carried heavy burdens.
Gratitude does not erase suffering, but it can transform it. There's something profoundly Christ-like in the way Ruth lived her final years. She carried the cross with quiet nobility. The article recounts how she continued to climb mountains, literally and spiritually; how she tried to keep life normal for her children; how she accepted her illness without bitterness; how she prepared her husband with love and realism for life after her passing.
There’s sanctity in these gestures; there’s beauty in this humility. Again, saints are not perfect; they are faithful. Ruth's faithfulness during suffering reveals a heart fully surrendered to God.
What emerges is a woman who was always on mission—not because she set out to do extraordinary things, but because she did ordinary things with extraordinary love and intention. That also seems to be a beautiful theme among the saints: ordinary things with extraordinary love and intention.
In Ruth's case, she baked brownies, but she used them to gather the neighborhood. She required kids to read before playing, forming their minds. She organized mothers at cemeteries to pray together. She used her education to debate for life. And she built community wherever she went.
So we could say holiness is mission; charity is mission; integrity is mission; and gratitude is mission. We are called to that same mission in our own circumstances. To illustrate the sacramental dimension of this mission, in the words of St. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, section 51: "God, who called the couple to marriage, continues to call them in marriage." In other words, the sacrament of marriage, yes, joins the husband and wife together, but God's call continues as He calls them along the path of holiness together.
The Church does not canonize people to put them on a pedestal. The Church canonizes people to show us what God's grace can do in human lives—in the lives of ordinary people who live extraordinary holiness through daily fidelity. If Ruth is canonized one day, her canonization will not diminish her ordinariness. Instead, it will highlight it. It will teach us that God sanctifies us through the daily, the hidden, the unglamorous, the ordinary.
Her cause, though, invites us to ask: what is God calling me to be faithful to today? Also, what gift has God entrusted to my state in life? Further, how can I live gratitude more intentionally? And lastly, where is the Lord inviting me to be generous, patient, courageous, or joyful?
Back to Familiaris Consortio, section 86, St. John Paul II writes: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family.” That's a profound quote by our Holy Father, St. John Paul II, "The future of humanity passes by way of the family."
I want to provide, as we conclude, some action steps for daily holiness considering the life of Ruth and her witness.
One, practice intentional gratitude. At the end of each day, perhaps you may take the time to identify three moments when you received a gift from God that particular day.
Two, make one small act of love in your state in life. For married couples, this may mean a word of encouragement intentionally. For parents, an extra moment of listening. For those living alone, perhaps a call to someone who needs companionship. Again, these are things you may be doing already, but the idea is be intentional about our acts of love.
Number three, rediscover the Eucharist. If you're not in the habit and if you're able to, attend one daily Mass each week. Or if you are attending daily Mass, offer a daily Mass weekly in thanksgiving.
Four, build community intentionally. Perhaps that means hosting a simple gathering, inviting a neighbor to share in some fellowship or a meal, talking, praying, and working on your friendships that already exist.
Number five, do something for someone who cannot repay you. It's very gospel-like. Perhaps a gesture of charity for a person in need—maybe even in your own family. Sometimes we don't have to look far to find those who are in need in some way, whether it's material or spiritually.
And number six, let God sanctify your suffering. Instead of immediately asking why—although again, if we do, that doesn't mean we're bad people or there's something wrong, it's just human to ask why—but perhaps instead of immediately asking why, or if we do ask why, to try to make the shift and to ask God: well God, how can I live with this perhaps burden or this cross? And how can I look to Jesus to help me to do that?
Finally, great suggestion that is not original to me: read one passage of the Gospels each day. Holiness begins and is facilitated by listening to the Lord's voice.
So, some final points to ponder. One, where in my current state in life is God calling me to grow in holiness? Two, what prevents me from living with gratitude? Three, who in my life needs encouragement, friendship, or support? Four, how can I help build a culture of life in small, faithful ways? And five, what does Ruth's example teach me about living with courage and hope?
Again, thank you for listening to this podcast. I want to offer a prayer and then also a Hail Mary at the end. So let us pray.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the example of your servant, Ruth Pakaluk. Through her witness, teach us to be faithful, to be grateful, and to embrace our daily lives as the place where you sanctify us. Help us to respond to your call to holiness with love and courage. We ask all this in your holy name. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
