Benedictine nun, Sister Annella Zervas, is one step closer to being declared a saint by the Catholic Church. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, announced that he had received the nihil obstat, a formal declaration from the Vatican meaning “nothing stands in the way” of her cause. The announcement confirms that the Diocese of Crookston is officially opening the cause for the canonisation of Sister Annella Zervas.
Sister Annella Zervas was born in 1900 in Moorhead, Minnesota, the daughter of immigrants. At just 15 years old, she left home to join the Order of St Benedict in St Joseph, Minnesota, and made her perpetual vows in 1922. The following year she began to suffer from a severe skin condition, later diagnosed as pityriasis rubra pilaris, for which there was no known cure at the time. In 1924, due to the severity of her illness, she was taken back to her parents’ house, with her sisters making regular visits. She was noted for her constant cheerfulness and good humour despite the suffering she endured.
