Derry nun's family 'proud' as sainthood journey begins

The sister of a Londonderry nun who was killed in an earthquake has said she is "immensely proud" after a Spanish ceremony to mark her first step towards sainthood took place.

Sister Clare Crockett, 33, died after the school she was teaching music at in Playa Prieta, Ecuador collapsed during a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April 2016.

In November, Sr Clare was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church - the first step towards becoming a saint.

The ceremony, which recognised Sr Clare as a candidate for sainthood, was held in the Cathedral of Alcala de Henares in Madrid on Sunday.

Speaking before the ceremony, Shauna Gill said the service would be emotional, but the family will be "beaming with pride".

"Never in a million years did we think she was going to be a nun, never mind make her way to sainthood," she told BBC News NI before the ceremony.

"A lot of people have asked us about grieving for Clare, but I don't think we have ever grieved for Clare because she is talked about every day."

More than 100 people - including Sr Clare's friends, family and Derry Bishop Donal McKeown - travelled to the Spanish capital for the event.

Ms Gill remembers her sister as dramatic, funny and "the boss".

"Everything in Clare's life growing up was dramatic, nothing was plain sailing," she added.

Her older sister was "always destined for a life in the spotlight", Ms Gill said.

"Our Clare would have loved all of this attention and the drama about her.

"But Sr Clare would have liked to be in the background – I don't think she would like all the limelight."

Ms Gill said the support for her family and Sr Clare has been overwhelming.

"We are immensely proud of her, nervous to the unknown as nobody has ever experienced this in our lifetime... but the support we have is unbelievable."

The ceremony was also screened at Brunswick Moviebowl in Derry.

Patrick Simpson, from the cinema, described it as an iconic event.

"It's so special for Derry and for the island of Ireland," he said.

"It's great to have the platform to be able to broadcast it for the people of Derry and to have them all in the one room together for such a special event."

Mr Simpson said that demand for the event was high, with about 500 people attending the special screening.

"We probably could have added another screen if we had the availability," he added.

"It demonstrates how important she is to people and how much of an inspiration she is."

Sr Clare Theresa Crockett, from Brandywell in Derry, was previously an actor but turned down the chance to present on children's TV channel Nickelodeon to become a nun.

Friends were said to be in disbelief after she announced her decision while holding a "beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other".

She then took her Holy Orders with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother order.

Her motto in life was "all or nothing" and has previously been associated with fertility miracles.

During the earthquake, Sr Clare and another Irish nun injured in the quake, Sr Thérèse Ryan from County Limerick, had been teaching guitar and singing with five young women postulants - who were entering the religious order - when it struck.

It is believed they became trapped on a stairwell as they ran out of the building.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 480 people, injured more than 4,000 and left 231 missing.

There are a few steps required on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church.

1) Wait

The process to make someone a saint cannot normally start until at least five years after their death. But this waiting period can, in some circumstances, be waived by the Pope.

2) Become a Servant of God

An investigation can then be opened to see whether the person lived their life with sufficient holiness. Evidence is gathered, and if the case is accepted the individual is called a Servant of God.

3) Show proof of "heroic virtue"

The department that makes recommendations to the Pope on saints scrutinises the evidence.

If the case is approved, it is passed to the Pope who decides whether the person lived a life of "heroic virtue". If so, they can be called "venerable".

4) Verify a miracle

The next stage, beatification, requires a miracle to be attributed to prayers made to the individual after their death.

Incidents need to be "verified" by evidence before they are accepted. After beatification, the candidate is given the title "blessed".

5) Canonisation

This is the final step in declaring a deceased person a saint. To reach this stage, a second miracle normally needs to be attributed to prayers made to the candidate after they have been beatified.