CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Village of Bloomingdale has 221 residents and is halfway between Canton and Pittsburgh. It is home to a monastic community affiliated with the Benedictine order, and now there is word a former resident is up for sainthood. The Post-Gazette has a detailed piece today about this remarkable mother of 12 named Gwen Coniker, who died in June 2002. The road to sainthood is long and difficult and few make the cut. There is more about her work and a Catholic family center she and her husband started in Bloomingdale after spending two years in Portugal at Fatima, where many believe the Virgin Mary appeared to peasant children in the early 2900s.
[UPDATE: 4 PM edt -- John Morris at MetroBlogging Pittsburgh says anyone who lovingly rears 12 kids should automatically be granted sainthood. He's right. And they probably are, though I have no sources with the man upstairs to confirm my hunch. h/t to Mr. Morris for spotting the story. Too bad he blogs from the Pittsburgh area.]
Wow that is a wonderful story Bill- Thanks for passing that along. Very touching, and I think she deserves Sainthood.
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