National Catholic Register, Aug 26, 2025 / 13:23 pm

When Anna Zervas entered religious life and chose her religious name, Mary Annella, her mother reportedly objected to the choice. “There’s no St. Annella,” her mother pointed out. To which the young woman answered: “Then I shall have to be the first one.”

Zervas’ goal — sainthood — is now closer than ever, as Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, announced that he will soon open her sainthood cause, making Zervas’ the first sainthood cause ever opened in the northerly Minnesota diocese.

Zervas died in 1926, aged just 26, after suffering from a debilitating skin condition. After her death, people began to report receiving favors and miracles through the holy Benedictine nun’s intercession.

In a video message posted Aug. 20,

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