Fronteras: San Antonio's First Saint? The Journey Of Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy

By Norma Martinez,

Published June 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM CDT

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1 of 4 — Canonization of John Paul II and John XXIII in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 27, 2014. | Credit: Eric Vandeville/ABACA via Reuter

Pope Francis declared Popes John XXIII and John Paul II saints before some 800,000 people in an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 27, 2014. | Credit: Eric Vandeville/ABACA via Reuter

2 of 4 — The long, complicated and uncertain process of canonization is underway for Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy. If the efforts prevail, it would make her the first saint from South Texas.

The long, complicated and uncertain process of canonization is underway for Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy. If the efforts prevail, it would make her the first saint from South Texas.

3 of 4 — The Texas historical marker for Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy in Corpus Christi.

The Texas historical marker for Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy in Corpus Christi.

4 of 4 — Sister Geraldine Klein is General Superior with the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate.

Sister Geraldine Klein is General Superior with the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate.

Intercession prayer card for Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy.

A woman who came to South Texas by way of Ireland in the late 19th century is on a path to possibly become the first saint in South Texas.

Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy created a church and a school for Black children at the time of segregated education. She founded the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate in San Antonio in 1893, which now has a legacy of serving the poor and people of color in the community. Since her death in 1907, Mother Margaret Mary’s ministry has spread across several Southern states and into Mexico and Africa.

Sister Geraldine Klein, General Superior with the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, explained the canonization process is long and complicated. It involves the approval of the archbishop and work with a canon lawyer to pass on Mother Margaret Mary’s legacy to postulators, who guide a cause for beatification or canonization required by the Roman Catholic Church.

“When we talk about saints, we all kind of think about those way over there in Italy or France or the northern part of the United States,” said Sister Geraldine, “and we don't think about anybody ever coming out of the rough life of South Texas, coming to San Antonio, doing what she did in the time that she did it.”

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