Meet 7 ‘Generation X’ Catholics on their way to sainthood

Top row from left to right: Niña Ruiz Abad, Marcelo Henrique Câmara, Sister Cecilia María de la Santa Faz. Bottom row from left to right: Víctor Manuel Schiavoni, Chiara Badano, Rebeca Rocamora. / Credit: Courtesy of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Archdiocese of Florianópolis (Brazil), Archdiocese of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Custodian Movies, Fondazione Chiara Badano and the Archdiocese of Paraná Lima Newsroom, Feb 17, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). In addition to some young millennials who are now on their way to sainthood, there are also seven members of Generation X — those born between 1965 and 1980 — who, despite their short lives, left a profound legacy of faith and are an example of holiness for new generations.Below are profiles of the seven, some already beatified and others in the process of beatification.  1. Niña Ruiz AbadThe official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruiz-Abad. Credit: Catholic Bishops Conference of the PhilippinesNiña Ruiz-Abad was born Oct. 31, 1979, in Quezon City, Philippines, and from an early age showed a deep faith. Raised alongside her sister Mary Anne, she lost her father at the age of 3 and in 1988 she moved with her mother to Sarrat in the northern province of Ilocos Norte.Ruiz-Abad was noted for distributing rosaries, Bibles, and images of saints, and she especially loved the Eucharist. At the age of 10 she was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that she bore with serenity and joy until her death on Aug. 16, 1993, at the age of 13, after suffering cardiac arrest at school.Her grave in Sarrat has become a place of pilgrimage.On March 16, 2024, the Vatican granted the “nihil obstat” (“nothing stands in the way”) for opening her cause for beatification. With this recognition, Ruiz-Abad is now considered a “servant of God.”Her cause for canonization was officially opened April 7, 2024. If her cause progresses and miracles attributed to her intercession are recognized, she could become one of the youngest saints in the history of the Catholic Church.2. Marcelo Henrique CâmaraMarcelo Henrique Câmara. Credit: Archdiocese of Florianópolis, BrazilMarcelo Henrique Câmara was born on June 26, 1979, in Florianópolis, Brazil. He was a brilliant young man committed to his faith, a law graduate who worked as a state prosecutor. His conversion occurred during an Emmaus retreat.He was a catechist, an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist, and a member of Opus Dei, finding in the spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá the key to holiness in everyday life. Despite being diagnosed with leukemia, he offered his suffering with joy and hope until his death on March 20, 2008, at the age of 28.The process of beatification for Câmara officially began on March 8, 2020, when the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted the Archdiocese of Florianópolis the “nihil obstat” to investigate his cause.The postulator of the cause, Father Vitor Galdino Feller, emphasized that Câmara bears witness that holiness is possible in youth and serves as an example for those who seek to live the faith in the midst of the world.3. Sister Cecilia María of the Holy FaceSister Cecilia María of the Holy Face. Credit: Archdiocese of Santa Fe de la Vera CruzSister Cecilia María of the Holy Face was born on Dec. 5, 1973, in San Martin de los Andes, Neuquen province, Argentina. She entered the Discalced Carmelites of Santa Fe at the age of 24, made her first vows at 26, and made her final vows in 2003.A nurse by profession and a violinist, she stood out for her joy and ever-present smile, even during her battle against tongue cancer with pulmonary metastases. During this difficult time, she continued to pray and offer up her sufferings, convinced that she was close to her encounter with God. She passed away in Buenos Aires in the early hours of June 23, 2016.In January 2025, the archbishop of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz in Argentina, Sergio Fenoy, decreed the beginning of the cause for beatification and canonization.In 2024, when signing the edict to begin the process prior to the cause, the prelate highlighted the witness of the nun’s “love and trust in Jesus Christ, even in the midst of the most difficult trials,” assuring that “she has awakened in many hearts the desire for a greater commitment to Christian life.”4. Rebeca Rocamora