SANTA FE, N.M. — Sister Blandina Segale is the first woman in New Mexico the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has ever petitioned to be declared a saint.

She’s better known as “the Fastest Nun in the West” for her work in the Southwest starting in 1872, and who she crossed paths with.

“The fastest gun was the rule, we know that. We know rubbing elbows with Billy the Kid,” said Alan Sanchez with CommonSpirit St. Josephs Children.  

This nun’s on the fast track to sainthood.

“There’s been a lot of hard work that’s going into this, testing everything, probing everything, looking at all the details, all the facts, the history, the stories, the narratives, the miracles. Everything is looked at very, very carefully,” said Archbishop John Wester with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. 

The efforts are a big deal for Catholics everywhere but especially in our state.

“It’s very rare for the diocese or archdiocese to petition for a saint. This would be the first time the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has petitioned for this person to be declared a saint,” said Wester. 

It’s not an easy title to earn and focuses on her work helping those who needed it the most.

“Human trafficking, saving girls from prostitution, building settlement houses for immigrants. And as an immigrant child, will be the patron saint of immigrant children,” Wester said. 

Another focus, her work in New Mexico, which still exists today.

“She started the Catholic school at San Felipe and the Catholic school at St. Mary’s. Then she started hospitals, along with other sisters. And she built the first hospital in Santa Fe, which is Christus today, which still exists,” said Sanchez.

The late Archbishop Michael Sheehan started the process in June 2014, and it’s taken about 10 and a half years to get to this point where she is ready to be declared venerable.

“Since the cause was open in June of 2014 there have been 49 miracles attributed to her. The people have written and testified to miracles, healing miracles,” said Sanchez. 

Sister Blandina passed in 1941, and it’s said she performed many miracles in her 91 years of living. The next steps for Sister Blandina: 

“Once the veneration takes place, we need one miracle to be beatified,” said Sanchez. “Then after she’s beatified, she’s got to do it all over again. She’s got to do another miracle after the date of beatification for canonization.”

Wester says this is a shining light for New Mexicans.

“We think it’s important for everybody, especially in New Mexico, because when the church declares somebody a saint, that means this person is somebody you can trust to imitate,” said Wester. “We’re proud of her, and we’re proud that she was here, and she loves us, and that she worked so hard in this part of the world.”