Parents always want the best for their kids, hoping and praying that they will lead a good and holy life. They might even have a slight hope that they will make it to Heaven.
Most of the time parents are the ones who die first, but sometimes it is their children that precede them in death, which can be very tragic and heartbreaking.
What can be consoling to a parent, especially a mother who feels keenly the absence of her child, is the confirmation that her child is now in Heaven with God.
This happens whenever a mother is present at a canonization ceremony, when the pope himself will announce to all the world that her child is considered a "saint."
It is a rare occurrence, especially since a canonization process can take decades or even centuries to be fully complete.
The first known mother who lived almost long enough to attend her son's beatification ceremony, where an individual is declared "blessed," was the mother of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who was beatified on October 19, 1605. His mother, Dona Marta Tana di Santena, died on April 26, 1605, a few short months before the beatification ceremony.
Potentially there may have been some instances before the canonization process was more formalized, but there is not enough historical data to confirm.
As far as we know, a mother being present at her child's canonization ceremony has only happened two times in the modern history of the Church.
St. Carlo Acutis' mother
St. Carlo Acutis' parents, Antonia Salzano and Andrea Acutis, are present at today's canonization ceremony of their son. Antonia has been one of the most well-known advocates for her son's sainthood, writing a book about it.
St. Maria Goretti's mother
Assunta Carlini Goretti was present at her daughter's canonization on June 24, 1950. Her husband was not present at the ceremony, as he died in 1900.
Depending on how various causes of canonization progress in the upcoming decades, this could be a more common experience, especially with children who die at a young age.
