John McAuliffe

McAuliffe was born to an Irish-American working-class family in lower Manhattan.[3] His father, Daniel, was an immigrant from Ireland and worked on the New York City docks. His mother, Elizabeth or Lizzie, was Daniel's second wife and would raise five children – three survived to adulthood – Walter, John, and Elizabeth or Lillian. McAuliffe was baptized at St. Rose Church in lower Manhattan on November 7, 1886. His father died after a short illness in 1893[4] and he and his siblings would be orphaned with the unexpected death of their mother on October 10, 1895.[5]

His sister, Elizabeth, went to stay with their half-brother, Daniel Jr, from their father's first marriage. McAuliffe (age 9) and his brother Walter (age 11) were accepted into St. Agnes Home in Sparkill, New York, on November 13, 1895.[6] After St. Agnes Home was destroyed by fire in 1899, the two brothers were separated, with Walter going to the Catholic Protectory in New York City while McAuliffe went to the new St. Agnes Home established in Troy, New York.

In 1902, McAuliffe's life direction would change with a visit to the home by Stanislaus Keating. The brothers' missionary work, especially in orphanages, attracted John's attention. He was discharged from St. Agnes Home on April 30, 1902, and entered the Brothers of the Sacred Heart formation house in Metuchen, New Jersey, on May 1, 1902.[7]

Already formed by the Dominican Sisters at Sparkill to a pattern of prayer and common life, McAuliffe adapted quickly to the spartan life led by the brothers at Metuchen. McAuliffe received the habit on November 14, 1902, and took the name, Norbert. He made his first commitment, or vows, on November 21, 1903, at Metuchen.[8]

McAuliffe took to the brothers' mission of education immediately. He lived and worked with young people in schools in several places and grew more skilled in his teaching, eventually becoming the school principal and superior of the local community. Places he served during this time included Indianapolis, Indiana; Meridian, Mississippi; Muskogee, Oklahoma; and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He took perpetual vows at Bay St. Louis on July 10, 1910.

McAuliffe's expertise as an educator and formator of young people grew with the years and saw him also serve in Vicksburg, Mississippi; New Orleans, Louisiana; Donaldsonville, Louisiana and Washington, Indiana. 

During this period, the brothers rarely took up full-time studies but instead studied through an internal program and summer courses. McAuliffe completed his high school studies in 1915 and would graduate from the Normal School at Bay St Louis in 1917, qualified by the day's standards as a teacher. He attended summer programs at Loyola University in New Orleans, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in August 1921, and would later receive a lifetime Indiana Teacher's License in 1923.[9]

McAuliffe took a break from his life as a teacher for a retreat and recollection period at the Grand Novitiate in Renteria, Spain, from September 1930 to April 1931. This time would also see his life take another major turn when he volunteered for the missions.

As a novice, McAuliffe had welcomed 45 French men, Brothers, and aspirants, who had been exiled due to anti-religious laws established in France at the time. Among them was Albertinus, who would serve as novice master, and as Provincial, he would ask McAuliffe to be the leader of the first group of missionaries to Uganda. Albertinus would later serve as the Superior General of the community and would be a close supporter of McAuliffe in his missionary endeavors.

Initially, McAuliffe was not among the group that had planned the first missionary foray into Uganda. Still, when the expedition leader fell ill, Albertinus turned to McAuliffe to take his place. McAuliffe and three other brothers, Oswin, Camillus, and Coleman, left the USA on July 23, 1931, traveling by boat from New York to Le Havre in France and then on to Africa. They arrived in Gulu, Uganda, on August 29, 1931.

From his passing, the brothers, students, and local people acclaimed McAuliffe's life and ministry as holy and exemplary. They sustained their devotion to his memory within the Gulu diocese and beyond. The Ugandan bishops had invoked his name as an intercessor for all Ugandans.[12] As a result, between June 16–July 13, 1994, the diocesan investigation reviewed his life and met with the witnesses to that life of faith. On June 9, 1995, the Holy See affirmed the diocesan investigation's outcome, according McAuliffe the title, Servant of God.

A detailed examination of his life, of witnesses, of the history of the period, and the person's writings was undertaken. The result, known as the positio, was then examined by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. On June 23, 2015, the initial review affirmed the experience of the many witnesses. On May 8, 2018, the Congregation's consultors affirmed that McAuliffe had exhibited the theological and cardinal virtues to a heroic degree. Finally, Pope Francis affirmed that result on May 19, 2018, declaring the heroicity of McAuliffe's virtues and thus bestowing upon him the title of Venerable in the church.[13][14]