In the autumn of 1952, an extraordinary event took place in Edinburgh. It was in the nature of a trial. During a period of forty-five days numerous witnesses, sworn to tell the truth, were closely questioned before judges by the Promotor Fidei, popularly known as the devil's advocate.

One can well imagine the excited comments in the city.

'Who would ever have thought she would come to this! Just an ordinary working girl!'

'Well, many people considered the Little Flower ordinary!'

'But this id different. Margaret Sinclair was born in a slum. It scarcely seems possible that she could have remained unsullied living in such a sordid environment, in contact with coarseness, drunkenness and so on!'

'Ah well, environment is not everything. It's wonderful what God's grace can do. To think that Margaret - Maggie as we used to call her - may one day be glorified as a saint.'

For the extraordinary event referred to was no less than an Apostolic Process authorized by the Pope to determine whether this Margaret Sinclair, a Scots working girl, had reached so high a degree of sanctity that she was entitled to be called Blessed, a step which might lead in due course to her canonization.

Reared in Poverty

Born in a two-roomed basement situated in Middle Arthur Place, Edinburgh, on March 29th 1900, she had been reared amid sordid surroundings and in abject poverty. Yet that poor home had held its treasures. Margaret herself, in after years, would sum it up by saying of a wealthy family;

'They may be richer than we but we have the richest of all riches and the best happiness, for we are Catholics and have such a good father and mother.'

Her mother, a Catholic, had won Andrew Sinclair to the faith before her marriage to him. As a scavenger or dustman earning twenty-one shillings a week, theirs was a hard struggle for they had six children, John, Bella, Margaret, Andrew, Lizzie and Lawrence. At times their good and hard-working mother was subject to fits of depression. Kneeling beside her the three-year-old Margaret would plead:

'Dinna gave way, Mother. Beat me if you like, Mother, but Dinna give way.'

At other times she would murmer: 'I wish I was a big girl so that I could help you.'

'Always trying to do something for ye from her youngest day,' declared the mother afterwards.