The sister of a Londonderry nun who died in an earthquake in South America eight years ago has spoken of her pride at taking the first step towards sainthood.

Sister Clare Crockett was 33 when she died after a school collapsed in Playa Prieta, Ecuador.

She has now been declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church, the first step towards being officially recognized as a saint.

“We are very proud. We could never have imagined this would happen,” said her sister Shauna Gill BBC Radio Foyle.

Sister Clare and another Irish nun injured in the earthquake, Sister Thérèse Ryan from County Limerick, were teaching guitar and singing with five young postulants – entering the religious order – when the quake struck.

They are believed to have become stuck in a stairwell as they ran out of the building.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 480 people, injured more than 4,000 and left 231 missing.

The title Servant of God means an investigation into her life will now open, which could see her declared “venerable” and later beatified – the next steps to sainthood.

An opening ceremony is due to take place in Madrid in January 2023.

Around 50 people – including 10 members of Sr Clare’s family – plan to travel from Derry to Spain.

“It’s a bit surreal, we’ve waited many years for this, for the decision that they’re going to go for it,” Ms Gill said.

Sister Clare didn’t originally want to be a nun, her sister said, instead harboring dreams of being an actress and getting her name in lights.

Instead, she “gave up everything” to dedicate her life to the Church.

I am some necessary steps on the path to holiness in the Catholic Church.

1) Wait a while

The process of making someone a saint cannot normally begin until at least five years after their death. But this waiting period can, under certain circumstances, be waived by the Pope.

2) Become a servant of God

An inquiry can then be opened to see if the person has lived his life with sufficient holiness. Evidence is gathered, and if the case is accepted, the individual is called a Servant of God.

3) Show evidence of “heroic virtue”

The department that makes recommendations to the Pope about saints examines the evidence.

If the case is approved, it is referred to the Pope who decides whether the person has lived a life of “heroic virtue”. If so, they may be called “venerable.”

4) Verify a miracle

The next stage, beatification, requires that a miracle be attributed to the prayers offered to the individual after his death.

Incidents must be “verified” by evidence before they are accepted. After beatification, the candidate is given the title of “blessed”.

5) Canonization

This is the final step in declaring a deceased person a saint. To reach this stage, a second miracle must normally be attributed to the prayers offered to the candidate after they have been beatified.