Saints’ lives prove the power of God’s love to transfigure all, Pope Francis says at canonization Mass By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The lives of the saints prove that holiness is not an unreachable goal accomplished by a select few but comes from acknowledging and sharing God’s love, Pope Francis […]
Two U.S. war heroes get sainthood nod from U.S. bishops
By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops gave their go-ahead to two dioceses to continue their efforts to make their case for a priest and a brother to be considered for sainthood. The men are Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, an Army chaplain who died in […]
Bishop Silva moves forward with Joseph Dutton’s canonization cause
Hawaii Catholic Herald A third Molokai saint? Bishop Larry Silva has moved forward the possibility of a third canonized saint emerging from the five-square mile Molokai peninsula already sanctified by the lives of 8,000 people forcibly quarantined there for having Hansen’s disease. A one-page edict, dated, read and posted by the bishop on May 29, […]
Church’s reputation on the line when judging sanctity
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — In the Catholic Church, a person’s canonization is almost always preceded by decades of meticulous investigation into the minute details of the candidate’s life. Thousands of saints have been raised to the altars after these thorough investigations, while the causes of many other candidates are […]
Sainthood cause for Dorothy Day picking up steam in United States
By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The sainthood cause for Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, believes it could have all of the documentation prepared at some point next year to send to the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes. It would represent the culmination of an effort begun informally in 1997, […]
St. Damien, imitating Jesus, ‘crossed barriers,’ Bishop Silva said
10TH ANNIVERSARY OF CANONIZATION By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald Bishop Larry Silva began his homily for the evening Mass Oct. 11 marking the 10th anniversary of St. Damien’s canonization by describing an outhouse. The structure near the Siloama Protestant Church at the Kalaupapa settlement for leprosy patients had facilities for two — not “men” […]
10th anniversary reprint: The canonization of St. Damien de Veuster
This is a reprint of the story published in the Oct. 16, 2009, Hawaii Catholic Herald on the canonization of St. Damien de Veuster. Oct. 11 marks the 10th anniversary of that historic event. Hawaii has a saint! ‘It has finally happened and we are all here. God is good.’ By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic […]
Cause opens for beatification of 20th century ‘Damien’
By Simon Caldwell Catholic News Service MANCHESTER, England — The Vatican has allowed the bishops of Zimbabwe to open the sainthood cause of a British missionary murdered after he refused to abandon his ministry to people with Hansen’s disease during the country’s civil war. The cause for the beatification of John Bradburne, a lay member […]
Edict opens sainthood cause for Mississippi’s Sister Thea
By Maureen Smith Catholic News Service JACKSON, Miss. — Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson read the edict to open the sainthood cause for Sister Thea Bowman at Mass Nov. 18 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in downtown Jackson. The church was packed with people who loved Sister Bowman and can’t wait […]
For many, Archbishop Romero’s canonization a dream come true
By Melissa Vida and Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service ROME — For many pilgrims from El Salvador and for many Catholics who focus on the tie between faith and justice, waiting for the canonization of St. Oscar Romero was an exercise in patience. The declaration of the sainthood of the Salvadoran archbishop, who was […]