Fourteen Decrees Promulgated

VATICAN CITY - Today, 17 December 2007, Pope Benedict XVI received Card. José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints, in a private audience. During that audience, the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following fourteen decrees regarding:

M. Sopoćko	K. Haddad	C. Sordini	E. de Villeneuve	L. Poloni	G. Catanea

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God MICHAŁ SOPOĆKO, priest of the archdiocese of Białystok; born on 01 November 1888 in Jurowsczyzna, Vilniaus rajona (Lithuania) and died on 15 February 1975 in Białystok, Podlaskie (Poland); declared venerable on 20 December 2004;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God KHALĪL al-HADDĀD (in religion: YA‘QŪB FROM GHAZĪR), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross; born on 01 February 1875 in Ghazīr, Jabal Lubnān (Lebanon) and died on 26 June 1954 in Beirut (Lebanon); declared venerable on 21 December 1992;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God CATERINA SORDINI (in religion: MARIA MADDALENA OF THE INCARNATION), founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration; born on 17 April 1770 in Porto Santo Stefano, Grossetto (Italy) and died on 29 November 1824 in Rome; declared venerable on 24 April 2001;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ÉMILIE DE VILLENEUVE, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; born on 09 March 1811 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne (France) and died on 02 October 1854  in Castres, Tarn (France); declared venerable on 06 July 1991;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God LUIGIA POLONI (in religion: VINCENZA MARIA), founder of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of Verona; born on 26 January 1802 in Verona (Italy) and died there on 11 November 1855; declared venerable on 28 April 2006;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God GIUSEPPINA CATANEA (in religion: MARIA GIUSEPPINA OF JESUS CRUCIFIED); professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns; born on 18 February 1894 in Naples (Italy) and  died there on 14 March 1948; declared venerable on 03 January 1987;

F. Mottola	S. Morazzone	L. Rafiringa	Y. Nehmé	A.M. Marovich	G. De Micheli	M. Lozano Garrido	A. Meo

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God FRANCESCO MOTTOLA, priest of the diocese of Tropea and founder of the Secular Institute of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart; born on 03 January 1901 in Tropea, Vibo Valentia (Italy) and died there on 29 June 1969;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God SERAFINO MORAZZONE, priest of the archdiocese of Milan; born on 01 February 1747 in Milan (Italy) and died on 13 April 1822 in Chiuso, Lecco (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God LOUIS RAFIRINGA (in religion: RAPHAËL), professed religious, Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers); born on 03 November 1856 in Antananarivo (Madagascar) and died on 19 May 1919 in Fianarantsoa (Madagascar);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God YŪSUF NEHMÉ (in religion: ESŢFĀN), professed religious of the Lebanese Maronite Order; born at the beginning of March 1889 in Lehfed, Jabal Lubnān (Lebanon) and died on 30 August 1938 in Kfifane, Ash Shamāl (Lebanon);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ANNA MARIA MAROVICH, professed religious of the Institute of the Sisters of the Reparation; born on 07 February 1815 in Venice (Italy) and died there on 03 October 1887;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God GIUSEPPINA DE MICHELI (in religion: MARIA PIERINA), professed religious of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception; born on 11 September 1890 in Milan (Italy) and died on 26 July 1945 in Centonara d’Artò, Novara (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God MANUEL LOZANO GARRIDO, layperson of the diocese of Jaén; born on 09 August 1920 in Linares, Jaén (Spain) and died there on 03 November 1971;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ANTONIA MEO (also known as NENNOLINA), child of the diocese of Rome; born on 15 December 1930 in Rome (Italy) and died there on 03 July 1937.

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Sixteen Decrees Promulgated

VATICAN CITY - Today, 06 July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI received Card. José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints, in a private audience. During that audience, the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following sixteen decrees regarding:

G. Errico	V. Bütler	M. Flesch	S. Paz-Castillo	M. Wiecka	G. Nicoli	C. Namuncura	A. Primaldo & Cps.

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Gaetano Errico, professed priest and founder of the Congregation  of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; born on 19 October 1791 in Secondigliano, Naples (Italy) and died there on 29 October 1860; beatified by Pope John Paul II on 14 April 2002;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Verena Bütler (in religion: MarÍa Bernarda), founder of the Congregation  of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, Help of Christians; born on 28 May 1848 in Auw, Aargau (Switzerland) and died on 19 May 1924 in Cartagena, Bolívar (Colombia); beatified by Pope John Paul II on 29 October 1995;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God MargarethA Flesch (in religion: MARIA ROSA), founder of the Institute  of the Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels; born on 24 February 1826 in Schönstatt bei Vallendar, Rhineland Palatinate (Germany) and died on 25 March 1906 in Waldbreitbach, Rhineland Palatinate (Germany); declared venerable on 28 April 2006;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Susana Paz-Castillo Ramírez (in religion: Candelaria of Saint Joseph), founder of the Congregation  of the Carmelite Sisters of Venezuela; born on 11 August 1863 in Altagracia de Orituco, Guarico (Venezuela) and died on 31 January 1940 in Cumaná, Sucre (Venezuela); declared venerable on 19 April 2004;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Marta ANNA Wiecka, professed religious of the Company  of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul; born on 12 January 1874 in Nowy Wiec, Pomorskie (Poland) and died on 30 May 1904 in Sniatyn, Ivano-Frankivs’ka oblast’ (then in Poland; now in Ukraine) (Poland); declared venerable on 20 December 2004;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Giuseppina Nicoli, professed religious of the Company  of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul; born on 18 November 1863 in Casatisma, Pavia (Italy) and died on 31 December 1924 in Cagliari (Italy); declared venerable on 28 April 2006;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God CefErino Namuncurá, young layperson of the diocese of Viedma, student of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco); born on 26 August 1886 in Chimpay, Rio Negro (Argentina) and died on 28 March 1905 in Rome (Italy); declared venerable on 22 June 1972;

- the martyrdom of Blesseds Antonio Primaldo and 800 Companions, laypersons of the diocese of Otranto, killed in odium fidei on 13 August 1480 in Otranto (Italy); cult confirmed on 14 December 1771;

M. A. Barbarigo	L. Passi	I. Juco	L. Naudet	E. Scribano	J. Schneider	J. Le Royer	H. Burjan

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Marco Antonio Barbarigo, bishop of Montefiascone and Corneto (today, Tarquinia), cardinal; born on 06 March 1640 in Venice (Italy) and died on  26 May 1706 in Montefiascone, Viterbo (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Luca Passi, priest of the archdiocese of Venice and founder of the Institute  of the Teaching Sisters of Saint Dorothy; born  on 22 January 1789 in Bergamo (Italy)  and died on 18 April 1866 in Venice (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Ignacia del Espiritu Santo JUCO, founder of the Congregation  of the Religious of the Virgin Mary; born in February 1663 in the suburbs of Manila (Philippines) and died on 10 September 1748 in Manila (Philippines);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Leopoldina Naudet, founder of the Congregation  of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Verona; born on 31 May 1773 in Florence (Italy) and died on 17 August 1834 in Verona (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God EmManuela Giovanna Scribano (in religion: Santina of Jesus), professed religious of the Institute  of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart; born on 04 December 1917 in Ragusa (Italy) and died there on 12 May 1968;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Julia Schneider (in religion: EmiliE), professed religious of the Congregation  of the Daughters of the Cross; born on 06 September 1820 in Haaren bein Heinsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) and died on 21 March 1859 in Düsseldorf, Baden-Württemberg (Germany);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Jérôme Le Royer de la Dauversière, layperson of the diocese of Le Mans; married; founder of the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Joseph of Flèche (today the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph); born on 18 March 1597 in La Flèche, Sarthe (France) and died on 06 November 1659 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime (France);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Hildegard Burjan, layperson of the archdiocese of Vienna, married; founder, Sisterhood of Caritas Socialis; born on 30 January 1883 in Görlitz, Dresden (Germany) and died on 11 June 1933 in Vienna (Austria).

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Seventeen Decrees Promulgated

VATICAN CITY - Today, 01 June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI received Card. José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints, in a private audience. During that audience, the Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding:

A. Muttathupadathu	N. Martillo Moran	A. Rosmini	M. Merkert	H. Stenmanns	M.A. Donati

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed ANNA MUTTATHUPADATHU (in religion: ALPHONSA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION), professed religious of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation; born on 19 August 1910 in Kudamaloor, Kerala (India) and died on 28 July 1946 in Bharananganam, Kerala (India); beatified by Pope John Paul II on 08 February 1986;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed NARCISA DE JESÚS MARTILLO MORÁN, layperson of the archdiocese of Guayaquil; born in 1832 in Nobol, Guayas (Ecuador) and died on 08 December 1869 in Lima (Perú); beatified by Pope John Paul II on 25 October 1992;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ANTONIO ROSMINI, priest and founder of the Institute of Charity (Rosminians) and of the Rosminian Sisters of Providence; born on 24 March 1797 in Rovereto, Trent (Italy) and died on 01 July 1855 in Stresa, Viterbo (Italy); declared venerable on 26 June 2006;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God MARIA LUIZA MERKERT, cofounder and first superior general of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth; born on 21 September 1817 in Nysa, Opolskie (Poland) and died there on 14 November 1872; declared venerable on 20 December 2004;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God HENDRINA STENMANNS (in religion: JOSEFA), cofounder of the Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit; born on 28 May 1852 in Issum, North Rhine-Wetsphalia (Germany) and died on 20 May 1903 in Steyl, Limburg (Netherlands); declared venerable on 14 May 1991;

- a miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God MARIA ANNA DONATI (in religion: CELESTINA OF THE MOTHER OF GOD), founder of the Congregation of the Poor Daughters of Saint Joseph Calasanz (Calasanzian Sisters); born on 26 October 1848 in Marradi, Florence (Italy) and died on 18 March 1925 in Florence (Italy); declared venerable on 06 April 1998;

P. Kibe Kasui	A. Rodriguez Alonso	M. Arriola Uranga	F. Jägerstätter

- the martyrdom of the Servants of God PETRUS KIBE KASUI, professed priest of the Society of Jesus, and 187 COMPANIONS, priests, religious and laypersons, killed in odium fidei from 1603 to 1639 in Japan;

- the martyrdom of the Servants of God AVELINO RODRÍGUEZ ALONSO, professed priest of the Order of Saint Augustine, and 97 COMPANIONS of the same Order, along with 6 COMPANIONS from the diocesan clergy of Albacete, Cuenca, and Malaga, killed in odium fidei during the religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War in 1936;

- the martyrdom of the Servants of God MANUELA ARRIOLA URANGA (in religion: MANUELA OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS) e 22 COMPANIONS, of the Institute of the Sisters Adorers, Handmaids of Charity and of the Blessed Sacrament, killed in odium fidei during the religious persecution in the Spanish Civil War in 1936;

- the martyrdom of the Servant of God FRANZ JÄGERSTÄTTER, layperson of the diocese of Linz; married; born on 20 May 1907 in Sankt Radegund, Oberösterreich (Austria) and killed in odium fidei on 09 August 1943 in Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg (Germany);

G. B. Arista	J.J. Lataste	F.M. Perez	L. Lavizzari	E. M. Weiss	A. Barelli	C. Guerra

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God GIOVANNI BATTISTA ARISTA, bishop of Acireale, of the Congregation of the Oratorians of Saint Philip Neri; born on 02 April 1863 in Palermo (Italy) and died on 27 September 1920 in Acireale, Catania (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ALCIDE-VITAL LATASTE (in religion: JEAN-JOSEPH), professed priest of the Order of Friars Preachers and founder of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany; born on 05 September 1832 in Cadillac, Dordogne (France) and died on 10 March 1869 in Frasne-le-Château, Haute-Saône (France);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God FRANCESCO MARIA PEREZ, professed religious of the Congregation of the Poor Servants of Divine Providence; born on 09 July 1861 in Verona (Italy) and died there on 04 December 1937;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God LUIGIA LAVIZZARI (in religion: MARIA CATERINA OF THE CHILD JESUS), professed religious of the Benedictine Nuns of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and prioress of the Monastery of Ronco di Ghiffa; born on 06 October 1867 in Vervio, Sondrio (Italy) and died on 25 December 1931 in Ronco di Ghiffa, Verbania (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ELEONORE MARGARETE WEISS (in religion: MARIA FIDELIS), professed religious of the Franciscan Sisters of the Third Order Regular of the Monastery of Reutberg, born on 12 June 1882 in Kempten, Bavaria (Germany) and died on 11 February 1923 in Reutberg, Bavaria (Germany);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God ARMIDA BARELLI, layperson of the archdiocese of Milan, member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and cofounder of the Secular Institute of the Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ; born on 01 December 1882 in Milan (Italy) and died on 15 August 1952 in Marzio, Varese (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God CLEONILDE GUERRA, young layperson of the diocese of Faenza-Modigliana; born on 29 January 1922 in San Potito di Lugo, Ravenna (Italy) and died on 19 May 1949 in Bologna (Italy).

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Canonization Announced

VATICAN CITY - At 11 a.m. this morning, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict XVI held an ordinary public consistory during the celebration of midday prayers for the canonization of Blesseds:

• Ġorġ Preca, priest and founder of the Society of the Christian Doctrine (M.U.S.E.U.M.);

• JOANNES ANDREAS HOUBEN (in religion: CHARLES OF SAINT ANDREW), professed priest of the Congregation of the Passion;

• SZYMON OF LIPNICA, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minors (Observants);

• ANTÔNIO GALVÃO DE FRANÇA (in religion: ANTÔNIO OF SAINT ANNE), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor (Discalced); and,

• ANNE-EUGÉNIE MILLERET DE BROU (in religion: MARIE-EUGÉNIE OF JESUS), founder of the Institute of the Religious of the Assumption;

The canonization ceremony for Bd. Antônio Galvão de França will take place on Friday, 11 May 2007, during the course of the pope's apostolic trip to Brazil. The canonization ceremony for Bb. Ġorġ Preca, Joannes Andreas Houben, Szymon of Lipnica, and Anne-Eugenie Milleret de Brou will take place on Sunday, 03 June 2007, in Rome.

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Decree on Miracle Attributed to Ġorġ Preca Promulgated

VATICAN CITY - The Congregation for the Causes of Saints promulgated today the decree on a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Ġorġ Preca, priest and founder of the Society of the Christian Doctrine (M.U.S.E.U.M.) It received the approval of Pope Benedict XVI last 14 February.

   The miracle occurred around two months after his beatification during Pope John Paul II's visit to Malta in May 2001. The case involved an infant who developed liver complications mere days after birth. The child was examined at St. Luke’s Hospital in Malta and eventually transferred to London’s King College Hospital, for further treatment.

   On 14 July, doctors decided that the child would only survive if given a liver transplant. Although a date for the transplant was established, it was later discovered that the donor was not a compatible match. At this point the child’s family turned to God through prayer, with the intercession of Blessed Ġorġ Preca. A glove used during the exhumation of the priest a few months earlier was also placed upon the infant’s body. On 20 July, the child’s liver started to function normally and within another four days doctors decided that the baby no longer required a liver transplant. Today the child is a healthy five-year-old. 

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza