~ News 2026 ~

SIX Degrees PROMULGATED

VATICAN CITY - Today, 22 May, Pope Leo XIV received His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, in a private audience. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery to promulgate decrees regarding:

E. Ḩwayek	F. González	C. Vendrame	N. Zucca	M.A. Alberdi	J.T. Ebogo

- the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ELYĀS BUŢROS AL-ḨWAYEK [الياس بطرس الحويّك], patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites and founder of the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family; born in Helta, Batroun (Lebanon) on 4 December 1843, and died in Bkerke, Keserwan (Lebanon) on 24 December 1931; heroic virtues confirmed on 5 July 2019;

- the martyrdom of the Servant of God FRANCISCO GONZÁLEz DE CÓRDOVA and 79 COMPANIONS, diocesan priests, consecrated men, seminarians and lay faithful, killed in odium fidei  between 1936 and 1937, within the territory of the diocese of Santander (Spain), in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War;

- the offer of life of the Servant of God COSTANTINO VEnDRAME, professed priest of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco); born on 27 August 1893 in San Martino di Colle Umberto, Treviso (Italy) and died on 30 January 1957 in Dibrugarh, Assam (India);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Giovanni Zucca (in religion: Nazareno from Pula), professed religious of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, born on 21 January 1911 in Pula, Cagliari (Italy) and died on 29 February 1992 in Cagliari (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God María de la Concepción Cruz Echezarreta (in religion: María Ana), professed nun of the Order of the Immaculate Conception (Franciscan Conceptionist Nuns), born on 3 May 1912 in Azcoitia, Guipúzcoa (Spain) and died on 27 November 1998 in Madrid (Spain); and,

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Jean-Thierry Ebogo (in religion: Jean-Thierry of the Child Jesus and the Passion), professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites; born on 4 February 1982 in Mfou-Awaé, Méfou-et-Afamba (Cameroon) and died on 5 January 2006 in Legnano, Milan (Italy).

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

22/05/2026

ARMENIAN SAINT ADDED TO ROMAN MARTYROLOGY

VATICAN CITY - On Monday, 18 May 2026, on the occasion of the visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV announced the inclusion of Saint Nerses IV Shnorhali (i.e. “the Gracious”) in the Roman Martyrology.

     Nerses IV [Ներսէս Դ. Կլայեցի] (1102 – 13 August 1173), Catholicos of Armenia from 1166 to 1173, is recognized and venerated by the Armenian tradition as one of its greatest saints. He was born in Tsopk castle near Aintab (now Gaziantep, Türkiye). Nerses was the name he adopted upon ordination as a priest; his birth name is unknown. He belonged to the noble Pahlavouni family, being a descendant of St. Gregory the Illuminator through his mother. His father, Apirat Pahlavouni, was killed in battle when Nerses was ten. Following this loss, Nerses and his older brother Grigor were cared for by their maternal grand-uncle, Catholicos Grigor II the Martyrophile, at Karmir Vank, an Armenian monastery.

     Ordained as a celibate priest at 17 and consecrated as a bishop at 35, Nerses witnessed his brother become Catholicos in 1112. The Catholicosate moved from Dzamentav to Dzovk in 1116 and then to Hromkla (present-day Rumkale) in 1149 after the decline of the Armenian Kingdom of the Bagratunis and the destruction of Ani.

     After his brother’s death in 1166, Nerses became Catholicos IV and supported Church reconciliation efforts.  In 1141, he was invited as an observer during the synod of Latin prelates of the East held in Antioch. In 1166, he wrote the “Exposition of the Faith of the Armenian Church” to Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, arguing for unity between the Armenian and Greek Churches.

     A reconciliation letter from the emperor and Ecumenical Patriarch Michael III in 1171 initiated dialogue between the Churches, but it ultimately failed due to political changes. Nerses continued to advocate for unity throughout his life. At 70, he named his younger nephew as his successor. However, the elder imprisoned the younger and became Catholicos Grigor IV. Nerses passed away on 13 August 1173.

     Remembered as a pastor, theologian, poet, hymn writer, and forerunner of modern ecumenism, Nerses  received the title Shnorhali [Շնորհալի] from his contemporaries for the irenic nature of his writings.  His deep holiness led to his recognition as the “Second Illuminator” of the Armenians, alongside his nephew St. Nerses of Lampron, who both championed Church unity. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates his feast in mid-October, during the Feast of the Holy Translators, while the Armenian Catholic Church honors him on 13 August.

  During his ministry as bishop and Catholicos, he worked for reconciliation among the Churches, especially between the Armenian Church and the Byzantine Orthodox Church. His hymns are part of the Armenian liturgy ‒ both Apostolic and Catholic ‒ and numerous churches are dedicated to him. 

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

19/05/2026

Five Degrees PROMULGATED

VATICAN CITY - Today, 27 April, Pope Leo XIV received His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, in a private audience. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery to promulgate decrees regarding:

E. Ortega	M. Berenguer	P.M. Salado	M.E. Tramazzoli	M.T. IJsseldijk	M.R. De Giovanna

- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Lorenzo Ortega García (in religion: Estanislao) and 48 COMPANIONS, professed religious from the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Instruction of Saint Gabriel, along with Manuel Berenguer Clusellas, priest of the archdiocese of Barcelona; killed in odium fidei  between July and November 1936 in various places in Catalonia (Spain) in the religious persecution during the Spanish Civil War;

- the offer of life of the Servant of God Pedro Manuel Salado de Alba, layperson of the diocese of Córdoba, professed member of the Association “Hogar de Nazaret”; born on 1 January 1968 in Chiclana de la Frontera (Spain) and died on 5 February 2012 at Playa de Tonsupa, near Atacames, Esmeraldas (Ecuador);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Caterina Tramazzoli (in religion: Maria Eletta of Jesus), professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites; born on 28 January 1605 in Terni (Italy) and died on 11 January 1663 in Prague (Czechia);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God THERESIA Ijsseldijk (in religion: Maria THERESIA of the Most Holy Trinity), professed religious of the Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus, born on 13 November 1897 in Apeldoorn, Gelderland (Netherlands) and died on 10 March 1926 in Saint Louis, Missouri (United States of America); and,

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria De Giovanna (in religion: Maria Raffaella), founder of the Congregation of the Minim Sisters of Saint Francis di Paola; born on 30 July 1870 in Genoa (Italy) and died there on 11 March 1933.

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

27/04/2026

SIX Degrees PROMULGATED

VATICAN CITY - Today, 23 March, Pope Leo XIV received His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, in a private audience. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery to promulgate decrees regarding:

L. Altieri	E.J. Flanagan	H. Caffarel	S. Samulowska	M.B. Romero	G. Castagnetti

- the offer of life of the Servant of God LUDOVICO ALTIERI, bishop of Albano; cardinal of the Holy Roman Church; born in Rome (Italy) on 17 July 1805, and died in Albano Laziale, Rome (Italy) on 11 August 1867;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Edward Joseph Flanagan, priest of the archdiocese of Omaha; founder of «Boys Town», born on 13 July 1886 in Ballymoe, Galway (Ireland), and died on 15 May 1948 in Berlin (Germany);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Henri Caffarel, priest of the archdiocese of Paris; founder of the Association «Teams of Our Lady» and the Secular Institute of the Fraternity of Our Lady of the Resurrection; born on 30 July 1903 in Lyon, Rhône (France), and died on 18 September 1996 in Beauvais, Oise (France);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Barbara Samulowska (in religion: Stanisława), vowed member of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul; born on 30 January 1865 in Woryty, Gietrzwałd, Olsztyn (Poland), and died on 6 December 1950 in Guatemala City (Guatemala);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God MARÍA DOLORES ROMERO ALGARÍN (in religion: María del Belén of the Heart of Jesus), professed religious of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart (Spinola Sisters); born on 7 October 1916 in Sevilla (Spain), and died on 12 November 1977 in Sanlúcar la Mayor, Sevilla (Spain); and,

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Giuseppe Castagnetti, layperson of the diocese of Modena-Nonantola; married; born on 15 March 1909 in Montebaranzone, Prignano sulla Secchia, Modena (Italy), and died there on 22 June 1965.

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

23/03/2026

FIVE Degrees PROMULGATED

VATICAN CITY - Today, 21 February, Pope Leo XIV received His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, in a private audience. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery to promulgate decrees regarding:

G.M. Nicolas	B. Abū-Mrād	F. Lombardi	T. Koodalloor	F. Gei

- the heroic virtues and the confirmation of cultus since time immemorial of the Servant of God Gilbert Nicolas (in religion: Gabriel-Maria), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor and founder of the Order of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Annonciades); born c. 1462 near Riom, Puy-de-Dôme (France) and died on 27 August 1532 in Rodez, Aveyron (France);

- the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God SÉLIM ABŪ MRĀD (in religion: BSHĀRAH), professed priest of the Order of the Basilian Salvatorians of the Melkites; born on 19 May 1853 in Zahleh, Al Biqā‘ (Lebanon) and died on 22 February 1930 in Saïda, Al Janūb (Lebanon); heroic virtues confirmed on 10 December 2010;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Francesco Lombardi, priest of the diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo, born on 24 February 1851 in Terzorio, Imperia (Italy), and died on 12 February 1922 in Bussana, Imperia (Italy);

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Michael Koodalloor (in religion: Theophane), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin; born on 20 July 1913 in Kottappuram, Thrissur (India), and died on 4 April 1968 in Ponnurunni, Kochi, Ernakulam (India); and,

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Fausto Gei, layperson of the diocese of Brescia and member of the Association of the Silent Workers of the Cross; born on 24 March 1927 in Brescia (Italy), and died there on 28 March 1968.

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

21/02/2026

Six Degrees PROMULGATED

VATICAN CITY - Today, 22 January, Pope Leo XIV received His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints, in a private audience. During the audience, the Holy Father authorized the Dicastery to promulgate decrees regarding:

M.I. Isacchi	A.R. Ramírez	T. Relucenti	C. Militerni	M.I. Villela	N. Cobianchi

- the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God ANGELA CATERINA [ANCILLA] ISACCHI (in religion: MARIA IGNAZIA), founder of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola; born on 8 May 1857 in Stezzano, Bergamo (Italy), and died on 19 August 1934 in Seriate, Bergamo (Italy); heroic virtues confirmed on 17 December 2022;

- the martyrdom of the Servant of God augusto Rafael RAMírez Monasterio, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor; born on 5 November 1937 in Guatemala City (Guatemala), and killed there in odium fidei on 7 November 1983;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Tecla Antonia Relucenti (in religion: TECLA MARIA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION), cofounder of the Congregation of the Pious Worker Sisters of the Immaculate Conception; born on 23 September 1704 in Ascoli Piceno (Italy), and died there on 11 July 1769;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Teresa Militerni (in religion: Crocifissa), professed religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint John the Baptist, born on 24 December 1874 in Cetraro, Cosenza (Italy), and died there on 25 March 1925;

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria Giselda Villela (in religion: Maria Imaculada of the Holy Trinity), professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites; born on 8 July 1909 in Sapucaí, Jacutinga, Minas Gerais (Brazil), and died on 20 January 1988 in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais (Brazil); and,

- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Nerino Cobianchi, layperson of the diocese of Vigevano; married; born on 25 June 1945 in Velezzo Lomellina, Pavia (Italy), and died on 3 January 1998 in Cilavegna, Pavia (Italy).

Posted by:

Charles G. Braganza 

Date:

22/01/2026