Category: Sainthood causes

Cause of Canonization of Michelle Duppong opened

We may have a new saint from the Church of the USA. On December 29, 2014, Michelle Christine Duppong was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer while serving as the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck. She died at the age of 31.

Since Michelle was part of the FOCUS missionaries they have have established a page on their website profiling her. Give a look.

If you are unfamiliar with the process of how one is declared a saint in the Catholic Church, The National Catholic Register has an article on Michelle Duppong.

Here’s a recent communication from the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota.

On November 1, 2022, All Saints Day, Bishop David Kagan celebrated the Opening Mass for the Cause for Canonization of Michelle Duppong.

PUBLICATION OF THE POSTULATOR’S PETITION

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

In the name of the ‘Fellowship of Catholic University Students’ (FOCUS), Father Thomas J. Grafsgaard, appointed as postulator and approved by myself as postulator, requested me to initiate the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Michelle Duppong, former FOCUS Missionary and Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Bismarck who died on December 25th, 2015, at Haymarsh in this diocese.

After having consulted with the Holy See, my brother bishops and the faithful of this diocese; and having verified the existence of a true and widespread reputation of sanctity, enjoyed by her during her life and growing ever stronger after her death, as well as ample evidence of the granting of graces and favors by God through her intercession, I, David D. Kagan, Bishop of Bismarck, do hereby make public the petition of Father Thomas J. Grafsgaard, the postulator of this cause, and thus declare I am initiating the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Michelle Christine Duppong.

In conformity with “The Norms to be Observed in Inquiries Made by Bishops in the Causes of Saints”, published by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on February 7, 1983, I also call upon any and all who may have useful information regarding the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Michelle Christine Duppong to bring such documents, materials or information to my attention.

Given at Bismarck, North Dakota, on this 1st day of November in the year of Our Lord 2022.

Bishop David D. Kagan
Bishop of Bismarck

Fr Ragheed Ganni

Iraqi priest Fr Ragheed Ganni, and 3 subdeacons, were killed by terrorists on this day in 2007 in Mosul. He was martyred for refusing to close his church. His cause for canonization was introduced in 2018.

Servant of God Fr Ragheed Ganni, pray for us.

Dorothy Day’s sainthood cause advances

The diocesan phase of the cause for canonization of the Servant of God Dorothy Day closes officially on December 8, 2021. The Archdiocese of New York will now send the gathered documentation to the Holy See’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Holy Mass will note this advancement will be offered by Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 7:30 p.m. on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The diocesan work for the Cause was overseen by an army of people (circa 100) coordinated by the Dorothy Day Guild: George Horton and Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, vice postulators, members of the Ignatian Volunteers, Day’s granddaughter Martha Hennessy and supported by the current and previous two archbishops of New York. The collaboration had the goal of keeping the process local and simple so that it abided with the focus that Day had in life.

Just to give you a sense of the work in gathering Dorothy’s written work: it measures 32 square feet. No doubt that what Day communicated contributed to the conversion of countless people.

And so we pray for God’s grace in this proposal of Dorothy Day being recognized as a saint. In the spirit of Day, we are all called to be saints. As Day loved the saints, so we ought to be real saints.

Servant of God Dorothy Day, pray for us.

Servant of God Fabian and Four Companions, Martyrs –canonization process opens

Great news!

The current issue of Marian Helper has an article on the beatification process for the five martyrs belonging to the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, including Servant of God Fabian Abrantowicz, Servant of God Andrew Cikoto, and Servant of God Vladislovas Mažonas, all three who ministered in the Russian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Harbin.

They are known officially as “Servant of God Fabian and Four Companions, Martyrs”. The Circular Letter:

Circular Letter for the Opening of the Beatification Process of the Servant of God Fabian and Four Companions, Martyrs

Revisiting Dorothy Day

In the August edition of The Current, Blake Billings an Oblate of Portsmouth Abbey and faculty member of the School, wrote a terrific piece on the Servant of God Dorothy Day in light of her own oblation to the Benedictine charism.

I have been waiting for someone to take the time to curate the information on the role of the Benedictine charism in the life and work of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. As persons with human and spiritual desires we need an organizing principle to root the heart, to situate our intellect, and to focus our energies for the better, for the good, for joy. That’s whatthe Benedictine way of life gives to those who adhere to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the magisterium, and the Rule of St Benedict. I was elated that Blake Billings did what I was looking for…perhaps the essay would be useful to you.


Take some time to read “Revisiting Dorothy Day“:

Jérôme Lejeune advanced in sainthood cause

Good news!

This morning Pope Francis recognized heroic virtue of the Servant of God Jérôme Lejeune, born on 13 June 1926 at Montrouge (Francia) and died in Paris (France) on 3 April 1994.

This advancement in the cause in the canonization process carries the title for Lejeune, Venerable Servant of God. Now we wait for the certification of a miracle to be beatified. God willing this will be coming soon.

By God’s grace we have in the life and heroism of Doctor Lejeune a terrific example for all Catholics, indeed all people of good will, today. As one person said Lejeune is an “outstanding symbol for the defense of God’s rights in science and legislation.”

A brief biography of the Venerable Servant of God Jérôme Lejeune:

Dr. Jerôme Lejeune was both a brilliant scientist and a dedicated Catholic. His groundbreaking work on the genetic causes of syndromic intellectual disabilities won him international acclaim from academics and world leaders alike: not only did he establish conclusively that Down syndrome is caused by an anomaly in the 21st chromosome, but he also discovered the causes of cri-du-chat and Fragile X. Tragically, Dr. Lejeune’s research was used to develop prenatal screening techniques to detect these syndromes in unborn children, effectively promoting their abortion.

Always a devout Catholic, this turn of events led Dr. Lejeune to become an outspoken defender of unborn infants and children with Down syndrome and other genetic conditions. In 1969, he was presented with the William Allan Award, the highest prize in the field of genetics, by the American Society of Human Genetics. He took the opportunity to denounce abortion publicly before his fellow scientists. That day, as he later told his wife, “I lost my Nobel Prize for Medicine.”

He established in Paris the world’s first clinic dedicated solely to the care of infants and children with Down syndrome. In 1981 he addressed a US Senate subcommittee on the overwhelming scientific evidence showing that human life begins at conception. In 1992, once again in the U.S., he testified in the Davis v. Davis “frozen embryo case” that human embryos are indeed human beings and not commodities.

Both the academic world and the press retaliated. His career ground to a halt; his funding was discontinued; and his former colleagues shunned him. He was appointed head of the Pontifical Academy for Life by John Paul II in 1994, but suffering as he was from cancer, he did not hold the post for more than a few weeks. He died on Easter Sunday of the same year. His medical legacy is carried on by the Fondation Jerome Lejeune, which finances and carries out research on genetic intellectual disabilities, supports patients and their families, and remains staunchly pro-life.

The Foundation: https://www.institutlejeune.org

Father Kino’s heroic virtue recognized

On July 10, 2020, the Pope acknowledged the heroic virtue of the Servant of God Eusebio Francesco Chini (Kino), a priest of the Society of Jesus. Thus, the sainthood cause moves ahead.

Kino, as we know him, was born on 10 August 1645 in Segno, Italy and died in Magdalena, Mexico on 15 March 1711. He was a trained mathematician wanted to imitate the great Saint Francis Xavier. The Jesuit Provincial sent Father Kino to serve as a missionary in what was known as New Spain now Arizona, southern California and Mexico. Kino was called the Horseback priest because his travels covered more than 50,000 square miles on horseback. 

At the time of Father Kino’s work the Spaniards forced the native peoples, in particular the Sonoran Indians, to be slaves in the mines. Father Kino was known to oppose the slavery and compulsory hard labor. In today’s atmosphere Kino would be roundly rejected the religious left and secularists. However, Kino contributed to the welfare of others through Catholic Faith, missionary work, education, economy, farming, map making, and constructing.

As a priest he taught others about the truth of Jesus Christ, the need for the Church and her sacraments, and personally baptizing 4,500 people.

His agricultural work draws my attention because it taps into to the care of the person and society. Agriculture also links other things together: faith, reason, science, nutrition, and common sense. Some standards have changed since Kino’s work 400 years ago, but we can see the lines of care and concern for the health of people he interacted with as a missionary. Kino introduced seeds, fruits, herbs, grains, and animal husbandry (beef, sheep, and goats).

Kino now carries the title of Venerable Servant of God. We await a miracle attributed to his intercession. I am looking forward to his beatification someday soon. Father Kino had a generous spirit and a generative character; it is clear to me that his humanity was expansive because of his love of Christ.