Category: Sainthood causes

Rozalia Celak –the Apostle of Christ the King

Rozalia CelakThe Servant of God Rozalia Celak as a young woman had been the given by the Lord the gift of mystical experiences. Celak reports that she heard in her heart a voice full of the Lord’s love: ‘My child, love me since my Heart loved you first, love me for the whole world. I shall extend the space of your heart and fill it with love so that you could reciprocate my love.’

The mission of Celak was to announce to the Polish people –and by extension the rest of the world– Jesus as the King. This mission is a re-echoing of the revelations made to the great St Gertrude, St. Margaret Mary and and St Faustina. It is my belief that in every era someone raised up by Christ to announce the beauty and necessity of being in full communion with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To be noted, an event that recently happened in Poland in the presence of the civil authorities.

A brief biography of Rozalia Celak can be read here.

Jesus, Christ the King, have mercy on us.
Servant of God Rozalia Celak, pray for us.

Alfred Pampalon’s witness

Alfred Pampalon died 121 years ago today at the age of 28. Classmates called him “the Lamb of God” as a testimony to his piety and gentleness while others called him the “Hail Mary Saint” because of his love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Alcoholics and drug addicts and their caregivers rely on his testimony of faith and cleaning living to inspire personal change

The human and spiritual qualities of Alfred (an excellent athlete, a good student, devout, prayerful, and helpful, a desire to devote to God’s service) made him a solid candidate for priesthood. His spiritual and intellectual training couple with a great heart allowed him to be renowned as a confessor and spiritual director, especially among the poor.

Ask the Lord to make a saint of the Catholic Church. We need his intercession today. I see the need for his beatification especially there are many, many priests who are affected by the abuse of alcohol and they refuse to change their life for their own good, and the good of the Church.

Dorothy Day’s teaching on Justice

dorothy-day“If you find the life of Dorothy Day inspiring, if you want to understand what gave her direction and courage and strength to persevere, her deep attentiveness to others, consider her spiritual and sacramental life.”

These are the words of Jim Forest published in an article, “What I learned about justice from Dorothy Day,” that originally appeared in the July/August 1995 issue of Salt of the Earth magazine. This article is really good and I highly recommend it. One reason being you really do locate the source of Day’s thinking and spirituality in the Eucharistic Heart of Our Savior, Jesus.  Is there really anything more to be taught/learned by way of praying before the Blessed Sacrament?

Jim Forest began his association with Dorothy Day in 1961, when he moved to New York City to join the Catholic Worker community there. Jim is the author of an excellent introduction on the life and work of Dorothy Day called All Is Grace.

Dorothy Day’s caused for sainthood has been introduced. It would be good to learn from Day on how to be an authentic Catholic and not some secularist: Go to Jesus through the example of Dorothy!

Father Franz Reinisch

Father Franz ReinischOn this date in 1942, Father Franz Reinisch was beheaded in Brandenburg, Berlin. He was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and member of the Schoenstatt Movement.

A staunch critic of the Nazis, he refused to take the oath allegiance of Adolf Hitler and believed he was the personification of the Antichrist. He was arrested, tried, and convicted by a military court. He was sentenced to death. Father Reinisch made Holy Confession and received Holy Communion.

Father Reinisch is currently in the process of Canonization by the Catholic Church.

Leonie Martin

Sr. Françoise-ThérèseEarlier this week the postulator of the cause of canonization of Leonie Martin –nun of the Order of the Visitation,  the daughter of Saints Zelie and Louis Martin, sister of Saint Thérèse, published an update on his recent work. The mortal remains of Sister Leonie was disinterred, given a new habit of the Visitation and placed in a glass coffin. Sister Leonie’s face was face was covered by a mask and work was done to stave-off the further decomposition. It is expected that the body of Sister Leonie will be entomb in the Chapel of the Visitation Monastery.

This is a supreme example where we help each other become saints. A significant grace of God! On this blog, and read elsewhere, it is frequently said that saints-beget-saints. How else could you explain how Sister Françoise-Thérèse’s parents and sister are saints and their influence on this member of her biological family?

There is a book entitled, 15 Days of Prayer with Leonie Martin. The book is only in French at the moment but this would be the title in English.

Let us pray for the canonization of the Servant of God Sister Françoise-Thérèse.

Father Patrick Ryan, Servant of God

Patrick Ryan Servant of GodSainthood causes are always very interesting to me. For one, they show how the Gospel and the Sacraments incarnated in a particular Church or a country. Every saint has a history and a personal spiritual genealogy given particularly by the Trinity for reasons of sanctification. The USA has several saints and blesseds, lots of venerables and servants of God. A recent one, Father Patrick Ryan, is the latest Servant of God.

Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, TN writes:

Yesterday (8/9/2016) I signed documents that God willing will lead to the eventual canonization of a priest who served in East Tennessee, Father Patrick Ryan. This remarkable priest, born in Ireland took care of the sick during an outbreak of Yellow Fever in Chattanooga during the 1870s. He served then at what is now known as the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul. When others abandoned the sick, he stayed around but eventually he himself died from Yellow Fever. He was known for his holiness and pastoral care. I will share more in months ahead about the case of this man whom now is being considered for his holiness as a Saint of God. The Vatican has under recognized his holiness by allowing the process to begin. And so yesterday, with their approval and my signature giving my assent as the bishop, he is now known under the title of “Servant of God”!

Bring your prayer intentions to the Servant of God Father Patrick Ryan so that he will bring them to the Lord.

Blessed Mary Stella and Companions, Martyrs of Nowogrodek

Eleven Nuns of NowogrodekToday is also a  day on which I recall the witness of the eleven courageous and holy Nazareth Sisters, who in 1943 sacrificed their lives for family members during World War II in Belarus.

As a boy in a New Haven school staffed by the Nazareth Sisters, St. Stanislaus School, I distinctly remember the Adam Styka image  (1948) painted of the nuns being murdered by the Nazi regime.  The original painting was moved to the Rome headquarters of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1965.

Each falling into a common grave. Though their mortal identity was robbed by a common grace, but their dignity as woman of grace and Divine Love not. Keeping their memory alive means remembering the names of those killed. The sisters’ names were: M. Stella, M. Imelda, M. Rajmunda, M. Daniela, M. Kanuta, M. Sergia, M. Gwidona, M. Felicyta, M. Heliodora, M. Kanizja and M. Boromea.

In the days before the great feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration on August 6th, it is interesting to note that these sisters had received a tremendous outpouring of affection from their fellow townspeople. The sisters were known as “The Kneelers” because they frequented the local parish Church of The Transfiguration to kneel in prayer at the left side of the altar in prayer.

Sister Mary Stella prayed: “O God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us who are free from family obligations.  Spare those who have wives and children.”

Saint John Paul II said of Sister Mary Stella, “By the power of His grace, these seemingly weak women witnessed to the strength of true love to the point of martyrdom” (March 5, 2000).

The 12th sister of the group, Sister Malgorzata Banas, who survived the war and the sisters’ chaplain Father Aleksander Sienkiewicz are also candidates for sainthood.

Through the intercession of Blessed Mary Stella and her Ten Companions, Martyrs of Nowogrodek, let us pray for the grace of perseverance in faith and courage.

The liturgical memorial falls on September 4.

Solanum Casey’s 59th anniversary of death

Solanus Casey tombToday is the anniversary of death for Venerable Servant of God Father Solanus Casey.

The Sacrifice of the Mass was offered at the Capuchin Shrine in Detroit where his tomb exists. The Archbishop of Detroit, Allen H. Vigneron, offered Mass.

Father Solanus Casey, was born November 25, 1870, on a Wisconsin farm, joined the Capuchin friars in 1896 and ordained priest on July 24, 1904.

Prayers for the beatification of Father Solanus Casey.

Romano Guardini’s sainthood cause introduced

romano guardiniSome fascinating news –at least it was fascinating to me– that the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is preparing to open the Cause of Canonization for Father Romano Guardini, one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the 20th century. Several groups have developed praying for Guardini’s beatification.

The press is reporting that Reinhard Cardinal Marx is expected to formally open the Cause before the end of the year.

Father Guardini was born in Verona in 1885 and died in Munich on October 1, 1968.

He taught at the University of Berlin, the University of Tübingen and at the University of Munich. Guardini has been called the patron saint of education (or the educator).

Some of Guardini’s major theological contributions:

The Spirit of the Liturgy
The Lord
The End of the Modern World
The Art of Praying
The Inner Life of Jesus
Meditations Before Mass
The Rosary of Our Lady
The Living God
Eternal Life
And the Word Dwelt Among Us.

The popes, including the last two, have relied upon the thinking of Guardini. In the 1980s when Francis was shipped off to Germany by the Jesuits to get him away from Argentina he went to Germany he was to prepare a doctoral dissertation on Guardini but never finished the work. Pope Francis said, “convinced that Guardini is a thinker who has much to say to the people of our time, and not only to Christians”The emeritus pope Benedict stated that Guardini is “a great figure, a Christian interpreter of the world and of his own time”. It is said that Father Guardini was a principal source of influence in Benedict’s writings.

Father Romano Guardini, pray for us.