Holiness in the Salesian Family

Update

on Holiness in the Salesian Family

By Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga

General Councilor for the South Asia Region

 

At the end of December, the Salesian postulator general, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, gave the SDB general council an update regarding the latest situation of the saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God in our Family. We have 165 persons in the Salesian Family recognized at various levels for their holiness.

Saints - 9

There are 9 saints, among whom we have three SDBs (two of whom are martyrs), one FMA, one pupil, and four friends of Don Bosco. In the chronological order of their canonization they are:

• John Bosco, priest (April 1, 1934)
• Joseph Cafasso, priest (June 22, 1947

• Mary Mazzarello, virgin (June 24, 1951)
• Dominic Savio, adolescent (June 12, 1954)
• Leonard Murialdo, priest (May 3, 1970)
• Louis Versiglia, bishop, martyr (October 1, 2000)
• Callistus Caravario, priest, martyr (October 1, 2000)
• Louis Orione, priest (May 16, 2004)
• Louis Guanella, priest (October 23, 2011)

 

A canonized saint clips a candidate for canonization

Bp. Versiglia with the clippers, Fr. Charles Braga in the chair

Beatified - 116

Laura Vicuna (r) with Mother Mazzarello

There are 116 blesseds in our Family. Among these we find 5 SDB priests, one brother, 4 FMAs, 2 pupils, one Pope, and two Cooperators. There are 101 martyrs who are SDBs, FMAs, or laypersons both adult and young. In the chronological order of their beatification, they are: 

• Michael Rua, priest (October 29, 1972)
• Laura Vicuna, adolescent (September 3, 1988)
• Philip Rinaldi, priest (April 29, 1990)
• Madeleine Morano, virgin (November 5, 1994)
• Joseph Kowalski, priest, martyr (June 13, 1999)
• Francis Kesy, layman, and 4 companion-martyrs (June 13, 1999)
• Pius IX, pope (September 3, 2000)
• Joseph Calasanz, priest, and 31 companion martyrs (March 11, 2001)
• Louis Variara, priest (April 14, 2002)
• Artemides Zatti, religious (April 14, 2002)
• Maria Romero Meneses, virgin (April 14, 2002)
• August Czartoryski, priest (April 25, 2004)
• Eusebia Palomino, virgin (April 25, 2004)
• Alexandrina M. da Costa, laywoman (April 25, 2004)
• Albert Marvelli, layman (September 5, 2004)
• Bronislaus Markiewicz, priest (June 19, 2005)
• Henry Saiz Aparicio, priest, and 62 companion-martyrs (October 28, 2007)
• Ceferino Namuncurà, adolescent (November 11, 2007)
• Maria Troncatti, virgin (November 24, 2012)

Venerables - 10

Ven. Andrew Beltrami

We have 10 people who have been declared venerable. This means that the work of proving the heroic degree of their holiness is over and the decree super virtutibus has been issued. We need only a miracle to proceed to their beatification. Most of them seem to be in no hurry, naturally, for working a miracle! It does not really matter to them. But to us, yes! Four of these are priests, one brother, two sisters, one bishop, and two lay people. In the chronological order of the decree on their exceptional virtues: 

• Andrew Beltrami, priest, December 5, 1966.
• Teresa Valsè Pantellini, virgin, July 12, 1982.
• Dorothy Chopitea, laywoman, June 9, 1983.
• Vincent Cimatti, priest, December 21, 1991.
• Simon Srugi, religious, April 2, 1993.
• Rudolf Komorek, priest, April 6, 1995.
• Louis Olivares, bishop, December 20, 2004.
• Margaret Occhiena, laywoman, October 23, 2006.
• Joseph Quadrio, priest, December 19, 2009.
• Laura Meozzi, virgin, June 27, 2011.

Servants of God – 30

On 8 of these, the so called positio (Positio super vita, virtutibus et fama sanctitatis or super martyrio) has been submitted. That is, the bulk of the paperwork is over. The positio is a scientifically studied report of the life and the virtues of the servant of God, done under the guidance of the postulators of the cause and of officials from the Vatican Congregation for the Saints. Various committees in the Congregation for the Saints, made up of historians, theologians, and cardinals, are studying them.

Here is a list of those for whom the positio has been submitted, with the dates.

• Stephen Sandor, Salesian brother, martyr (Hungary), April 27, 2011. Just on Jan. 15 we heard that the cause has been accepted by the committees. God willing, we will soon have another Salesian brother beatified as a martyr.
• Attilio Giordani, layman (Italy), May 8, 2001. Study by theologians on February 5, 2013.
• August Hlond, cardinal (Poland), October 22, 2008.
• Francis Convertini, priest (India),March 11, 2009.
• Elijah Comini, priest (Italy), May 28, 2009.
• Joseph August Arribat, priest (France), October 20, 2010.
• Stephen Ferrando, bishop (India), December 5, 2012.
• Octavian Ortiz, bishop (Peru), positio will be submitted in February 2013.

Alexandrina da Costa, Cooperator and mystic

Fr. Henry Saiz, Spanish martyr of 1936

For the following, the diocesan inquest has been concluded (dates given) and the preparation of the Positio is going on.

• Ignatius Stuchly, priest (Czech Republic). November 29, 2002.
• Joseph Vandor, priest (Cuba). March 11, 2011.
• Anthony Lustosa de Almeida, bishop (Brazil). May 2, 2003.
• Charles Crespi Croci, priest (Ecuador). February 15, 2010.

For the following, the diocesan inquest has been concluded (dates provided.

• Constantine Vendrame, priest (India). February 19, 2011. This January the decree for the validity of the diocesan inquest will be issued.
• John Swierc, priest, and 7 companion-martyrs (Poland). May 24, 2011.
• Francis Miska, priest, martyr. May 24, 2011.
• Titus Zeman, priest, martyr (Slovakia). December 7, 2012

For these below, the diocesan inquest is going on at present (date of opening the inquest).

• Matilda Salem, laywoman (Syria). October 20, 1995.
• Orestes Marengo, bishop (India) April 12, 2007. It is due to close on February 16, 2013.
• Andrew Majcen, priest (Slovenia), September 24, 2010.
• Anna Maria Lozano, virgin (Colombia), June 7, 2011.
• Carlo Della Torre, priest (Thailand), June 12, 2012.

For the following, the “supplex libellus” (humble petition) for introducing the Cause has been presented (dates given):

• Charles Braga, priest (Philippines), February 9, 2011.
• Antonino Baglieri, layman (Italy), March 3, 2012.

Developments in 2012

• The cause of Antonino Baglieri, CDB, has been introduced.
• Sr. Maria Troncati, FMA (Italy and Ecuador) - her miracle was recognized and she was beatified.
• The diocesan inquest has begun for Fr. Carlo della Torre (Italy and Thailand). He is the founder of the Daughters of the Queenship of Mary Immaculate.
• Bro. Stephen Sandor’s cause for martyrdom has been recognized.
• Fr. Joseph Quadrio’s body has been shifted to Crocetta-Turin.
• The founder of the MSMHC, Bishop Ferrando’s, Positio has been submitted.
• Fr. Titus Zeman’s diocesan inquest is concluded in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Significant Anniversaries in 2013

• 125th of the death of Don Bosco, January 31
• 100th of the birth of Attilio Giordani, February 3
• 75th of the beatification of St. Mary Mazzarello, November 20
• 50th of the death of Fr. August Arribat, March 19
• 50th of the death of Fr. Joseph Quadrio, October 23
• 25th of the beatification of Laura Vicuna, September 3

Some Reflections
• We need to value this precious patrimony of holiness, and not reduce it to a liturgical memory. The saints are real incarnations of the Gospel in various contexts and times. These holy and extraordinary people can be highly educational, inspiring to the young of today and people in general, and hence should be made known.
• The same holiness of God is incarnated in people from various walks of life. We have popes, bishops, priests, sisters, brothers, boys, girls, youths, martyrs, confessors, mystics, missionaries, Cooperators, lay people consecrated or married, seminary professors, princes, slaves, superiors, ordinary religious, brothers, hailing from good or broken families. They work in all sorts of ministries, from leper colonies to frontier missions, from high offices of authority to humble household jobs.
• It is good to pray to the blesseds and venerables. They need a miracle, and our fervent prayers can tempt them to intercede for us and obtain a miracle!
• Working for a cause of beatification is not merely an academically arduous work. It is the recognition of the glory of God among our own brothers and sisters. They become our models and intercessors. Hence it is a labor of love for them, for ourselves, and for the future generations.
• Every saint reminds us of the “Gospel of Joy” and the “Pedagogy of Goodness” that the Rector Major speaks of in this year’s strenna. “Beatification” and “blessed” are words that indicate that these saints have achieved the height of “happiness or joy or bliss,” because they already lived on this earth the joy that comes from the Good News! Saints were blissful people because they knew that God loved them. This strong realization made them good, and enthusiastic in passing on this goodness to others. That is why, to bear witness to the Gospel of Joy and practice the Pedagogy of Goodness, we need to be saints. There is no other way!