State of Salesian Causes of Canonization, 2021

On Monday, January 24, the office of the SDB postulator general posted the following lengthy document regarding causes of Salesian holiness that it is pursuing (or has successfully concluded, albeit not recently).

SOCIETA’ DI SAN FRANCESCO DI SALES

sede centrale salesiana

Via Marsala 42 - 00185 Roma

Il Postulatore Generale

per le cause dei Santi

 Rome, December 31, 2021

DOSSIER OF THE POSTULATOR GENERAL OF THE SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO

“Let us not forget that it is precisely the saints who drive the Church forward and make her grow.” (Pope Francis)

“From now on let it be our motto: let the holiness of the children be proof of their father’s holiness.”

(Fr. Rua)

We need to express profound gratitude and praise to God for the holiness already recognized in Don Bosco’s Salesian Family and for that which is in the process of being recognized. The outcome of a cause of beatification and canonization is an event of extraordinary importance and ecclesial value. It is, in fact, a matter of discernment regarding the reputation of holiness of a baptized person who has lived the evangelical beatitudes to a heroic degree or who has given his/her life for Christ.

From Don Bosco to the present day, there is a tradition of holiness that deserves attention, because it is the incarnation of the charism that originated from him and that has been expressed in a plurality of states of life and forms. It is a question of men and women, young people and adults, consecrated and lay people, bishops and missionaries who in different historical, cultural, and social contexts in time and space have made the Salesian charism shine with a singular radiance, representing a patrimony that plays an effective role in the life and community of believers and for people of good will.

 1. LIST AS of DECEMBER 31, 2021 

Our postulator general office is working with 173 saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God.  58 causes are directly followed by the postulator general, + 5 additional causes.

SAINTS (9) 

St. John Bosco, priest (date of canonization: April 1, 1934) – (Italy)

St. Joseph Cafasso, priest (June 22, 1947) – (Italy)

St. Mary D. Mazzarello, virgin (June 24, 1951) – (Italy)

St. Dominic Savio, adolescent (June 12, 1954) – (Italy)

St. Leonard Murialdo, priest (May 3, 1970) – (Italy)

St. Louis Versiglia, bishop, martyr (October 1, 2000) – (Italy - China)

St. Callistus Caravario, priest, martyr (October 1, 2000) – (Italy - China)

St. Louis Orione, priest (May 16, 2004) – (Italy)

St. Louis Guanella, priest (October 23, 2011) – (Italy)

BLESSEDS (118) 

Bl. Michael Rua, priest (date of beatification: October 29, 1972) – (Italy)

Bl. Laura Vicuña, adolescent (September 3, 1988) – (Chile – Argentina)

Bl. Philip Rinaldi, priest (April 29, 1990) – (Italy)

Bl. Madeleine Morano, virgin (November 5, 1994) – (Italy)

Bl. Joseph Kowalski, priest, martyr (June 13, 1999) – (Poland)

Bl. Francis Kesy, layman, & 4 companions, martyrs (June 13, 1999) – (Poland)

Chester Jozwiak, layman

Edward Kazmierski, layman

Edward Klinik, layman

Jarogniew Wojciechowski, layman

Bl. Pius IX, pope (September 3, 2000) – (Italy)

Bl. Joseph Calasanz, priest, & 31 companions, martyrs (March 11, 2001) – (Spain)

Anthony Maria Martin Hernandez, priest

Recaredo de los Rios Fabregat, priest

Julian Rodriguez Sanchez, priest

Joseph Gimenez Lopez, priest

Augustine Garcia Calvo, coadjutor

John Martorell Soria, priest

James Buch Canal, coadjutor

Peter Mesonero Rodriguez, seminarian

Joseph Otin Aquilué, priest

Alvaro Sanjuan Canet, priest

Francis Bandres Sanchez, priest

Sergio Cid Pazo, priest

Joseph Batalla Parramó, priest

Joseph Rabasa Bentanachs, coadjutor

Gil Rodicio Rodicio, coadjutor

Angelo Ramos Velazquez, coadjutor

Philip Hernandez Martinez, seminarian

Zachary Abadia Buesa, seminarian

James Ortiz Alzueta, coadjutor

Xavier Bordas Piferrer, seminarian

Felix Vivet Trabal, seminarian

Michael Domingo Cendra, seminarian

Joseph Caselles Moncho, priest

Joseph Castell Camps, priest

Joseph Bonet Nadal, priest

James Bonet Nadal, priest

Alexander Planas Saurí, lay collaborator

Eliseo Garcia Garcia, coadjutor

Giulio Junyer Padern, priest

Maria Carmen Moreno Benitez, virgin

Maria Amparo Carbonell Muñoz, virgin

Bl. Louis Variara, priest (April 14, 2002) – (Italy – Colombia)

Bl. Artemides Zatti, religious (April 14, 2002) – (Italy – Argentina)

Bl. Maria Romero Meneses, virgin (April 14, 2002) – (Nicaragua – Costa Rica)

Bl. August Czartoryski, priest (April 25, 2004) – (France – Poland)

Bl. Eusebia Palomino, virgin (April 25, 2004) – (Spain)

Bl. Alexandrina M. Da Costa, laywoman (April 25, 2004) – (Portugal)

Bl. Albert Marvelli, layman (September 5, 2004) – (Italy)

Bl. Bronislaus Markiewicz, priest (June 19, 2005) – (Poland)

Bl. Henry Saiz Aparicio, priest, & 62 companions, martyrs (October 28, 2007) – (Spain)

Felix Gonzalez Tejedor, priest

John Codera Marques, coadjutor

Virgilio Edreira Mosquera, seminarian

Paul Garcia Sanchez, coadjutor

Carmelo John Perez Rodriguez, subdeacon

Teodulo Gonzalez Fernandez, seminarian

Thomas Gil de la Cal, aspirant

Frederick Cobo Sanz, aspirant

Igino de Mata Diez, aspirant

Justus Juanes Santos, seminarian

Victorian Fernandez Reinoso, seminarian

Emilio Arce Diez, coadjutor

Raymond Eirin Mayo, coadjutor

Matthew Garolera Masferrer, coadjutor

Anastasius Garzon Gonzalez, coadjutor

Francis Joseph Martin Lopez de Arroyave, coadjutor

John de Mata Diez, lay collaborator

Pius Conde Conde, priest

Sabinus Hernandez Laso, priest

Salvatore Fernandez Pérez, priest

Nicholas de la Torre Merino, coadjutor

Herman Martin Martin, priest

Joseph Villanova Tormo, priest

Stephen Cobo Sanz, seminarian

Francis Edreira Mosquera, seminarian

Emmanuel Martin Perez, seminarian

Valentine Gil Arribas, coadjutor

Peter Artolozaga Mellique, seminarian

Emmanuel Borrajo Miguez, seminarian

Dennis Ullivarri Barajuan, coadjutor

Michael Lasaga Carazo, priest

Louis Martinez Alvarellos, seminarian

John Larragueta Garay, seminarian

Florence Rodriguez Güemes, seminarian

Pasquale de Castro Herrera, seminarian

Stephen Vazquez Alonso, coadjutor

Eliodoro Ramos Garcia, coadjutor

Joseph Maria Celaya Badiola, coadjutor

Andrew Jimenez Galera, priest

Andrew Gomez Saez, priest

Anthony Cid Rodriguez, coadjutor

Anthony Torrero Luque, priest

Anthony Henry Canut Isus, priest

Michael Molina de la Torre, priest

Paul Caballero Lopez, priest

Honorius Hernandez Martin, seminarian

John Louis Hernandez Medina, seminarian

Anthony Mohedano Larriva, priest

Anthony Fernandez Camacho, priest

Joseph Limon, priest

Joseph Blanco Salgado, coadjutor

Francis Miguez Fernandez, priest

Emmanuel Fernandez Ferro, priest

Felix Paco Escartin, priest

Thomas Alonso Sanjuan, coadjutor

Emmanuel Gomez Contioso, priest

Anthony Pancorbo Lopez, priest

Stephen Garcia, coadjutor

Raphael Rodriguez Mesa, coadjutor

Anthony Rodriguez Blanco, diocesan priest

Bartholomew Blanco Marquez, layman

Teresa Cejudo Redondo, laywoman

Bl. Ceferino Namuncurá, layman (November 11, 2007) – (Argentina – Italy)

Bl. Maria Troncatti, virgin (November 24, 2012) – (Italy – Ecuador)

Bl. Stephen Sandor, religious, martyr (October 19, 2013) – (Hungary)

Bl. Titus Zeman, priest, martyr (September 30, 2017) – (Slovakia).

VENERABLES (18) 

Ven. Andrew Beltrami, priest, (date of decree on virtues: December 15, 1966) – (Italy)

Ven. Teresa Valsè Pantellini, virgin (July 12, 1982) – (Italy)

Ven. Dorothy Chopitea, laywoman (June 9, 1983) – (Spain)

Ven. Vincent Cimatti, priest (December 21, 1991) – (Italy – Japan)

Ven. Simon Srugi, religious (April 2, 1993) – (Palestine)

Ven. Rudolph Komorek, priest (April 6, 1995) – (Poland – Brazil)

Ven. Louis Olivares, bishop (December 20, 2004) – (Italy)

Ven. Margaret Occhiena Bosco, laywoman (October 23, 2006) – (Italy)

Ven. Joseph Quadrio, priest (December 19, 2009) – (Italy)

Ven. Laura Meozzi, virgin (June 27, 2011) – (Italy – Poland)

Ven. Attilio Giordani, layman (October 9, 2013) – (Italy – Brazil)

Ven. Joseph August Arribat, priest (July 8, 2014) – (France)

Ven. Stephen Ferrando, bishop (March 3, 2016) – (Italy – India)

Ven. Francis Convertini, priest (January 20, 2017) – (Italy – India)

Ven. Joseph Vandor, priest (January 20, 2017) – (Hungary - Cuba)

Ven. Octavio Ortiz Arrieta Coya, bishop (February 27, 2017) – (Peru)

Ven. August Hlond, cardinal (May 19, 2018) – (Poland)

Ven. Ignatius Stuchly, priest (December 21, 2020) – (Czech Republic)

 SERVANTS OF GOD (28) 

The ‘Positio’ was presented

Elijah Comini, priest (Italy), martyr

    special congress of theologians: May 2, 2022

Anthony De Almeida Lustosa, bishop (Brazil)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: May 2, 2003

Chares Crespi Croci, priest (Italy – Ecuador)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: February 15, 2010

 

The drafting of the ‘Positio’ is in progress

Constantine Vendrame, priest (Italy – India)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: February 1, 2013

John Swierc, priest and 8 companions, martyrs (Poland)

Ignatius Dobiasz, priest

Francis Harazim, priest

Casimir Wojciechowski, priest

Ignatius Antonowicz, priest

Louis Mroczek, priest

Charles Golda, priest

Vladimir Szembek, priest

Francis Miska, priest

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: May 10, 2013

Orestes Marengo, bishop (Italy – India)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: December 6, 2013

Charles Della Torre, priest (Italy – Thailand)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: April 1, 2016

Andrew Majcen, priest (Slovenia – China – Vietnam)

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: October 23, 2020

Rudolph Lunkenbein, priest (Germany – Brazil) & Simon Bororo, layman (Brazil), martyrs

    decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry: December 16, 2020

 

The decree of validity of the diocesan inquiry is pending.

Anna Maria Lozano, virgin (Colombia)

    Closing date for diocesan inquiry: June 19, 2014

 

diocesan inquiry in progress

Matilda Salem, laywoman (Syria)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: October 20, 1995

Charles Braga, priest (Italy – China – Philippines)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: January 30, 2014        

Antoninus Baglieri, layman (Italy)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: March 2, 2014

Antoniette Böhm, virgin (Germany – Mexico)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: May 7, 2017

Silvio Galli, priest (Italy)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: October 11, 2020

Joseph Cognata, bishop (Italy)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: December 12, 2020

Rosetta Marchese, virgin (Italy)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: April 30, 2021

Louis Bolla, priest (Italy – Ecuador – Peru)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: September 27, 2021

Vera Grita, laywoman (Italy)

    Opening of diocesan inquiry: January 23, 2022

EXTRA CAUSES FOLLOWED BY THE POSTULATOR GENERAL (5)

Venerable CAMILLUS COSTA DE BEAUREGARD, priest (France)

            The decree on the virtues: January 22, 1991

Venerable CASIMIR BARELLO MORELLO, Franciscan Third Order (Italy - Spain)

            The decree on the virtues: July 1, 2000

Venerable JOHN TYRANOWSKI, layman (Poland)

            The decree on the virtues: January 20, 2017

Venerable AUGUST BERTAZZONI, bishop (Italy)

            The decree on the virtues: October 2, 2019

Venerable of God FELIX CANELLI, priest (Italy)

The decree on the virtues: May 22, 2021

We should also remember the saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God who at different times and in different ways have encountered the Salesian charism, such as Blessed Hedwig Carboni, the Servant of God Cardinal Joseph Guarino, founder of the Apostles of the Holy Family, the Servant of God Salvo d’Acquisto, a past pupil, and many others.

2. EVENTS OF 2021

On January 13, 2021, the Holy See granted the nihil obstat for the cause of the Servant of God Mother Rosetta Marchese (1922-1984) of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.

On March 12, 2021, the Positio on the Life, Virtues, and Reputation for Holiness of the Servant of God Charles Crespi Croci (1891-1982), priest of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, missionary in Ecuador, was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

On April 27, 2021, the Positio on the Life, Virtues, and Reputation for Holiness of the Servant of God Anthony de Almeida Lustosa of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, archbishop of Fortaleza (Brazil), was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

On April 30, 2021, at the vicariate of Rome, the official opening of the diocesan inquiry for the beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Mother Rosetta Marchese of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians took place.

On May 4, 2021, in the ordinary session of the cardinal and bishop members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a fully positive opinion was given regarding the heroic exercise of virtues, the reputation for holiness, and the signs of the Servant of God Felix Canelli (1880-1977), priest of the diocese of San Severo (Foggia-Italy), Salesian Cooperator, whose cause of beatification is being followed by the Salesian postulator general.

On May 22, 2021, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Felix Canelli (1880-1977).

On May 26, 2021, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints notified Bishop Calogero Marino of Savona-Noli of the nihil obstat from the Holy See for the opening of the cause of beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Vera Grita (1923-1969), laywoman and Salesian Cooperator.

July 1, 2021, the medical council of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints gave a positive vote to the presumed miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Artemides Zatti, Salesian brother, which happened to Mr. Robert Narvaez (Philippines), recovery from “acute parenchymal hemorrhage with perilesional edema with compression of the pons and shrinkage of the fourth ventricle” (August 22-23, 2016).

August 10, 2021, Presentation of the petition to open the diocesan inquiry on the life, martyrdom, and reputation for holiness of the Servant of God AKASH BASHIR (1994-2015), layman, Salesian past pupil.

On September 27, 2021, at the archbishopric of Lima (Peru) the opening session of the diocesan inquiry into the life and heroic virtues as well as the reputation for holiness of the Servant of God Louis Bolla (1932-2013), priest of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, missionary among the Shuar and Achuar Indians of Ecuador and Peru, was held.

From October 30 to November 4, 2021, diocesan inquiry at the Shrine of Our Lady of Myans (Chambery - Savoy) “on the alleged miraculous healing of René Jacquemond’s traumatic and infectious eye injury (right eye), obtained from God through the intercession of the Venerable Camille Costa de Beauregard.”

3. REALISM OF FAITH

Holiness represents the incarnation of the charism and helps to live the Salesian spirit in a realistic form, by offering good practices, authentic incarnations of the charism. There is an apologetics of holiness that shows not with words or documents, but with life, the beauty and truth of the Gospel of Christ and the Salesian charism.

Each of our saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God is the bearer of a richness of aspects that deserve greater consideration and appreciation. It is a question of contemplating a diamond with many facets, some more visible and attractive, others less immediate and “pleasing,” but certainly no less true and decisive. Knowing and making known these extraordinary believers generates a progressive involvement in their own journey, a passionate interest in their lives, a joyful sharing of the projects and hopes that animated their steps.

Some examples

- Youthful holiness emerges from the testimonies of Dominic Savio, Laura Vicuña, Ceferino Namuncurá, 5 young oratorians from Poznan, et al. There are 46 young people under the age of 29: adolescents, Salesian Cooperators, Salesians in formation, priests, consecrated women and men!

-          Bl. Laura VICUÑA                                                             (1891-1904) – 13 years

-          St. Dominic SAVIO                                                            (1842-1857) – 14+ years

-          Bl. Frederick COBO SANZ, aspirant                            (1919-1936) – 17 years, martyr

-          Bl. Ceferino NAMUNCURA,                                          (1886-1905) – 19 years

-          Bl. Jarogniew WOJCIECHOWSKI, oratorian             (1922-1942) – 20 years, martyr

-          Bl. Francis KESY, oratorian                                            (1920-1942) – 22 years, martyr

-          Bl. Chester JOZWIAK, oratorian                                  (1919-1942) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Edward KAZIMIERSKI, oratorian                          (1919-1942) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Edward KLINIK, oratorian                                        (1919-1942) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Louis MARTINEZ ALVARELLOS, sem.                  (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. John LARRAGUETA GARAY, sem.                         (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Florence RODRIGUEZ GÜEMES, priest               (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Paschal DE CASTRO HERRERA, priest                  (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Stephen VAZQUEZ Alonso, coad.                         (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Heliodoro RAMOS GARCIA, priest                       (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Emmanuel BORRAJO MIGEZ, sem.                      (1915-1936) – 21 years, martyr

-          Bl. Bartholomew BLANCO MARQUEZ, coop.          (1914-1936) – 22 years, martyr

-          Bl. Francis Edreira MOSQUERA, sem.                       (1914-1936) – 22 years, martyr

-          Bl. Xavier BORDAS PIFERER, sem.                              (1914-1936) – 22 years, martyr

-          Bl. Zachary ABADIA BUESA, sem.                               (1914-1936) – 22 years, martyr

-          Bl. Philip HERNANDEZ MARTINEZ, sem.                  (1913-1936) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Victorian FERNANDEZ REINOSO, priest             (1913-1936) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. James ORTIZ ALZUETA, coad.                 (1913-1936) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Raphael RODRIGUEZ MESA, priest                      (1913-1936) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. Peter ARTOLOZAGA MELLIQUE, priest               (1913-1936) – 23 years, martyr

-          Bl. John Louis HERNANDEZ MEDINA, priest           (1912-1936) – 24 years, martyr

-          Bl. Justus Juanes SANTOS, priest                               (1912-1936) – 24 years, martyr

-          Bl. Peter MESONERO RODRIGUEZ, sem.                 (1912-1936) – 24 years, martyr

-          Bl. Felix VIVET TRABAL, sem.                                       (1911-1936) – 25 years, martyr

-          Bl. Teodulo GONZALEZ FERNANDEZ, sem.             (1911-1936) – 25 years, martyr

-          Bl. Ramon EIRIN MAYO, coad.                                     (1911-1936) – 25 years, martyr

-          Bl. Francis  José LOPEZ DE ARROYAVE coad.          (1910-1936) – 26 years, martyr

-          Ven. Andrew BELTRAMI, priest                                  (1870-1897) – 27 years

-          Bl. Virgil EDREIRA MOSQUERA sem.                         (1909-1939) – 27 years, martyr

-          Bl. Michael Dominic CENDRA, sem.                          (1909-1936) – 27 years, martyr

-          Bl. Higinio DE MATA DIEZ, aspirant                           (1909-1936) – 27 years, martyr

-          S. Callistus CARAVARIO, priest                                    (1903-1930) – 27 years, martyr

-          Bl. Albert MARVELLI, orat. past pupil                        (1918-1946) – 28 years

-          Bl. Emilio ARCE DIEZ, priest                                          (1908-1936) – 28 years, martyr

-          Bl. Carmel John PEREZ RODRIGUEZ, subd.             (1908-1936) – 28 years, martyr

-          Bl. St. John CANET ALVARO, priest                            (1908-1936) – 28 years, martyr

-          Bl. Anastasius GARZON GONZALEZ, priest             (1908-1936) – 28 years, martyr

-          Serv. of God Charles GOLDA, priest                          (1914-1941) – 28 years, martyr

-          Bl. Joseph CASELLES MONCHO, priest                      (1907-1936) – 29 years, martyr

-          Bl. Elisha GARCIA GARCIA, coad.                                (1907-1936) – 29 years, martyr

-          Ven. Teresa VALSÉ PANTELLINI, FMA                       (1878-1907) – 29 years, virgin

 Particularly, the testimony of St. Dominic Savio shines through from several points of view:

• The appeal to the preventive reality not only as an educational-pedagogical aspect, but as a theological fact. In his life, as Don Bosco himself testifies, there is a preventive grace that works and is manifested.
• The decisive value that First Communion represents.
• The fact that he constitutes a kind of leader, a kind of teacher in the ways of God (as Don Bosco also sees him in the dream of Lanzo of 1876) and that is confirmed by the lives of so many of our blesseds, venerables, and servants of God capable of making Dominic’s intentions their own: Laura Vicuña, Ceferino Namuncurá, Joseph Kowalski, Albert Marvelli, Joseph Quadrio, Octavio Ortiz Arrieta Coya.
• Dominic’s role in the foundation of the Immaculate Conception Sodality, the nursery of the future Congregation; in his relationship with John Massaglia, a true friend for the things of the soul and of whom Don Bosco stated, “If I wanted to write about the beautiful traits of virtue of the young Massaglia, I would have to repeat in large part the things said of Savio, of whom he was a faithful follower while he lived.”

 

- The dimension of Salesian paternity and maternity, an expression of pastoral charity that loves and makes oneself loved. Among the Salesians: Don Bosco’s successors Michael Rua and Philip Rinaldi; Joseph Calasanz, Vincent Cimatti, August Arribat, Charles Braga, Andrew Majcen, Ignatius Stuchly. Among the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians: Mother Mazzarello, Madeleine Morano, Maria Troncatti. Among the lay people we remember Doña Dorothy Chopitea and Matilda Salem.

- The dimension of the “wounded family”: the history of Salesian holiness is also marked by stories of wounded families: families where at least one of the parental figures is missing, or the presence of the mother and father becomes, for different reasons (physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual), detrimental to their children. Don Bosco himself, who had experienced the premature death of his father and the estrangement from the family due to the prudent will of Mama Margaret, wanted – not by chance – the Salesian work to be particularly dedicated to “poor and abandoned youth.”

·         Blessed Laura Vicuña, born in Chile in 1891, fatherless and whose mother began living in Argentina with the rich landowner Manuel Mora; Laura was therefore wounded by her mother’s situation of moral irregularity and was ready to offer her life for her.

·         The Servant of God Charles Braga, born in Valtellina in 1889, abandoned by his father when he was very young and whose mother was sent away because she was considered, through a mixture of ignorance and slander, to be psychologically weak; therefore, Charles encountered great humiliation and saw his Salesian vocation put in difficulty several times by those who feared that he might suffer a repetition of the psychic discomfort falsely attributed to his mother.

- The vocational dimension, well expressed in the witness of:

·  Stephen Sandor (1914-1953), beatified as a martyr in 2013, recalls the vital need for complementarity between the two forms of the one Salesian consecrated vocation: the lay vocation (coadjutor) and the priestly vocation. The luminous witness of Stephen Sandor, as a Salesian coadjutor, expresses a clear and decisive vocational choice, an exemplary life, an educational authority, and an apostolic fruitfulness to look to for a presentation of the vocation and mission of the Salesian coadjutor, with a predilection for young apprentices and the world of work.

·  Titus Zeman (1915-1968), beatified in 2017, martyr for vocations. When the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia banned religious orders in April 1950 and began deporting consecrated men and women to concentration camps, clandestine trips to Turin were organized to allow young Salesians to complete their studies. Fr. Zeman took charge of this risky activity. The servant of God organized two expeditions for about 30 young Salesians. On the third expedition Fr. Zeman, together with the fugitives, was arrested. He underwent a harsh trial, during which he was described as a traitor to his country and a Vatican spy, and even risked death. He lived his Calvary with a great spirit of sacrifice and offering: “Even if I lost my life, I would not consider it wasted, knowing that at least one of those I helped became a priest in my place.” 

- The martyrial dimension that expresses fidelity to the Gospel and the Salesian charism to the point of total self-giving in the mission received. From the protomartyrs Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario to the 95 martyrs of religious persecution in Spain; from the martyrs of Nazism in the extermination camps to the young martyrs of Poznan; from Stephen Sandor and Titus Zeman, victims of Communism, to the martyr-defenders of indigenous peoples Rudolph Lunkenbein and Simon Bororo.

- The missionary dimension, expressed by a considerable number of men and women who have borne witness to the proclamation of the Gospel, the inculturation of the faith, the promotion of women, the defense of the rights of the poor and indigenous people, and the foundation of local churches.

Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario, martyrs in China; Louis Variara, missionary in Colombia and founder of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart; Maria Troncatti, FMA, missionary among the Shuar people of Ecuador; Vincent Cimatti, founder of the Salesian presence in Japan; Rudolph Komorek, Polish missionary in Brazil; Laura Meozzi, FMA, missionary in Poland; Attilio Giordani, Salesian Cooperator, missionary in Brazil; Stephen Ferrando, Francis Convertini, Orestes Marengo, and Constantine Vendrame, missionaries in India; Joseph Vandor, Hungarian Salesian missionary in Cuba; Charles Crespi, missionary in Ecuador; Andrew Majcen, missionary in China and founder of the Salesian presence in Vietnam; Charles Della Torre, missionary and founder in Thailand; Charles Braga, missionary in China and founder of the Salesian presence in the Philippines; Antoniette Böhm, FMA missionary in Latin America; Louis Bolla missionary among the Shuar and Achuar; Rudolph Lunkenbein missionary martyr among the Bororos of Brazil.

- The victim-oblative dimension that expresses the deep root of “Da mihi animas.” Starting from the trilogy of Andrew Beltrami, August Czartoryski, and Louis Variara, this strand continues along the years with other family figures such as Eusebia Palomino, Alexandrina Maria da Costa, Laura Vicuña, Bishop Joseph Cognata, bishop of Silence; Salesian Cooperator Vera Grita and Nino Baglieri, Volunteer with Don Bosco, Rosetta Marchese, superior general of the FMAs.

- The episcopal dimension: in the varied trail of holiness that flourished in Don Bosco’s school there is also a significant number of bishops who embodied in a special way the pastoral charity typical of the Salesian charism in the episcopal ministry: Louis Versiglia (1873-1930), martyr, saint; the Venerables Louis Olivares (1873-1943), Stephen Ferrando (1895-1978), Octavio Ortiz Arrieta Coya (1878-1958), August Hlond (1881-1948), cardinal; the Servants of God Anthony de Almeida Lustosa (1886-1974), Orestes Marengo (1906-1998), Joseph Cognata (1885-1972).

- The dimension of “charismatic filiation.” We venerate some saints who shared some seasons of life with Don Bosco, who appreciated his holiness, his apostolic and educational fruitfulness, but then travelled their own path with evangelical freedom, becoming founders in their turn, with their insightful intuitions, genuine love for the poor, and boundless trust in Providence.

·  St. Leonard Murialdo: in collaboration with Don Bosco he chose to work in the first oratories in Turin, among the poor and outcast boys of the suburbs: first at the Guardian Angel Oratory until 1857, and then at the St. Aloysius Oratory, as director from 1857 to 1865. He later founded the Josephites of Murialdo.

·  St. Louis Guanella: Longing for a more radical religious experience, in 1875 he went to Don Bosco in Turin, making his temporary profession in the Salesian Congregation. In his first two years as a Salesian, he was director of the St. Aloysius Oratory in Borgo San Salvario in Turin, while in November 1876 he was given the task of opening a new oratory at Trinità di Mondovì. In 1877 he was entrusted with adult vocations, which Don Bosco called the Work of the Sons of Mary. His admiration for Don Bosco was also deeply rooted in their temperaments, which were very similar: enterprising apostles of charity, decisive, influential fathers with a great love for the Eucharist, our Lady, and the Pope. Salesian spirituality and pedagogy were a basic element in the formation and mission of the future founder. At Don Bosco’s school he learnt the loving and firm approach to young people and the educational desire to prevent rather than cure; also the desire to save his brothers and sisters with the impetus of a great apostolic charity.

·  St. Louis Orione: from October 1886 to August 1889 he was a pupil at the Valdocco Oratory in Turin. St. John Bosco noticed his qualities and counted him among his closest young men, assuring him, “We will always be friends.”

·   Bl. Joseph Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries. Grandnephew of St. Joseph Cafasso on his mother’s side, he attended grammar school at Valdocco and as his teacher boasted none other than Don Bosco. At 22 he was ordained in Turin and immediately put in charge of the formation of young seminarians. At 29 he was rector of the shrine of Our Lady of Consolation and formator of the young clergy at the Convitto Ecclesiastico.

4. THE COMMITMENT TO SPREAD THE KNOWLEDGE, IMITATION, AND INTERCESSION OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY WHO ARE CANDIDATES FOR HOLINESS

We are the guardians of a precious heritage that deserves to be better known and appreciated. The risk is to reduce this patrimony of holiness to a liturgical-celebratory fact, without fully appreciating its spiritual, pastoral, ecclesial, educational, cultural, historical, social, missionary potential. The saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God are precious gems that are taken from the darkness of the mine to be able to shine and reflect in the Church and in the Salesian Family the splendor of Christ’s truth and charity.

The pastoral aspect touches on the effectiveness of the figures of the saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God as successful examples of Christianity lived in the particular socio-cultural situations of the Church and the Salesian Family. The spiritual aspect implies an invitation to imitate their virtues as a source of inspiration and direction. The pastoral and spiritual incarnation of a cause is an authentic form of pedagogy of holiness to which we should, by virtue of our charism, be particularly sensitive and attentive.

 

A cause of beatification is never a dry procedural process, but a pilgrimage of faith in search, meditation, and imitation of the virtuous heroism of the saints. It is an ecclesial action that has a certain liturgical character, since it is aimed at the praise of God and the glorification of his faithful servants. To this must be added the fact that the causes of beatification of confessors of the Faith and all causes of canonization also include the correct evaluation of a miracle, which is a work done by God through the intercession of one of his faithful servants, outside the order of explanations known to us. If the verification of the heroic virtues of a servant of God is a work “from below,” the miraculous event is a work “from above,” a gratuitous intervention by God, which requires a scrupulous scientific and theological verification of the truth of the facts.

 

Although there is no shortage of groups and initiatives that praiseworthily promote knowledge of and prayer for a saint, blessed, venerable, or servant of God, this aspect needs to be better looked after and promoted. In this regard, the considerable number of venerables (currently 18) is striking, as they could already be beatified, but without a miracle they remain at a standstill. One fact that gives us food for thought is that the last canonization of the Salesian Family promoted by our postulator general was that of St. Dominic Savio (June 12, 1954), more than 67 years ago! The canonization of St. Louis Versiglia and St. Callistus Caravario took place by dispensation from miracles, granted by Pope John Paul II. The person responsible for the cause is not the postulator general alone, or some individual devotee, but the ecclesial community which in its various components (dioceses, parishes, congregations, associations, groups, etc.) expresses interest, enthusiasm, and participation.

4.1 Suggestions for promoting a cause.

·         To encourage prayer through the intercession of the blessed, venerable, servant of God, by means of images (also ex-indumentis relics), leaflets, books, etc., to be distributed in families, parishes, religious houses, spirituality centers, hospitals to ask for the grace of miracles and favors through the intercession of the blessed, venerable, servant of God.

·        It is particularly effective to spread the novena of the blessed, venerable, servant of God, invoking his intercession in various cases of material and spiritual need.

Two formative elements are stressed: the value of insistent and trusting prayer and that of community prayer. We recall the biblical episode of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5:1-14), where we see several elements: the pointing out of the man of God by a young girl, the instruction to bathe seven times in the Jordan, the indignant and resentful refusal, the wisdom and insistence of Naaman’s servants, Naaman’s obedience, the obtaining not only of physical healing but also of salvation. Let us also recall the description of the first community in Jerusalem, when it states, “All these were persevering with one accord in prayer, together with some women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14).

·        It is advisable to hold a moment of prayer and commemoration every month on the day of the death of the blessed (venerable) servant of God.

Publish quarterly or every four months an information sheet informing about the progress of the cause, particular anniversaries and events, testimonies, graces, etc., to emphasize that the cause is alive and accompanied.

·        Organize a commemorative day once a year, highlighting particular aspects or anniversaries of the figure of the blessed (venerable) servant of God, involving groups that are particularly “interested” in his/her testimony (e.g., priests, religious, young people, families, doctors, missionaries, et al.).

·        Collect and document the graces and favors attributed to the blessed (venerable) servant of God. It is useful to have a notebook in which to note down and indicate the graces asked for and those received, as evidence of the reputation of both holiness and signs. In particular, in the case of healings and/or presumed miracles, it is important to collect urgently all the medical documentation proving the case and the evidence attesting to intercession.

·        To set up a committee that would undertake to promote this cause also in view of the beatification and canonization. Members of this committee should be people who are particularly sensitive to the promotion of the cause: representatives of the diocese and parish of origin, leaders of groups and associations, doctors (for the study of the alleged miracles), historians, theologians, and experts in spirituality, etc.

·        Promoting knowledge through biography, critical edition of writings, and other multimedia productions.

·        Periodically present the figure of the blessed (venerable) servant of God in the parish bulletin and the diocesan newspaper, in the Salesian Bulletin.

·        To have a website or a link dedicated to the blessed (venerable) servant of God with his life, data, and news related to the cause of beatification and canonization, request for prayers, report of graces, etc.

·        Reviewing and reorganizing the environments where he/she has lived. Organize an exhibition space. Elaborate a spiritual itinerary in his footsteps, highlighting places (birthplace, church, living environment, etc.) and signs.

·        To set up an archive with all the catalogued and computerized documentation relating to the blessed (venerable) servant of God.

·        To create a financial fund to support both the expenses of the postulator general of the cause and the work of promotion and animation of the cause itself.

·        To promote works of charity and education in the name of the blessed (venerable) servant of God, through projects, partnerships, etc. 

4.2 Initial discernment before starting a cause of beatification and canonization.

First of all, it is necessary to investigate and document with great caution and diligence the reputation for holiness of the candidate and the relevance of the cause, in order to verify the truth of the facts and the consequent formation of a firm moral certainty. Furthermore, it is essential that the cause in question concern a relevant and significant portion of the people of God and is not the intention of just a few groups or even individuals. Unfortunately, some of our causes, apart from the holiness of the candidates, suffer from this fact. The question often arises: but who is interested in this cause? Who promotes it? Who really wants this process? All this requires a more motivated and documented initial discernment, to avoid dispersion of energies, forces, time, and resources. Every cause that is started requires a lot of commitment, care, and dedication. The passage of time, the change of persons (postulator general, rapporteurs, vice postulators, collaborators, etc.) often slows down, if not stops, the process initiated.

Conclusion

Recognized holiness, or holiness in the process of being recognized, on the one hand is already the realization of evangelical radicalism and fidelity to Don Bosco’s apostolic project, to be looked to as a spiritual and pastoral resource; on the other hand, it is a challenge to live one’s own vocation with fidelity in order to be prepared to bear witness to love to the extreme. Our saints, blesseds, venerables, and servants of God are the authentic incarnation of the Salesian charism and of the Constitutions or Regulations of our institutes and groups in the most diverse times and situations, overcoming that worldliness and spiritual superficiality which undermine our credibility and fruitfulness. The saints are true mystics of the primacy of God in the generous gift of self, prophets of evangelical fraternity, creative servants of their brothers and sisters.

The path to holiness is a journey to be made together, in the company of the saints. Holiness is experienced together and achieved together. The saints are always in company: where there is one, there are always many others. The holiness of daily life makes communion flourish and is a “relational” generator. Holiness is nourished by relationships, by trust, by communion. Truly, as the liturgy of the Church makes us pray in the preface of the saints: “In their life you offer us an example, in their intercession a help, in the communion of grace a bond of brotherly love. Strengthened by their witness, let us face the good fight of faith, to share beyond death the same crown of glory.”

Fr. Pierluigi CAMERONI SDB,

Postulator General for the Causes of Saints

postulatore@sdb.org