From the Eastern Front: 2023 Salesian Postulation Dossier and Poster Published

2023 Postulation Dossier and Salesian Family Holiness Poster have been published

(ANS – Rome – Jan. 24, 2024) – On the feast of St. Francis de Sales, it is significant to present the dossier of the Salesian General Postulation as a strong invitation to renew the universal call to holiness so dear to the bishop of Geneva and taken up in solemn form by Vatican II: “Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his or her own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect” (Lumen Gentium, 11).

“Each in his or her own way,” Lumen Gentium says. “We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable” (Gaudete et Exsultate no. 11). There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. “The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, bringing out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts” (cf. 1 Cor 12:7) (GS 11).

We need to express deep gratitude and praise to God for the holiness already recognized in the Salesian Family of Don Bosco and for others in process of recognition. The outcome of a cause of beatification and canonization is an event of extraordinary importance and ecclesial value. In fact, it is a matter of discerning the reputation of holiness of a baptized person who has lived the evangelical beatitudes to a heroic degree or who has given his life for Christ.

“From Don Bosco down to our own times, we recognize a tradition of holiness to which we need to pay attention, since the embodiment of the charism that had its origin in him found its expression in a variety of states of life and in different forms, in men and women, young people and adults, consecrated persons and lay people, bishops and missionaries who in certain historical, cultural, and social contexts, different in time and place, made the special light of the Salesian charism shine out, representing a heritage that continues to play an effective role in the life and in the communities of believers and of men and women of good will.”

The Salesian Postulation involves 173 individuals among saints (10), blesseds (117), venerables (20), and servants of God (26). There are 58 causes directly followed by the Postulation (plus 5 extra).

The dossier, recalls the postulator general for the causes of saints of the Salesian Family, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, after reporting the list and status of each cause, presents the events of 2023, including the 3rd Seminar on the Promotion of causes in the Salesian Family, held in Turin from September 6 to 10, 2023, with over 80 participants.

In addition, the following deserve to be remembered:

January 11, 2023: legal validity of the diocesan inquiry for the cause of the Servant of God Bishop Giuseppe Cognata, SDB (born at Agrigento, Italy, October 14, 1885; died at Pellaro, Italy, July 22, 1972), titular bishop of Farsalo, former bishop of Bova, founder of the Institute of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart.

March 23, 2023: Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Carlo Crespi Croci, Salesian priest; born on May 29, 1891 in Legnano, Italy, and died on April 30, 1982 in Cuenca, Ecuador.

March 28, 2023: The historical consultants of the Dicastery expressed affirmative votes regarding the Report on the Martyrdom of the Servants of God John Swierc and 8 companions, Salesian priests.

March 30, 2023: The medical board of the Dicastery gave a positive opinion to the alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Camille Costa de Beauregard, diocesan priest (1841-1910), involving a child, René Jacquemond, for healing from “intense keratoconjunctivitis with grinding of the cornea, strong pericheratic injection, redness, and injection of the conjunctiva, photophobia, and tearing of the right eye due to violent trauma from a plant-bardan agent” (1910).

June 22, 2023: Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, SDB, archbishop of Fortaleza, Brazil; born on February 11, 1886, in São João del Rei, Brazil, and died on August 14, 1974 in Carpina, Brazil.

September 19, 2023: the Report on the Life, Virtues, and Reputation for Holiness of the Servant of God Constantine Vendrame, Salesian priest, was delivered to the Dicastery.

October 19, 2023: the special Congress of Theologians of the Dicastery gave a positive vote to the alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Camille Costa de Beauregard, diocesan priest.

Finally, the commitment to disseminate the knowledge, imitation, and intercession of the members of the Salesian Family candidates for holiness is recalled, valuing and caring for different aspects: liturgical and celebratory, spiritual, pastoral, ecclesial, educational, cultural, historical, social, missionary, etc.

The Postulation Dossier can be downloaded in Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese – updated to December 31, 2023. It is also possible to download the 2023 Salesian Family Holiness Poster, created by graphic designer Andrea Cugini.

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