2442 Saints and Blesseds...
austraLasia #2442

(By way of comment: it has been a quiet week - simply no news arrived since Tuesday, hence the hiatus in communication. If the computer phrase 'garbage in-garbage out' has some truth to it, then even more so 'nothing in-nothing out'! An appeal, please, to help remedy this situation).

Keeping an eye on the Altars

ROME: 21st June 2009 -- Some will recall when 21st June, St Aloysius Gonzaga, was kept as a 'Salesian' celebration. Well, that aside, it is good to keep a close eye on the ever-shifting story of 161 members of the Salesian Family at various stages along the journey to the honours of the Altar.
    While the list of 8 Saints has not changed, the 2002-8 period saw a dramatic increase in the number of Blesseds and a similarly dramatic decrease in the number of Servants of God - two sides of the same coin when it comes to martyrs, who skip the 'Venerable' stage.  This was due, of course, to the Beatification of the second group of Spanish Martyrs (63), and others were added from their previous 'Venerable' stage: Augustus Czartoryski, Eusebia Palomino, Alexandrina da Costa, Albert Marvelli, Bronislaus Markiewicz, Ceferino Namancurá, Louis Guanella, Pius IX.
    Several joined the list of Venerables in this period: Bishop Olivares, Mamma Margaret, Sr Maria Troncatti.  Both she and Ven. Rudolph Komorek have a presumed miracle under study, which would bring them to the next stage. However, there are nine Venerables currently.
    There were eight new causes who reached the Servant of God stage between 2002-8: Charles della Torre, John Swierc and 8 companions, Bishop Ferrando, Stephen Sandor, Joseph Vandor, Constantine Vendrami, Carlo Crespi Croci, Bishop Marengo.  There are 28 all told on the 'Servants' list, and most recently added has been Andrej Majcen.
    It is worth noting that the Servants of God now have 5 of their number whose ministry was carried out in the EAO or SA regions. They are all European missionaries who worked in these regions.  Currently there is no Cause involving someone born and bred in those regions.
    One other item of note in the work of the Salesian Postulator is that he has been entrusted with the Cause of Pope John Paul I. On 30th May this year the investigation into a miracle attributed to his intercession was concluded.
    We are often asked about the availability of liturgical texts for the Saints and Blesseds. Obviously those for the Saints are available and translated into various languages.  The case is much less so for the Blesseds.  This process takes forever, it seems!  But readers will be interested to know that the Proper Missal for the Salesian Family is about to be reprinted - the earlier one is at least 10 years old. The Proper Calendar has also been approved and there are minor differences, so take a look at how it is now (note, if you had not already noted it, that Blessed Artemides Zatti has shifted to 13 November from his earlier 'debut' on 15th March!
    And one final note: there are 3 new names on the verge of introduction as a Cause: Fr Tito Zeman from Slovakia, Sr Anna Maria Lozano HHSSCC (Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary) from Colombia, and Bishop Stephen Czmil from the Ukraine.
    Should we add one final, final note?  Two new Salesians have been added as Consultors to the Congregation for Causes of Saints: Fr Motto from the Pisana and Fr Musoni, from the UPS.
   
  
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Title: australasia 2442
Subject and key words:
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2442