Rome, 31 December 2025

DOSSIER GENERAL POSTULATION SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO – 2025

«Let us not forget that it is precisely the saints who move the Church forward and help it grow» (Pope Francis)

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«The men and women whom yesterday we proclaimed saints are for all of us shining signs of hope, because they offered their lives in the love of Christ and of their brothers and sisters» (Leo XIV)

«From now on let this be our watchword: the holiness of the children

shall be proof of the holiness of the father». (Don Rua)

It is necessary to express profound gratitude and praise to God for the holiness already recognized in the Salesian Family of Don Bosco 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 significance. It involves, in fact, carrying out a discernment regarding the reputation for holiness of a baptized person who lived the evangelical beatitudes to a heroic degree or who gave his or her life for Christ.

From Don Bosco up to our own days, there is attested 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. These are men and women, young and adults, consecrated persons and lay people, bishops and missionaries, who in different historical, cultural, and social contexts across time and space have caused the Salesian charism to shine with a singular light, representing a heritage that plays an effective role in the life and community of believers and for men and women of good will.

1. LIST AS OF 31 DECEMBER 2025

Our Postulation concerns 181 among Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, Servants of God.
The Causes followed directly by the Postulation are 61 (+ 5 extra).

SAINTS (11)

Saint Giovanni Bosco, priest (date of Canonization: 1 April 1934) – (Italy)
Saint Giuseppe Cafasso, priest (22 June 1947) – (Italy)
Saint Maria D. Mazzarello, virgin (24 June 1951) – (Italy)
Saint Domenico Savio, adolescent (12 June 1954) – (Italy)
Saint Leonardo Murialdo, priest (3 May 1970) – (Italy)
Saint Luigi Versiglia, bishop, martyr (1 October 2000) – (Italy - China)
Saint Callisto Caravario, priest, martyr (1 October 2000) – (Italy - China)
Saint Luigi Orione, priest (16 May 2004) – (Italy)
Saint Luigi Guanella, priest (23 October 2011) – (Italy)
Saint Artemide Zatti, religious (9 October 2022) – (Italy – Argentina)
Saint Maria Troncatti, virgin (19 October 2025) – (Italy – Ecuador)

BLESSEDS (116)

Blessed Michele Rua, priest (date of Beatification: 29 October 1972) – (Italy)
Blessed Laura Vicuña, adolescent (3 September 1988) – (Chile – Argentina)
Blessed Filippo Rinaldi, priest (29 April 1990) – (Italy)
Blessed Maddalena Morano, virgin (5 November 1994) – (Italy)
Blessed Giuseppe Kowalski, priest, martyr (13 June 1999) – (Poland)
Blessed Francesco Kęsy, layman, and 4 companion martyrs (13 June 1999) – (Poland)

Czesław Józ´wiak, layman
Edward Kaz´mierski, layman
Edward Klinik, layman
Jarogniew Wojciechowski, layman

Blessed Pio IX, pope (3 September 2000) – (Italy)
Blessed Giuseppe Calasanz, priest, and 31 companion martyrs (11 March 2001) – (Spain)

Antonio Maria Martín Hernández, priest
Recaredo de los Ríos Fabregat, priest
Giuliano Rodríguez Sánchez, priest
Giuseppe Giménez López, priest
Agostino García Calvo, coadjutor
Giovanni Martorell Soria, priest
Giacomo Buch Canal, coadjutor
Pietro Mesonero Rodríguez, cleric
Giuseppe Otín Aquilué, priest
Alvaro Sanjuán Canet, priest
Francesco Bandrés Sánchez, priest
Sergio Cid Pazo, priest
Giuseppe Batalla Parramó, priest
Giuseppe Rabasa Bentanachs, coadjutor
Gil Rodicio Rodicio, coadjutor
Angelo Ramos Velázquez, coadjutor
Filippo Hernández Martínez, cleric
Zaccaria Abadía Buesa, cleric
Giacomo Ortiz Alzueta, coadjutor
Saverio Bordas Piferrer, cleric
Felice Vivet Trabal, cleric
Michele Domingo Cendra, cleric
Giuseppe Caselles Moncho, priest
Giuseppe Castell Camps, priest
Giuseppe Bonet Nadal, priest
Giacomo Bonet Nadal, priest
Alessandro Planas Saurí, lay collaborator
Eliseo García García, coadjutor
Giulio Junyer Padern, priest
María Carmen Moreno Benítez, virgin
María Amparo Carbonell Muñoz, virgin

Blessed Luigi Variara, priest (14 April 2002) – (Italy – Colombia)
Blessed Maria Romero Meneses, virgin (14 April 2002) – (Nicaragua – Costa Rica)
Blessed Augusto Czartoryski, priest (25 April 2004) – (France – Poland)
Blessed Eusebia Palomino, virgin (25 April 2004) – (Spain)
Blessed Alexandrina M. Da Costa, laywoman (25 April 2004) – (Portugal)
Blessed Alberto Marvelli, layman (5 September 2004) – (Italy)
Blessed Bronislao Markiewicz, priest (19 June 2005) – (Poland)
Blessed Enrico Saiz Aparicio, priest, and 62 companion martyrs (28 October 2007) – (Spain)

Felice González Tejedor, priest
Giovanni Codera Marqués, coadjutor
Virgilio Edreira Mosquera, cleric
Paolo Gracia Sánchez, coadjutor
Carmelo Giovanni Pérez Rodríguez, subdeacon
Teodulo González Fernández, cleric
Tommaso Gil de la Cal, aspirant
Federico Cobo Sanz, aspirant
Igino de Mata Díez, aspirant
Giusto Juanes Santos, cleric
Vittoriano Fernández Reinoso, cleric
Emilio Arce Díez, coadjutor
Raimondo Eirín Mayo, coadjutor
Matteo Garolera Masferrer, coadjutor
Anastasio Garzón González, coadjutor
Francesco Giuseppe Martín López de Arroyave, coadjutor
Giovanni de Mata Díez, lay collaborator
Pio Conde Conde, priest
Sabino Hernández Laso, priest
Salvatore Fernández Pérez, priest
Nicola de la Torre Merino, coadjutor
Germano Martín Martín, priest
Giuseppe Villanova Tormo, priest
Stefano Cobo Sanz, cleric
Francesco Edreira Mosquera, cleric
Emanuele Martín Pérez, cleric
Valentino Gil Arribas, coadjutor
Pietro Artolozaga Mellique, cleric
Emanuele Borrajo Míguez, cleric
Dionisio Ullívarri Barajuán, coadjutor
Michele Lasaga Carazo, priest
Luigi Martínez Alvarellos, cleric
Giovanni Larragueta Garay, cleric
Fiorenzo Rodríguez Güemes, cleric
Pasquale de Castro Herrera, cleric
Stefano Vázquez Alonso, coadjutor
Eliodoro Ramos García, coadjutor
Giuseppe Maria Celaya Badiola, coadjutor
Andrea Jiménez Galera, priest
Andrea Gómez Sáez, priest
Antonio Cid Rodríguez, coadjutor
Antonio Torrero Luque, priest
Antonio Enrico Canut Isús, priest
Michele Molina de la Torre, priest
Paolo Caballero López, priest
Onorio Hernández Martín, cleric
Giovanni Luigi Hernández Medina, cleric
Antonio Mohedano Larriva, priest
Antonio Fernández Camacho, priest
Giuseppe Limón Limón, priest
Giuseppe Blanco Salgado, coadjutor
Francesco Míguez Fernández, priest
Emanuele Fernández Ferro, priest
Felice Paco Escartín, priest
Tommaso Alonso Sanjuán, coadjutor
Emanuele Gómez Contioso, priest
Antonio Pancorbo López, priest
Stefano García García, coadjutor
Raffaele Rodríguez Mesa, coadjutor
Antonio Rodríguez Blanco, diocesan priest
Bartolomeo Blanco Márquez, layman
Teresa Cejudo Redondo, laywoman

Blessed Zeffirino Namuncurá, layman (11 November 2007) – (Argentina – Italy)
Blessed Stefano Sándor, religious, martyr (19 October 2013) – (Hungary)
Blessed Tito Zeman, priest, martyr (30 September 2017) – (Slovakia).

VENERABLES (20)

Ven. Andrea Beltrami, priest, (date of the Decree on heroic virtues: 15 December 1966) – (Italy)
Ven. Teresa Valsè Pantellini, virgin (12 July 1982) – (Italy)
Ven. Dorotea Chopitea, laywoman (9 June 1983) – (Spain)
Ven. Vincenzo Cimatti, priest (21 December 1991) – (Italy – Japan)
Ven. Simone Srugi, religious (2 April 1993) – (Palestine)
Ven. Rodolfo Komorek, priest (6 April 1995) – (Poland – Brazil)
Ven. Luigi Olivares, bishop (20 December 2004) – (Italy)
Ven. Margherita Occhiena, laywoman (23 October 2006) – (Italy)
Ven. Giuseppe Quadrio, priest (19 December 2009) – (Italy)
Ven. Laura Meozzi, virgin (27 June 2011) – (Italy – Poland)
Ven. Attilio Giordani, layman (9 October 2013) – (Italy – Brazil)
Ven. Giuseppe Augusto Arribat, priest (8 July 2014) – (France)
Ven. Stefano Ferrando, bishop (3 March 2016) – (Italy – India)
Ven. Francesco Convertini, priest (20 January 2017) – (Italy – India)
Ven. Giuseppe Vandor, priest (20 January – 2017) – (Hungary – Cuba)
Ven. Ottavio Ortiz Arrieta Coya, bishop (27 February 2017) – (Peru)
Ven. Augusto Hlond, cardinal (19 May 2018) – (Poland)
Ven. Ignazio Stuchly, priest (21 December 2020) – (Czech Republic)
Ven. Carlo Crespi Croci, priest (23 March 2023) – (Italy – Ecuador)
Ven. Antonio De Almeida Lustosa, bishop (22 June 2023) – (Brazil)

SERVANTS OF GOD (28)
The Causes are listed according to the state of advancement

Decree of martyrdom

Giovanni Świerc, priest and 8 companions, martyrs (Poland)

Ignazio Dobiasz, priest
Francesco Harazim, priest
Casimiro Wojciechowski, priest
Ignazio Antonowicz, priest
Lodovico Mroczek, priest
Carlo Golda, priest
Vladimiro Szembek, priest
Francesco Miśka, priest

Decree of martyrdom: 24 October 2025
Date of beatification: 6 June 2026

Elia Comini, priest (Italy), martyr
Decree on martyrdom: 18 December 2024

Positio examined by theologians

Costantino Vendrame, priest (Italy – India)
Special Congress of theologians: 23 January 2025

Oreste Marengo, bishop (Italy – India)
Special Congress of theologians: 6 November 2025

Rodolfo Lunkenbein, priest (Germany – Brazil) and Simão Bororo, layman (Brazil), martyrs
Special Congress of theologians: 20 November 2025

The Positio has been submitted

Andrea Majcen, priest (Slovenia – China – Vietnam)
Positio submitted: 5 June 2025

Vera Grita, laywoman (Italy)
Positio submitted: 17 October 2025

The drafting of the Positio is in progress

Akash Bashir, layman, martyr (Pakistan)
Validity of the diocesan inquiry: 24 October 2024

Cognata Giuseppe, bishop (Italy)
Validity of the diocesan inquiry: 11 January 2023

Carlo Della Torre, priest (Italy – Thailand)
Validity of the diocesan inquiry: 1 April 2016

Silvio Galli, priest (Italy)
Validity of the diocesan inquiry: 19 October 2022

Antonino Baglieri, layman (Italy)
Validity of the diocesan inquiry: 8 January 2025

Awaiting validity of the diocesan inquiry

Antonietta Böhm, virgin (Germany – Mexico)
Closure of the diocesan inquiry: 28 April 2024

Luigi Bolla, priest (Italy – Ecuador – Peru)
Closure of the diocesan inquiry: 30 May 2025

Rosetta Marchese, virgin (Italy)
Closure of the diocesan inquiry: 4 July 2025

Causes temporarily suspended

Anna Maria Lozano, virgin (Colombia)
Closure of the diocesan inquiry: 19 June 2014

Matilde Salem, laywoman (Syria)
Opening of the diocesan inquiry: 20 October 1995

The diocesan inquiry is in progress

Carlo Braga, priest (Italy – China – Philippines)
Opening of the diocesan inquiry: 30 January 2014

Gaetano Nicosia, priest (Italy – China)
Nihil Obstat: 21 May 2025
Opening of the diocesan inquiry: 17 January 2026

CAUSE EXTRA FOLLOWED BY THE POSTULATION (5)

Blessed CAMILLO COSTA DE BEAUREGARD, priest (France)
  The Decree super virtutibus: 22 January 1991
  Beatification: 17 May 2025

Venerable CASIMIRO BARELLO MORELLO, Franciscan tertiary (Italy – Spain)
  The Decree super virtutibus: 1 July 2000

Venerable GIOVANNI TYRANOWSKI, layman (Poland)
  The Decree super virtutibus: 20 January 2017

Venerable AUGUSTO BERTAZZONI, bishop (Italy)
  The Decree super virtutibus: 2 October 2019

Venerable FELICE CANELLI, priest (Italy)
  The Decree super virtutibus: 22 May 2021

It is also fitting to recall the Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God who, in different times and ways, encountered the Salesian charism, such as, for example: Blessed Edvige Carboni, the Servant of God Cardinal Giuseppe Guarino, the Venerable Salvo d'Acquisto, a former pupil, and many others.

2. EVENTS OF 2025

8 January 2025: juridical validity was granted to the diocesan inquiry for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Antonino Baglieri (Modica 1 May 1951 - 2 March 2007), Layman, Volunteer with Don Bosco (CDB).

23 January 2025: the Special Congress of the Theological Consultors unanimously expressed a positive opinion regarding the heroic exercise of virtues, the reputation for holiness and of signs of the Servant of God Costantino Vendrame (1893-1957), Professed Priest of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, missionary in India.

17 May 2025: in Chambéry (France), Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Camillo Costa De Beauregard, diocesan priest, born in Chambéry, France, on 17 February 1841 and who died there on 25 March 1910. Representative of the Supreme Pontiff was Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to France.

21 May 2025: the Holy See grants the Nihil Obstat for the opening of the Cause of the Servant of God Gaetano Nicosia (San Giovanni La Punta - Catania 3 April 1915 - Hong Kong (China) 6 November 2017), Professed Priest of the Salesian Society of Saint John Bosco, missionary in China.

30 May 2025: Closure in Lima (Peru) of the diocesan inquiry of the Cause of Luigi Bolla (1932-2013), Salesian missionary among the Shuar and Achuar indigenous peoples of Ecuador and Peru.

5 June 2025: submission of the Positio super Vita, Virtutibus et Fama Sanctitatis of the Servant of God Andrej Majcen (1904-1995), Salesian missionary in China and Vietnam.

13 June 2025: during the Consistory, Pope Leo XIV decreed that Blessed Maria Troncatti, Professed Sister of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, be inscribed in the Roll of Saints on Sunday 19 October 2025.

4 July 2025: closure, at the Vicariate of Rome, of the diocesan phase of the inquiry for the beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Mother Rosetta Marchese (Aosta 20 October 1922 – Rome 8 March 1984), Daughter of Mary Help of Christians and Superior General of the FMA.

15-18 July 2025 in Macas-Sucúa (Ecuador): canonical recognition and conservative treatment of the relics of Blessed Maria Troncatti (1883-1969), Professed Sister of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians,

8-23 July 2025: in Cuenca (Ecuador), canonical recognition and conservative treatment of the mortal remains of the Venerable Carlo Crespi (1891-1982), Professed Priest of the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco.

7 October 2025: during the Ordinary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, a favorable opinion was expressed regarding the martyrdom of the Servants of God Giovanni Świerc and VIII Companions, Professed Priests of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, killed in odium fidei in Nazi extermination camps in the years 1941-1942.

17 October 2025: submission of the Positio super Vita, Virtutibus et Fama Sanctitatis of the Servant of God Vera Grita (1923-1969), Salesian Cooperator.

19 October 2025: canonization in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, by Pope Leo XIV, of Blessed Maria Troncatti (1883-1969), Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, missionary, mother, artisan of peace and reconciliation.

24 October 2025: the Holy Father Leo XIV authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the Decree concerning the martyrdom of the Servants of God Jan Świerc and 8 Companions, professe priests of the Salesian Society of Saint John Bosco, killed between 1941 and 1942, in hatred of the faith, in the concentration camps of Auschwitz (Poland) and Dachau (Germany).

6 November 2025: during the Special Congress of the Theological Consultors, a unanimous positive opinion was expressed regarding the heroic exercise of virtues, the reputation for holiness and of signs of the Servant of God Oreste Marengo (1906-1998), Salesian bishop and missionary in North-East India.

18 November 2025: by disposition of the Holy Father Leo XIV, the Rite of Beatification of the Venerable Servants of God Jan Świerc and 8 Companions will take place on 6 June 2026 in Kraków. The Representative of the Supreme Pontiff will be His Eminence Card. Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

20 November: the majority of the Theological Consultors of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, during the Special Congress, gave an affirmative vote regarding the Positio super martyrio of the Servants of God Rodolfo Lunkenbein, Professed Priest of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, and Simão Bororo, Layman, killed in odium fidei on 15 July 1976 in the Salesian mission of Meruri (Brazil).

3. IN 2025 WE REMEMBERED:

1875 - 150
15 January 1875: Birth of Luigi Variara in Viarigi (Asti)
11 November: first missionary expedition
Don Guanella goes to don Bosco

1900 - 125
30 March 1900: Death of Leonardo Murialdo in Turin
9 July 1900: Birth of Carlo Della Torre in Cernusco sul Naviglio (Milan)

1925 - 100
11 February 1925 episcopal consecration of Msgr Antoni De Almeida Lustosa
14 April 1925: Alexandrina took to her bed, never to rise again,
3 May: beatification of Giuseppe Cafasso
don Elia Comini enters the Salesian novitiate of Castel De’ Britti

1950 - 75
5 March 1950: Beatification of Domenico Savio by Pius XII in Rome

2000 - 25
1 July: Venerability of Casimiro Barello
3 September: Beatification of Pio IX
1 October: Canonization of Versiglia – Caravario

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

Suggestions for promoting a Cause.

• To foster prayer through the intercession of the Blessed, Venerable Servant of God, by means of images (also relics ex indumentis), leaflets, books… to be distributed in families, parishes, religious houses, spirituality centers, hospitals, in order 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/her intercession in the various cases of material and spiritual need.
  Two formative elements are emphasized: the value of persistent and trusting prayer and that of communal prayer. We recall the biblical episode of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kgs 5:1-14), where we discern several elements: the indication of the man of God by a young girl, the injunction to bathe seven times in the Jordan, the indignant and resentful refusal, the wisdom and insistence of Naaman’s servants, Naaman’s obedience, the attainment not only of physical healing but of salvation. We also recall the description of the first community of Jerusalem, where it is stated: «All these were persevering and of one mind in prayer, together with some women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers» (Acts 1:14).

• It is recommended, each month on the day on which the date of death of the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God occurs, to provide for a moment of prayer and commemoration.

• To publish, on a quarterly or four-monthly basis, an Information Sheet that reports on the progress of the Cause, particular anniversaries and events, testimonies, graces… highlighting that the Cause is alive and accompanied.

• To organize once a year a Commemorative Day, highlighting particular aspects or anniversaries of the figure of the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God, involving groups that are particularly “interested” in his/her witness (for example priests, religious, young people, families, doctors, missionaries…).

• To collect and document the graces and favors that are attributed to the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God. It is useful to have a notebook in which to record and note the graces requested and those received, as a testimony to both the reputation for holiness and for signs. In particular, if they concern healings and/or alleged miracles, it is important to urgently collect all the medical documentation that proves the case and the evidence that attests to the intercession.

• To establish a Committee committed to promoting such a Cause also in view of Beatification and Canonization. Members of such a Committee should be persons 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 alleged miracles), historians, theologians and experts in spirituality…

• To promote knowledge through the drafting of the biography, the critical edition of writings and other multimedia productions.

• Periodically to present the figure of the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God in the Parish Bulletin and in the diocesan newspaper, in the Salesian Bulletin.

• To have a website or a dedicated link for the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God with his/her life, data and news related to the Cause of Beatification and Canonization, requests for prayers, reporting of graces...

• To review and reorder the environments where he/she lived. To organize an exhibition space. To develop a spiritual itinerary in his/her footsteps, enhancing places (birthplace, church, living environments…) and signs.

• To organize an archive with all the catalogued and computerized documentation relating to the Blessed, (Venerable) Servant of God.

• To create an economic fund to support both the expenses of the Postulation 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, twinnings…

5. PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ALLEGED MIRACLES!

• To care for our “theological” gaze in order to grasp the miracles that occur every day in our life and around us.

• To pray and have others pray for the various cases that arise and to ask that, through the intercession of a Servant of God or Venerable or Blessed, the Lord may intervene with his grace and work not only a miracle objectively concerning bodily health, but also a true and sincere conversion.

• To help people better understand what a “demonstrable” miracle is and what it is for in a Cause of canonization, showing not only the scientific, medical aspect but also the theological one.

• To appoint a person in charge to whom graces and alleged miracles may be communicated and reported. Following a Cause to certify a miracle is a very great commitment for a promoter who must demonstrate a true love for the Servant of God.

• To awaken awareness that we must have greater faith in the intercession of our saints.

• To communicate when a grace is being requested so as to unite ourselves in prayer. Never tire of praying.

• To follow more closely and personally the people to whom material is given (novenas, holy cards, etc.) and to choose carefully also the places where this is done.

• It is important to sensitize the faithful to continuous prayer supported by great faith and disposed always to accept the will of God. We can learn by looking at the life and sufferings lived by our saints.

• Beyond prayers, it is important to be close with our presence to families who have serious problems and to give them some relic.

• In the case of an alleged miracle, it is necessary to proceed rigorously using a scientific methodology in collecting evidence, testimonies, medical opinions, etc., and possibly arranging all the information in chronological sequence.

A miracle is composed of two essential elements: the scientific and the theological. The second, however, presupposes the first.

It is necessary to prepare

1. a brief and accurate report on the particular circumstances that characterized the case; this consists of a chronological description of all the elements of the prodigious event, both those concerning the scientific element and the theological one. The chronological description includes: personal details of the healed person; symptoms of the illness, chronology of medical-scientific events; indication of the decisive moments of the healing, clarification of the diagnosis and prognosis of the case, highlighting all investigations carried out. To outline the therapy followed, to illustrate the manner of healing, namely when the last assessment before the healing was carried out, the completeness of the healing, presented in very detailed form, and the permanence of the healing.

2. A list of texts that may contribute to the search for the truth of the case (the healed person, relatives, doctors, nurses, people who prayed…);

3. All documents relating to the case. For alleged miraculous healings, medical, clinical and instrumental documents are required (e.g., medical records, medical reports, laboratory tests and instrumental investigations).

5. INITIAL DISCERNMENT BEFORE INITIATING A CAUSE

First of all, it is necessary, on the part of the Provincial and his Council or of the Superior or Responsible of a group, to investigate and document with the utmost diligence the fama sanctitatis et signorum of the candidate and the relevance of the Cause, in order to verify the truth of the facts and the consequent formation of a well-founded moral certainty. Furthermore, it is essential that the Cause in question involve a significant and meaningful portion of the People of God and not be the intention only of some group, or even of some individual. All this entails a more motivated and documented initial discernment, in order to avoid dispersion of energies, forces, time and resources.
It is then fundamental to identify the right person (Vice Postulator) who takes the Cause to heart and has the time and possibility to follow it through all its stages.

It must also be remembered that initiating and pursuing a Cause requires a considerable investment of resources in terms of personnel and financial contributions.

Conclusion
The holiness recognized, or in the process of being recognized, on the one hand is already the realization of evangelical radicality and fidelity to the apostolic project of don Bosco, to be regarded as a spiritual and pastoral resource; on the other hand it is a provocation to live one’s vocation faithfully in order to be available to bear witness to love unto 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 across time and in the most diverse situations, overcoming that worldliness and spiritual superficiality which undermine our credibility and fruitfulness at their root. Saints are true mystics of the primacy of God in the generous gift of self, prophets of evangelical fraternity, servants of their brothers and sisters with creativity.

The journey of holiness is a path to be made together, in the company of the saints. Holiness is experienced together and is reached together. Saints are always in company: where there is one, we always find many others. Everyday holiness 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 lives you offer us an example, in their intercession a help, in their communion of grace a bond of fraternal love. Strengthened by their witness, we face the good fight of faith, to share beyond death the same crown of glory».

Don Pierluigi CAMERONI SDB,
General Postulator for the Causes of Saints
postulatore@sdb.org