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Pope Canonizes 5 New Saints
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by Jordan Yerman | October 12, 2009 at 03:00 pm
461 views | 30 Recommendations | 6 comments
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Pope Benedict XVI has canonized five new saints:
- Father Damien (Jozef De Veuster), who tended to sufferers of leprosy on Molokai
- Zygmunt Szcezesny Felinski, who defended the Catholic Church as Poland was annexed by Russia
- Jeanne Jugan, a French nun who co-founded Little Sisters of the Poor
- Francisco Coll y Guitart, 19th Centruy Dominican
- Rafael Aráiz Barón, who renounced his wealthy background to dedicate himself to prayer
In his homily, Benedict urged the faithful to learn from “the luminous examples of these saints,” men and women who “did not put themselves at the center but chose to go against the current and live according to the Gospel.”
How do you become a saint? Well, it can take decades... or longer. Oh, and you have to be dead, since one of your miracles must be posthumous. Even when the role of the devil's advocate, who was charged with attacking existing evidence in favor of sainthood, was phased out, it's still a slow and difficult process.
A local bishop investigates the candidate's life and writings for evidence of heroic virtue. The information uncovered by the bishop is sent to the Vatican. A panel of theologians and the cardinals of the Congregation for Cause of Saints evaluate the candidate's life. If the panel approves, the pope proclaims that the candidate is venerable, which means that the person is a role model of Catholic virtues. The next step toward sainthood is beatification, which allows a person to be honored by a particular group or region. In order to beatify a candidate, it must be shown that the person is responsible for a posthumous miracle. Martyrs -- those who died for their religious cause -- can be beatified without evidence of a miracle. On Oct. 20, 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified. She is now known as Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata. In order for the candidate to be considered a saint, there must be proof of a second posthumous miracle. If there is, the person is canonized.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
- reply
djermanoat 16:45 on October 12th, 2009
Great Story... God Bless the Saints...and the Pope.
Rev. Jermano
at 17:59 on October 12th, 2009
I remember reading Reader's Digest stories. Even if they were published in a previous decade or more ago, the stories made us aware of Father Damien and his work in Molokai. The sainthood is deserving.
at 18:41 on October 12th, 2009
How many Catholic saints are there?
at 18:45 on October 12th, 2009
There are so many! There are many Dictionary of Saints published, as another matter of fact. You can find them in many libraries, public or academic.
at 18:48 on October 12th, 2009
My favorite saint when I was in Catholic school was St. Francis of Assisi, one of the closest to Jesus and a real hippie, if you ask me.
I still like him.
- reply
djermanoat 03:03 on October 13th, 2009
Mine was St. Francis as well....and I also liked St. Dominic, and Thomas Aquinas. I wanted to be a Priest for a number of years...but they would not let me attend... They also would not let me attend Catholic Public School....but I did graduate from Mater Dei College a Catholic College on the St. Lawrence River....after a lengthy battle with an economic professor I caught who gave the same grade on term papers when one written in pencil and the other typed..... I was expelled from the school when I questioned why the term papers he wrote were all in type, yet discredits me when I typed mine. When I couldn't afford to pay for further education....I tried to join a Bendictine Monastery in New York, and Utah..I was turned down the postulancy there as well. Why I have no idea....having developed a deep dislike and disgruntled attitude about America.. .. 911 came about and now I find myself living in the PR China....supporting China's political views.
Really being here I don't have to pay any taxes to the US or to China..which makes me feel at ease that I am not supporting either military complex...with my labor. I have more religious freedom here in China than I had in the USA....I also find myself organized to help the Taliban to oust the US Military from Afghanistan. Obama has let the world down..and has joined the Political Liars club....but I think he is as much under the thumb of the US military as the rest of our civilian society... Even if he ordered them to come home...they would refuse.... Because the MIC is out of control...they take care of people who beckon to their call of lies and support their acts of murder. According to the Washington Post today he is sending 13,000 troops to Afghanistan. I expect more dead innocent civilians and kids mowed down by the Obama bombadeers... Just what do I do when I find a ditch of civilians massacred by US forces bulldozed under?
Rev. Jermano