March 16, 2016, Wednesday — Mother Teresa To Be Canonized on September 4 in Rome
Mother Teresa in 1993 in New Delhi, India. Pope Francis announced yesterday that she would be canonized on September 4 in Rome. Last December, the Pope accepted the 2008 healing of a Brazilian man with a brain infection and kidney disease as a miracle due to her intercession. (Photo: Associated Press)
Five New Saints
At a public Consistory yesterday, Pope Francis gave his approval for the canonization of five new saints.
The Public Ordinary Consistory for the Canonization of Blesseds began with the celebration of Terce (Midmorning Prayer), led by Pope Francis in the Consistory Hall at the Apostolic Palace.
Following the liturgical prayer, the Holy Father announced the upcoming canonization of:
(1) Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu). Her work among the “poorest of the poor” won her worldwide acclaim.
Hundreds of Missionaries of Charity, members of the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, are expected to be in Rome for her canonization, set for September 4, 2016.
(2) From Poland, Blessed Stanisłaus of Jesus and Mary (born Jan Papczynski) was a member of the Piarist Order. After leaving the Piarists, Blessed Stanisłaus founded the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
(3) From Sweden, Blessed Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, a convert from Lutheranism who was an immigrant to the United States, then lived the last years of her life in Rome.
She founded a new branch of Bridgettine sisters, dedicated to working and praying for the unity of Scandinavian Christians with the Church. She is the first Swedish saint in more than 600 years, and only the second in history, following her inspiration, St. Bridget of Sweden.
Here is an image of Blessed Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad as a young woman and as the “second founder” of the Bridgettine order.
Her order runs a lovely guest house in Rome located on Piazza Farnese in the center of Rome.
The two northern Europeans just mentioned will be canonized together on Sunday, June 5, of this year.
(4) From Argentina, Blessed José Gabriel del Rosario, from Pope Francis’ native Argentina, known as the “gaucho priest.” Like the famous Argentinian cattlemen, he traveled on a mule throughout the vast territory of his parish in order to be close to the members of his flock.
(5) From Mexico, Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río of Mexico. Blessed José was just 14 when he was martyred by the Mexican government during the Cristeros War, after refusing to deny his faith.
Both of these will be canonized on October 16, 2016.
Note to pilgrims: We are organizing a special pilgrimage to Rome for those who would like to be present at the canonization of Mother Teresa in September. (After the canonization, we will also visit the Holy Face in Manoppello.)
Complete information will be available in a few days on our website. The proposed dates are September 1 to September 10, 2016.
If you would like to reserve one or more places, simply reply to this email. (We assign places on a “first come, first served” basis, but space is limited as the number of rooms we have available is limited.)
If you would like detailed information emailed to you, send a reply email an we will send the information back to you when it is available.
In closing, we note the words of Pope Francis in his indiction of the Holy Year Jubilee of Mercy:
“The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life.
“Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a viator, a pilgrim traveling along the road, making his way to the desired destination.”
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What is the glory of God?
“The glory of God is man alive; but the life of man is the vision of God.” —St. Irenaeus of Lyons, in the territory of France, in his great work Against All Heresies, written c. 180 A.D.
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