Saints of reform and mission, 1500 to 1800

St. Thomas More, statesman and martyr

“In this context, it is helpful to turn to the example of Saint Thomas More, who distinguished himself by his constant fidelity to legitimate authority and institutions precisely in his intention to serve not power but the supreme ideal of justice. His life teaches us that government is above all an exercise of virtue. Unwavering in this rigorous moral stance, this English statesman placed his own public activity at the service of the person, especially if that person was weak or poor”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Angela Merici, founder of the Company of St. Ursula

“On 25 November 1535, then, together with twelve collaborators, she founds the "Company of the dimesse of Saint Ursula" ("dimesse" because they are without the traditional habit of nuns), with an original Rule of life: to be outside the cloister in order to devote themselves to the instruction and education of young women, in obedience to the bishop and to the Church.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Il 25 novembre 1535, dunque, insieme a dodici collaboratrici, fonda la “Compagnia delle dimesse di Sant’Orsola”, (“dimesse” perché prive del tradizionale abito monacale), con una Regola di vita originale: essere fuori dal chiostro per dedicarsi all’istruzione ed educazione delle giovani donne, in obbedienza al vescovo e alla Chiesa.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, layman of Mexico

“In accepting the Christian message without forgoing his indigenous identity, Juan Diego discovered the profound truth of the new humanity, in which all are called to be children of God. Thus he facilitated the fruitful meeting of two worlds and became the catalyst for the new Mexican identity, closely united to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose mestizo face expresses her spiritual motherhood which embraces all Mexicans.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Francis Xavier, missionary in Asia

“St Francis Xavier, whom my Predecessor Pius XI, of venerable memory, proclaimed the "Patron of Catholic Missions", saw as his own mission "opening new ways of access" to the Gospel "in the immense Continent of Asia". His apostolate in the Orient lasted barely 10 years, but in the four and half centuries that the Society of Jesus has existed it has proven wonderfully fruitful, for his example inspired a multitude of missionary vocations among young Jesuits”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus

“St Ignatius of Loyola was first and foremost a man of God who in his life put God, his greatest glory and his greatest service, first. He was a profoundly prayerful man for whom the daily celebration of the Eucharist was the heart and crowning point of his day. Thus, he left his followers a precious spiritual legacy that must not be lost or forgotten.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Teresa of Avila, Carmelite reformer and Doctor

“She died on the night of 15 October 1582 in Alba de Tormes, after setting up the Carmelite Convent in Burgos, while on her way back to Avila. Her last humble words were: “After all I die as a child of the Church”, and “O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet one another”.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan

“His figure stands out in the 16th century as a model of an exemplary Pastor because of his charity, doctrine, apostolic zeal and above all, his prayer. "Souls are won", he said, "on one's knees". … In 1576, when the plague was raging in Milan, he visited, comforted and spent all his money on the sick. His motto consisted in one word: "Humilitas".”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. John of the Cross, Carmelite and Doctor

“John faced great suffering with exemplary serenity and patience. He died in the night between 13 and 14 December 1591, while his confreres were reciting Matins. He took his leave of them saying: “Today I am going to sing the Office in Heaven”. His mortal remains were translated to Segovia. He was beatified by Clement X in 1675 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Philip Neri, founder of the Oratory

“His existential path was deeply marked by the relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and by the commitment to guide to Him the souls entrusted to his spiritual care. On the point of death he advised: “He who wishes for anything but Christ, does not know what he wishes; he who asks for anything but Christ, does not know what he is asking”.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Peter Canisius, Jesuit and Doctor

“There were at least 200 editions of this Catechism in his lifetime alone! And hundreds of editions succeeded one another until the 20th century. So it was that still in my father’s generation people in Germany were calling the Catechism simply “the Canisius”. He really was the Catechist of Germany for centuries, he formed people’s faith for centuries.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, Archbishop of Lima

“We see him from the time in which he accepted the mandate to come to these lands with the mission to be a father and a shepherd. He left the security of familiar surroundings in order to enter a completely new universe, unknown and filled with challenges. He journeyed towards a promised land guided by faith as “the assurance of things hoped for” (Heb 11:1).”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Francis Solano, Franciscan missionary in South America

“A priest and missionary of the Order of Friars Minor, who for the salvation of souls travelled the length and breadth of the regions of South America and worked, by preaching and by witness, to teach the indigenous peoples and the Spanish colonists themselves the newness of the Christian life”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Sacerdote e missionario dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori, che per la salvezza delle anime percorse in lungo e in largo le regioni dell’America Meridionale e si adoperò con la predicazione e la testimonianza per insegnare ai popoli indigeni e agli stessi coloni spagnoli la novità della vita cristiana”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Rose of Lima, Dominican tertiary

“In her mother's house she set up a kind of shelter for the needy, where she cared for abandoned children and old people, above all those of Indian origin. From childhood Rose longed to consecrate herself to God in the cloistered life, but she remained a "virgin in the world" and as a Dominican tertiary she shut herself in a cell of a few square metres, built in the garden of her mother's house”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Nella casa materna creò una sorta di ricovero per i bisognosi, dove assisteva bambini ed anziani abbandonati, soprattutto di origine india. Già da piccola Rosa aspirò a consacrarsi a Dio nella vita claustrale, ma rimase “vergine nel mondo” e da terziaria domenicana si rinchiuse in una cella di pochi metri quadrati, costruita nel giardino della casa materna”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Robert Bellarmine, cardinal and Doctor

“He died in Rome on 17 September 1621. Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1923, canonized him in 1930 and proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1931. St Robert Bellarmine carried out an important role in the Church of the last decades of the 16th century and the first of decades of 17th. His Controversiae were a reference point, still valid, for Catholic ecclesiology on questions concerning Revelation, the nature of the Church, the sacraments and theological anthropology.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Francis de Sales, bishop and Doctor

“To Philotea, the ideal person to whom he dedicated his Introduction to a Devout Life (1607), Francis de Sales addressed an invitation that might well have seemed revolutionary at the time. It is the invitation to belong completely to God, while living to the full her presence in the world and the tasks proper to her state. “My intention is to teach those who are living in towns, in the conjugal state, at court” (Preface to The Introduction to a Devout Life).”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Francis Xavier, missionary in Asia

“Indeed, if Francis undertook such long journeys by land and sea again and again; if he was the first to carry the name of Jesus into Japan, which may rightly be called the island of Martyrs; if he faced immense dangers and bore incredible labours; if he poured the saving water of Baptism on countless brows; if, finally, he worked so many miracles of every kind, Francis himself declared that he owed all this, after God, to Ignatius, "father of his soul", as he called him”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Infatti, se Francesco intraprese più volte così lunghi viaggi per terra e per mare; se portò per primo il nome di Gesù nel Giappone, che a buon diritto si può appellare isola dei Martiri; se affrontò pericoli immensi e sostenne incredibili fatiche; se versò l’acqua salutare del Battesimo su innumerabili fronti; se infine operò tanti miracoli di ogni genere, tutto ciò lo stesso Francesco affermava di doverlo, dopo Dio, ad Ignazio, « padre dell’anima sua », come lo chiamava”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Josaphat, Archbishop of Polotsk and martyr

““Lord, grant me the grace to shed my blood for the unity of the church and in behalf of obedience to the Holy See.” On Sunday, November 13, 1623, his desire was realized. … He was set upon and killed in a most barbarous fashion. Despite his wounds he did not cease till his dying breath to implore God’s pardon for his murderers.”

Read it in the source: Papal Encyclicals Online

St. Martin de Porres, Dominican brother of Lima

“Being of mixed race, he was received into the Order of the Dominican Fathers only as a tertiary and then as a cooperator brother. He accepted this condition, living a life of the greatest humility, radiant with love. He devoted himself with self-denial to the poor and to the sick, giving them medical care, thanks to what he had learned first in a pharmacy and then as the pupil of a barber-surgeon, according to the custom of that time.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Egli, essendo meticcio, fu accolto nell’Ordine dei Padri Domenicani solo come terziario e poi come fratello cooperatore. Accettò questa condizione vivendo un’esistenza di massima umiltà, irradiata dall’amore. Si dedicò con abnegazione ai poveri, ai malati, riservando loro cure sanitarie, grazie alle nozioni apprese dapprima in una farmacia e poi come allievo di un barbiere-chirurgo, secondo l’usanza di quel tempo.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

Sts. Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and companions, martyrs of North America

“Six of them were Jesuit priests from France: Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Gabriel Lalemant, Antoine Daniel, Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel. Fired with love for Christ and inspired by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier and other great saints of the Society of Jesus, these priests came to the New World to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the native peoples of this land. And they persevered to the end despite difficulties of every sort.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Peter Claver, Jesuit among the enslaved at Cartagena

“Every month, when the arrival of new slaves was reported, packed into the ships, Peter Claver went out to sea in his boat to meet them, bringing them food, help and comfort. He awakened in each one the sense of his own human dignity, brought the unbaptized to the faith, and raised all to the knowledge and practice of the virtues of the Gospel.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Ogni mese, quando veniva segnalato l’arrivo di nuovi schiavi, stipati nelle navi, Pietro Claver usciva in mare con il suo battello per incontrarli, portando loro cibo, soccorso e conforto. Svegliava in ciascuno il senso della propria dignità umana, portava alla fede i non battezzati, elevava tutti alla conoscenza e alla pratica delle virtù evangeliche.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Vincent de Paul, priest and servant of the poor

“On one occasion in particular, he was deeply touched by meeting the gaze of a man pleading for mercy and by the faces of a destitute family. There he saw Jesus himself looking at him, unsettling his heart and asking him no longer to live for himself, but to serve him unreservedly in the poor. Vincent would later call the poor “our lords and masters” (Correspondance, entretiens, documents XI, 349). His life then became one of unflagging service, even to his dying breath.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Franciscan priest

“A priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual who, in spite of the difficulties he faced during his life, shone for poverty, humility and charity towards those in need of God”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Sacerdote dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali, che, nonostante le difficoltà affrontate durante la sua vita, rifulse per povertà, umiltà e carità verso i bisognosi di Dio”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Rose of Lima, Dominican tertiary

“To her are attributed mortifications and bodily penances of every kind, but also many conversions and as many miracles. One above all: the invasion of Lima by Dutch pirates in 1615, which did not take place. While she was still alive, Rose was examined by a mixed commission of religious and scientists, who judged her mystical experiences to be true "gifts of grace"”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Le si attribuiscono infatti mortificazioni e castighi corporali di ogni genere ma anche tante conversioni e altrettanti i miracoli. Uno fra tutti, la mancata invasione dei pirati olandesi a Lima nel 1615. Quando ancora era in vita, Rosa venne esaminata da una commissione mista di religiosi e scienziati che giudicarono le sue esperienze mistiche come veri e propri "doni di grazia"”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk virgin

“Kateri Tekakwitha was born in today’s New York state in 1656 to a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother who gave to her a sense of the living God. She was baptized at twenty years of age and, to escape persecution, she took refuge in Saint Francis Xavier Mission near Montreal. There she worked, faithful to the traditions of her people, although renouncing their religious convictions until her death at the age of twenty-four.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Visitation nun

“Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque reported a remarkable series of apparitions of Christ between the end of December 1673 and June of 1675. Fundamental to these was a declaration of love that stood out in the first apparition. Jesus said: “My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for men, and for you in particular, that, no longer able to contain in itself the flames of its ardent charity, it must pour them out through you and be manifested to them, in order to enrich them with its precious treasures which I now reveal to you”.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Stanislaus Papczyński, founder of the Marian Fathers

“He died on 17 September 1701, in the convent, saying the words: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit", blessing his brethren, urging them to keep the rule and the constitutions, and expressing his ardent desire to be united with Christ.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Morì il 17 settembre 1701, nel convento, pronunciando le parole: “Nelle tue mani, Signore, consegno il mio spirito”, benedicendo i suoi confratelli, esortandoli all’osservanza della regola e delle costituzioni ed esprimendo il desiderio ardente di unirsi a Cristo.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, missionary preacher

“the motto Totus tuus is inspired by the teaching of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (cf. Gift and Mystery, pp. 42-43; Rosarium Virginis Mariae, n. 15). These two words express total belonging to Jesus through Mary: "Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt", St Louis Marie wrote, and he translates his words: "I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother" (Treatise on True Devotion, n. 233).”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Francis Solano, Franciscan missionary in South America

“Countless miracles were attributed to him by authors of his own time and later, and these are said to have been included also in the depositions for his canonization. Miraculous events had already taken place in Spain: he licked the sores of a child suffering from bubonic plague (some say leprosy) and the next day the child was healed. … In America: in the town of Trancas, he planted his staff in the ground and made water spring up during a terrible drought”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Innumerevoli miracoli gli furono attribuiti da autori contemporanei e successivi, e questi sarebbero stati inclusi anche nelle dichiarazioni per la sua canonizzazione. Eventi miracolosi si erano già verificati in Spagna: leccò le piaghe di un bambino affetto da peste bubbonica – alcuni dicono lebbra – e il giorno dopo il bambino guarì. … In America: nella città di Trancas, piantò il suo bastone nel terreno e fece sgorgare l'acqua durante una terribile siccità”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Angelo of Acri, Capuchin preacher

“Adorned with all the virtues, he lived in the heroic exercise of love for God and for neighbour: by his contemporaries he was called "the apostle of the Calabrias". He died at Acri on 30 October 1739.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Adorno di tutte le virtù, visse nell’esercizio eroico dell’amore verso Dio e verso il prossimo: dai contemporanei fu chiamato “l’apostolo delle Calabrie”. Morì in Acri il 30 ottobre 1739.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Gerard Majella, Redemptorist brother

“After much insistence, and after taking leave of his mother with the words "Mamma, I am going to become a Saint", Father Cafaro at last accepted him on trial and sent him to Deliceto, with a letter of introduction that described him as a "useless subject", because of his weak health.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Dopo tanta insistenza, e dopo aver salutato sua madre con un “Mamma vado a farmi Santo”, Padre Cafaro finalmente lo accettò in prova e lo inviò a Deliceto, con una lettera di presentazione che lo descriveva come “soggetto inutile”, per via della sua debole salute.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Franciscan priest

“Such episodes do not escape the Inquisition of Naples, which summons him to try to learn whether or not the young man from Copertino is abusing the credulity of the people. Right in front of the judges assembled in the Monastery of San Gregorio Armeno, Joseph has a levitation. He is therefore cleared of every charge, but the Holy Office confines him in isolation, far from the crowds.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Tali episodi non sfuggono all’Inquisizione di Napoli che lo convoca per cercare di capire se il giovane da Copertino stia abusando della credulità popolare o meno. Proprio davanti ai giudici schierati nel Monastero di San Gregorio Armeno, Giuseppe ha una levitazione. Viene quindi assolto da ogni accusa, ma il Sant’Uffizio lo confina in isolamento, lontano dalle folle.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the Grey Nuns of Montreal

“While watching over the education of her two sons, who will become priests, on 21 November 1737 she takes a blind woman into her house. Then, with three companions who share her ideals, on 31 December of the same year she consecrates herself to God to serve him in the person of the destitute.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Pur vegliando all'educazione dei due figli, che diventeranno sacerdoti, il 21 novembre 1737 accoglie nella sua casa una cieca. Quindi, con tre compagne che condividono i suoi ideali, il 31 dicembre dello stesso anno si consacra a Dio per servirlo nella persona dei diseredati.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Junípero Serra, Franciscan missionary in California

“Father Serra had a motto which inspired his life and work, not just a saying, but above all a reality which shaped the way he lived: siempre adelante! Keep moving forward! For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and Doctor

“On learning of his death in 1787, which occurred after great suffering, the Pontiff exclaimed: “he was a saint!”. And he was not mistaken: Alphonsus was canonized in 1839 and in 1871 he was declared a Doctor of the Church. This title suited him for many reason. First of all, because he offered a rich teaching of moral theology, which expressed adequately the Catholic doctrine, to the point that Pope Pius XII proclaimed him “Patron of all confessors and moral theologians”.”

Read it in the source: vatican.va

St. Angela Merici, founder of the Company of St. Ursula

“But it is during the journey towards the origins of Christianity that a singular wonder takes place: suddenly, Angela loses her sight; she will regain it only on her return from the Holy Land, while praying before the Crucifix. Far from losing heart, Merici accepts the passing illness as a sign of Providence, so that she may look upon the Holy Places not with the eyes of the body but with those of the spirit.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Ma è proprio durante il viaggio verso le origini del cristianesimo che avviene un prodigio singolare: improvvisamente, Angela perde la vista; la riacquisterà solo al rientro dalla Terra Santa, pregando davanti al Crocifisso. Lungi dallo scoraggiarsi, la Merici accoglie la momentanea malattia come un segno della Provvidenza, così da poter guardare ai Luoghi Santi non con gli occhi del corpo, bensì con quelli dello spirito.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Gerard Majella, Redemptorist brother

“And indeed, one must read his life, full of wonders, to grasp the sublime virtues of the Saint, as well as the miracles he worked as though in play. In his short life the Saint won a glory that is still spreading, thanks to wonders of every sort, which the faithful obtain through his intercession.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“E difatti, bisogna leggere la sua vita piena di prodigi per rendersi conto delle sublimi virtù del Santo, come pure dei miracoli che egli operava come se scherzasse. Nella sua breve vita, il Santo acquistò una gloria che tuttora si dilata, mercé di prodigi di ogni sorta, che i fedeli ottengono per la sua intercessione.”

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Visitation nun

“For a decree has been published which recognizes the truth of two instantaneous healings attributed to the intercession of Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque. In the two wonders the reward given to devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is manifest. For more than a year Luisa Agostini Coleschi had been afflicted by a disease judged incurable: in vain she had several times implored the intercession of a number of Saints. … To the relatives and friends who first came to visit her after the healing, Luisa Coleschi said: "The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has granted me the grace"”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Si è infatti pubblicato un decreto che riconosce la verità di due instantanee guarigioni attribuite alla intercessione della beata Margherita Maria Alacoque. Nei due prodigi è manifesto il premio dato alla devozione al Cuore Santissimo di Gesù. Da oltre un anno Luisa Agostini Coleschi era afflitta da morbo giudicato insanabile: invano avea più volte implorato l’intercessione di parecchi Santi. … Ai parenti e agli amici che primi si recarono a visitarla dopo la guarigione, Luisa Coleschi disse: « Il Cuore Santissimo di Gesù mi ha fatto la grazia »”

Cases

Luisa Agostini Coleschi, healed at Valle di Pompei of a disease judged incurable; and the Countess Astorri, widow Pavesi

Investigation

The Pope cites the sworn deposition of the Countess Astorri

Church ruling

A decree recognizing two instantaneous healings attributed to her intercession, read before Benedict XV on 6 January 1918

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the Grey Nuns of Montreal

“Pope John XXIII proclaimed her Blessed on 3 May 1959. The healing of a person struck by myeloblastic leukaemia, which took place in 1978, has been attributed to her intercession.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Papa Giovanni XXIII la proclamò Beata il 3 maggio 1959. La guarigione di una persona colpita da leucemia mieloblastica avvenuta nel 1978 è stata attribuita alla sua intercessione.”

Case

A person with myeloblastic leukaemia, healed in 1978

Church ruling

Canonized by John Paul II on 9 December 1990

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk virgin

“On 23 August 1973, Pope Paul VI directed that the question be submitted to the judgment of the Cardinals and, having obtained a favourable opinion, on 19 December 1977 he made known his intention to proceed to the beatification with a dispensation from the two miracles, on the basis of a solid and proven "fama miraculorum" (reputation for miracles), since she is an important figure of the beginnings of the Church in North America. The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, on 15 March 1980, therefore granted the dispensation from the specific proof of miracles and, the wide and documented "reputation for miracles" having been shown, celebrated the rite of beatification in St. Peter's on 22 June 1980.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Il 23 agosto 1973, Papa Paolo VI diede disposizione che la questione venisse sottoposta al giudizio dei Cardinali e, ottenuto parere favorevole, il 19 dicembre 1977 manifestò l’intenzione di procedere alla beatificazione con la dispensa dai due miracoli, sul fondamento di una solida e provata esistenza della “fama miraculorum”, trattandosi di una figura rilevante delle origini della Chiesa dell’America del Nord. Il Sommo Pontefice Giovanni Paolo II, il 15 marzo 1980, concesse quindi la dispensa della prova specifica dei miracoli e, dimostrata l’ampia e documentata “fama dei miracoli”, celebrò il rito di beatificazione in San Pietro il 22 giugno 1980.”

Investigation

Two processes on alleged miracles were held in 1942 and 1945, in the dioceses of Hamilton (Canada) and Marquette (USA)

Church ruling

Beatified on 22 June 1980 with a dispensation from the specific proof of miracles

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Stanislaus Papczyński, founder of the Marian Fathers

“In the years 2012 to 2014 there was held in the Diocese of Ełk in Poland the diocesan Inquiry into an alleged miracle, obtained through the intercession of the Blessed, namely a healing from "bilateral pneumonia from Streptococcus pneumoniae, complicated by ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome in the adult), MOF (multiple organ failure syndrome) and septic shock". The Medical Board of the Congregation examined the case on 17 September 2015, judging with one voice that the healing was very rapid, complete and lasting, and not scientifically explicable.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Negli anni 2012–2014 si è svolta nella Diocesi di Ełk in Polonia l’Inchiesta diocesana su un presunto miracolo, ottenuto per intercessione del Beato, e cioè una guarigione da “polmonite bilaterale da Streptococco Pneumoniae, complicata da ARDS (Sindrome da insufficienza respiratoria acuta nell’adulto), MOF (sindrome da insufficienza multiorgano) e shock settico”. La Consulta Medica della Congregazione ha esaminato il caso il 17 settembre 2015 ritenendo unanimemente la guarigione molto rapida, completa e duratura, non spiegabile scientificamente.”

Case

A healing from bilateral pneumonia with acute respiratory distress, multiple organ failure and septic shock

Investigation

Diocesan inquiry in the Diocese of Ełk, Poland, 2012 to 2014

Medical finding

Medical Board, 17 September 2015: healing very rapid, complete and lasting, not scientifically explicable

Church ruling

Theological consultors favourable on 10 November 2015; cardinals and bishops on 12 January 2016; Pope Francis authorized the decree on the miracle

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints

St. Angelo of Acri, Capuchin preacher

“There was presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints the alleged miraculous healing of a young man from "multiple trauma; head injury with areas of laceration and contusion; right fronto-temporal fracture; thoraco-abdominal fracture with contusion of the lung; maxillo-facial trauma with wounds to the scalp and multiple abrasions", which took place in March 2010. … The Medical Board of the Congregation, on 15 December 2016, recognized the event as scientifically inexplicable.”

Our translation. The words as written, in Italian:

“Venne presentata alla Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi l’asserita guarigione miracolosa di un giovane da «politrauma; trauma cranico con focolai lacero contusivi; frattura fronto-temporale dx; frattura toraco-addominale con contusione polmonare: trauma maxillo-facciale con ferite al cuoio capelluto ed escoriazioni multiple», avvenuta nel marzo del 2010. … La Consulta Medica della Congregazione, il 15 dicembre 2016, riconobbe l’evento come scientificamente inspiegabile.”

Case

A young man with multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, healed in March 2010

Investigation

Diocesan inquiry at Cosenza-Bisignano, 29 March to 15 December 2014, recognized as valid on 20 March 2015

Medical finding

Medical Board, 15 December 2016: the event scientifically inexplicable

Church ruling

Theological consultors favourable on 21 February 2017; cardinals and bishops judged it a true miracle on 14 March 2017; Pope Francis authorized the decree

Read it in the source: Dicastery for the Causes of Saints