Pope Francis will declare 33 martyrs and 2 others from Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Italy, as the Catholic Church’s new saints tomorrow at a Canonization Mass in Rome’s Saint Peter’s Square. They include 30 so-called Matryrs of Natal, including priests and lay people, who were killed in 1645 in a wave of anti-Catholic persecution by Dutch Calvinists in Natal, Brazil.
Another group of 3 indigenous martyrs from Mexico - Cristobal, Antonio and Juan – known as the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala will also be canonized. Aged between 12 and 13, the children were among the first indigenous Catholics of Mexico who were killed between 1527 and 1529 for refusing to renounce their faith and return to their ancient traditions.
Among the new saints will also be two European priests. One of them is Spanish Piarist Father, Manuel Míguez González, the founder of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess, or the Calasanzian Institute. He died in 1925. The other is Italian Cappuchin priest, Father Angelo da Acri, who died in 1739.
The church’s newest saints represent a diverse group of people who offer encouragement and hope to Christians today through their example, a Brazilian bishop said. Saints like the Martyrs of Natal, Brazil, offer a new opportunity, hope and a renewal of faith that can bring peace to a world battered by injustice, war and violence, Archbishop Jaime Vieira Rocha of Natal told journalists yesterday during a press briefing.
The grace of their canonization will certainly help create a society that is less vengeful, less violent, more fraternal, and encourage Catholics to stand up for the dignity of the people, he said. Ornate tapestries depicting each of the soon-to-be canonized saints — who hail from Brazil, Italy, Mexico and Spain — draped the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica as workers busily prepared the square for the October 15 Mass to be presided over by Pope Francis. The Martyrs of Natal — Blessed Andre de Soveral, a Jesuit priest; Blessed Ambrosio Francisco Ferro, a diocesan priest; Blessed Mateus Moreira, a layman; and 27 others — were killed in 1645 in a wave of anti-Catholic persecution carried out by Dutch Calvinists in Natal, Brazil.
Father Julio Cesar Souza Cavalcante, an expert on their cause, told journalists that the 30 Brazilian martyrs — which included priests, laymen and laywomen, families, husbands, wives, children and youth — are models for all Catholics, especially in Brazil today, who want to follow the pope’s call for a church on the move that goes out and gives public witness to their faith.
Martyrdom is always this witness. And to give this witness of faith in a country that today is in an economic, security and health crisis, it is a witness that it is possible to go forward, it is possible to do more, Father Souza said.
The Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala, Mexico — Blesseds Cristobal, Antonio and Juan — will also be declared saints by Pope Francis at the Mass. The children, whose ages range from 12 to 13, were among the first native converts in Mexico and were killed between 1527 and 1529 for refusing to renounce the faith and return to their people’s ancient traditions.
Monsignor Jorge Ivan Gomez Gomez, Vicar General of the Diocese of Tlaxcala, Mexico, told Catholic News Service that despite their age, the young martyrs proved that grace acts and that not everything relies on human effort.
With a Synod of Bishops focusing on young people taking place in 2018, the child martyrs are a motivation so that young men and women may be agents of the evangelization in their own families and confront the idols of the modern world.
Young people are immersed in a series of idolatries, which they sometimes passively accept, Monsignor Gomez said. The martyrs, at their age, had the capacity to confront idolatries that were common in so many places at the time.
The pope will also canonize Blessed Angelo of Acri, an Italian Capuchin priest who was born Luca Antonio Falcone. He died in 1739 and was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1825. A famed preacher, Blessed Angelo proclaimed the good news of the Gospel in a simple, concrete way and not just by saying words, Capuchin Brother Carlo Calloni, postulator of Blessed Angelo’s cause, told CNS.
He was also known for his defence of the poor and knew how to raise his voice against the powerful of that time, Brother Calloni said. However, he added, Blessed Angelo combined his sharp wit and intelligence with mercy when it came to the confessional, often spending long hours listening to repentant men and women seeking forgiveness. Brother Calloni said the Capuchin priest’s zeal for saving souls can serve as an example for the church’s mission in reaching out to those who have become distant from their faith.
Blessed Angelo can be the model for those who seek a new way to bring the proclamation (of the Gospel) to the world and that it may be heard by the people, he said. Pope Francis will also canonize Blessed Faustino Miguez, a Spanish priest and a member of the Piarist Fathers born in 1831. He started an advanced school for girls at a time when such education was limited almost exclusively to boys.
(by Junno Arocho Esteves, CNS)
Another group of 3 indigenous martyrs from Mexico - Cristobal, Antonio and Juan – known as the Child Martyrs of Tlaxcala will also be canonized. Aged between 12 and 13, the children were among the first indigenous Catholics of Mexico who were killed between 1527 and 1529 for refusing to renounce their faith and return to their ancient traditions.
Among the new saints will also be two European priests. One of them is Spanish Piarist Father, Manuel Míguez González, the founder of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess, or the Calasanzian Institute. He died in 1925. The other is Italian Cappuchin priest, Father Angelo da Acri, who died in 1739.
New Saints inspire Christians
to build a peaceful world
The grace of their canonization will certainly help create a society that is less vengeful, less violent, more fraternal, and encourage Catholics to stand up for the dignity of the people, he said. Ornate tapestries depicting each of the soon-to-be canonized saints — who hail from Brazil, Italy, Mexico and Spain — draped the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica as workers busily prepared the square for the October 15 Mass to be presided over by Pope Francis. The Martyrs of Natal — Blessed Andre de Soveral, a Jesuit priest; Blessed Ambrosio Francisco Ferro, a diocesan priest; Blessed Mateus Moreira, a layman; and 27 others — were killed in 1645 in a wave of anti-Catholic persecution carried out by Dutch Calvinists in Natal, Brazil.
Father Julio Cesar Souza Cavalcante, an expert on their cause, told journalists that the 30 Brazilian martyrs — which included priests, laymen and laywomen, families, husbands, wives, children and youth — are models for all Catholics, especially in Brazil today, who want to follow the pope’s call for a church on the move that goes out and gives public witness to their faith.
Martyrdom is always this witness. And to give this witness of faith in a country that today is in an economic, security and health crisis, it is a witness that it is possible to go forward, it is possible to do more, Father Souza said.
Monsignor Jorge Ivan Gomez Gomez, Vicar General of the Diocese of Tlaxcala, Mexico, told Catholic News Service that despite their age, the young martyrs proved that grace acts and that not everything relies on human effort.
With a Synod of Bishops focusing on young people taking place in 2018, the child martyrs are a motivation so that young men and women may be agents of the evangelization in their own families and confront the idols of the modern world.
Young people are immersed in a series of idolatries, which they sometimes passively accept, Monsignor Gomez said. The martyrs, at their age, had the capacity to confront idolatries that were common in so many places at the time.
He was also known for his defence of the poor and knew how to raise his voice against the powerful of that time, Brother Calloni said. However, he added, Blessed Angelo combined his sharp wit and intelligence with mercy when it came to the confessional, often spending long hours listening to repentant men and women seeking forgiveness. Brother Calloni said the Capuchin priest’s zeal for saving souls can serve as an example for the church’s mission in reaching out to those who have become distant from their faith.
Blessed Angelo can be the model for those who seek a new way to bring the proclamation (of the Gospel) to the world and that it may be heard by the people, he said. Pope Francis will also canonize Blessed Faustino Miguez, a Spanish priest and a member of the Piarist Fathers born in 1831. He started an advanced school for girls at a time when such education was limited almost exclusively to boys.
(by Junno Arocho Esteves, CNS)
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