Who is being canonized?

Vatican City -- There is a steady stream of announcements from the Vatican about forthcoming canonizations, beatifications, and decrees issued for upcoming ceremonies, together with the names of those whose "cause" has been introduced. We restrict ourselves to the first two categories.

Canonizations:

On October 5, 2004, Society of the Divine Word (S.V.D.) founder Father Joseph Freinademetz. He devoted his life to evangelizing in China.

On May 16 of this year the following were canonized:

* Gianna Molla (1922-1962), who died after refusing cancer treatment, in order to spare her unborn daughter (see our article in the June 2004 edition).

* Luigi Orione (1872-1940), Italian priest, founder of the Little Work of Divine Providence and of the Congregation of the Little Missionary Sisters of Charity.

* Anibal Maria de Francia (1851-1927), Italian priest, founder of the Congregations of the Rogationist Fathers of the Heart of Jesus and of the Sisters, Daughters of Divine Zeal.

* Jose Manyanet y Vives (1833-1901), Spanish priest, founder of the Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and of the Sisters Missionaries of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

* Nimatullah Al-Hardini (18081858), Lebanese priest, religious of the Maronite Order.

* Paola Elisabetta Cerioli (1816-1865), founder of the Institute of the Holy Family and of the Congregation of the Holy Family (Zenit, February 19, 2004).

Beatifications:

On April 25, 2004, Pope John Paul beatified one priest, four women religious, and a laywoman, or, by nationality, one Pole (Augustus Czartoryski, 1853-1893); a Spaniard (Eusebia Palomino Yenes, 1899-1935, who predicted the Spanish Civil War of 1936); a Colombian (Laura Montoya, 1874-1949, a teacher to natives); a Mexican (Maria Garcia Zavala, 1878-1963, foundress of a religious order helping the poor); an Italian (Nemesia Valle, 1847-1916); and the Portuguese laywoman Alexandria Maria da Costa, 1904-1955, a "victim soul" who mystically lived the passion of Christ, receiving strength for the last 13 years of her life solely from the daily reception of the Eucharist. Forthcoming beatifications will include many martyrs of the Spanish Civil War (1936) and the Mexican religious persecutions of the 1920's.

Three members of Catholic Action were beatified during the Pope's visit to Loreto in early September. They were Tarres y Claret from Catalonia in Spain, born in Manresa on May 30, 1905. He died in the archdiocese of Barcelona on Aug. 31, 1950. After obtaining a degree in medicine, he was ordained a priest, and dedicated himself in particular to the formation of the youth of Catholic Action.

Also beatified was Alberto Marvelli, an Italian engineer and politician, who died (in 1946) at age 28. He was formed by the Salesians and Catholic Action. A man of profound spirituality, he aided the poor during World War II. He was a member of the Executive Council of the Christian Democratic Party in postwar Italy. He was killed in an accident.

The third beatified person was Italian laywoman Pina Suriano (1915-1950). She was especially dedicated in Catholic Action to the formation of girls and young people (Zenit, August 17, 2004).