The Catholic Church needs to strive continually to make sure it is focusing on the essentials of Christian faith — Jesus and charity — and not “get lost in so many secondary things,” Pope Francis said.
The Catholic Church needs to strive continually to make sure it is focusing on the essentials of Christian faith — Jesus and charity — and not “get lost in so many secondary things,” Pope Francis said.
An estimated 45,000 pilgrims from around the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the beginning of the canonization Mass, and tens of thousands more arrived in time for the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer afterward, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Artémides Zatti, a Salesian brother who was a pharmacist in Argentina and known for his care for the sick; the miracle clears the way for his canonization.
Jesuit Father Pete Neeley said the announcement is an affirmation of the work he does at the Kino Border Initiative, a Jesuit-run program named for Padre Kino whose mission is to promote immigration policies along the U.S.-Mexico border that affirm the dignity of the human person. The initiative has locations in both sides of the border in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will be beatified Dec. 21, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria announced late Nov. 18.
Since the Oratory of St. Philip Neri was established in Brooklyn, its members have been praying for the canonization of one of the most famous affiliates of this religious community, the English Cardinal John Henry Newman. And their prayers have finally been answered.
The Vatican hung banners of the Catholic Church’s newly canonized saints four days before the Mass that officially recognized they are in heaven with God.