By Christopher Wells
On the night of Jul 9-10, 1860, eight Franciscan friars and three lay Christians of the Maronite rite were martyred in the Franciscan convent in Syria during a Druze uprising against local Christians.
Now, almost 100 years after Pope Pius XI beatified them, Emanuele Ruiz and his companions, including the brothers Francesco, Abdel-Mooti, and Raffaele Massabki, are one step away from sainthood.
On Monday, Jul 1, Pope Francis will preside at an Ordinary Public Consistory where Cardinals present in Rome are expected to give formal approval to proceed with their canonization.
The first millenial saint
During the ceremony, which will begin with the celebration of the liturgical hour of Terce, the Cardinals will also consider the causes of three founders of religious orders, as well as that of Bd Carlo Acutis, the 15-year old web designer who is set to become the first “millenial” saint.
Born in 1991, Carlo Acutis was noted for his devotion to Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions, cataloguing both on a website he designed prior to his death in 2006 due to leukemia. His relics can be visited in Assisi, famous as the home of St Francis, to whom Blessed Carlo had a deep devotion.
Founders of religious orders
Of the three founders of religious orders, two – Father Giuseppe Allamano and Elena Guerra – were Italian, while the third, Marie-Léonie Paradis was from Canada.
Born in 1840 in the French-speaking province of Quebec, Élodie Paradis (Marie-Léonie was her name in religion) first joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross before founding the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, dedicated to the domestic needs in the field of education in Canada.
Father Giuseppe Allamano, established the Consolata Missionaries and the Consolata Missionary Sisters, while also serving as rectory of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation (Santuario della Madonna Consolata) in Turin, Italy. His idea for an annual day for missionaries came to fruition shortly after his death, when Pope Pius XI established World Mission Day.
Elena Guerra, born in Lucca, Italy, had a great devotion to the Third Person of the Trinity, and founded the Oblates of the Holy Spirit. During her lifetime, she was particularly concerned for the education of Chinese and African girls.
The Consistory
At July’s Ordinary Public Consistory, those Cardinals who are resident in Rome or happen to be in the city will be asked to formally vote on the causes presented to them.
The ceremony is normally a formality, as the various cases have been thoroughly examined and approved by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. An announcement of the dates of the various canonizations is dependant on a positive vote from the Cardinals. – Vatican News
