www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West quick question about mother teresa

Dear defreitas:

If you include the two minor steps involving the local Catholic hierarchy declaring martyrs (like the 27 Ukrainian martyrs) or confessors (like Mother Teresa) as "Servants of God" and decreeing them to be "Venerables" by agreement of the Holy Father, there are 4 "steps".

But the Catholic Rites involved in the process are, as I said in my previous post, essentially 2
steps: (1) The Rite of Beatification, and (2) The Rite of Canonization. I know I was misunderstood when I said that at least 2 independently authenticated miracles are necessary for canonization because I added up the requirements for each step: at least 1 miracle required for beatification and at least 1 miracle for canonization.

At any rate, as a Roman Catholic, I do not equate Blessedness with Sainthood.

And by the way Alex, it is not "fait accomplit" and it is not a declaration merely of her "virtues."

It is "fait accompli" and I hope so. I have not seen the Papal Decree. Mor Ephrem, can you please cite the website?

The title "Venerable" is bestowed by the Holy Father on any "Servant of God" (whether as a Martyr or as a Confessor) for living a life of HEROIC VIRTUES, the definition by the Catholic Church of which unfortunately escapes me presently.

Dear Marshall:

I think the Catholic Church will assign her the name "St. Teresa of Calcutta," (without an "h"): (1) in honor of her work in the slums of this Indian city; and (2) to distinguish her from Sts. Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux.

[ 03-04-2002: Message edited by: Amado Guerrero ]

Dear Amado,

I can't give you an official website or citation because I don't think there is any. The website that sparked my interest in this question was a private website, in Spanish, calling her "Venerable Teresa of Calcutta". But since I hadn't heard anything regarding this in the Vatican press, or the Indian press, or the American press, I wondered if this really happened, and figured someone here might know.

I look forward to the day when we can all cry out "Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray unto God for us!"

I don't know if I quite agree; around here we still call St. Frances Xavier Cabrini "Mother Cabrini"

Dear Stefan-Ivan:

If you read the last part of my entry you will understand why people call St. Frances Xavier Cabrini "Mother Cabrini".

But her formal Saintly title is still "Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini".


defreitas

Dear Friends,

Yes, sometimes devotion to a particular saint can be so intimate and popular that people continue to call the saint by their religious title.

An example of Padre Pio where he is called, formally, "Blessed Padre Pio" and will be called "Saint Padre Pio" since the idea of a "Saint Pio" is unthinkable!

But most will still refer to him as "Padre Pio."

I will write to my friend who works with the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in Rome to get the formal word on Mother Teresa.

Alex

And St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is still commonly referred to as Mother Seton...I think I have even seen schools named that in her honor...but would have to do research to verify that. Don

Dear Brother Don,

I remember reading about an Italian nun who dedicates herself to helping the poor children of Ethiopia.

There were various titles accorded to her. Her religious title, for example. The communist guerrillas out to get her called her a "capitalist trouble-maker" and some others . . .

But to the children she cares for she is simply, "Mother."

A different kind of example is that of the pirate who attacked Mount Athos and lashed out at the Icon of Portaitissa with his sword. Blood flowed from Our Lady's face from the wound he inflicted.

He then repented, became a Christian and a monk.

Before he died, (in the odour of sanctity), they asked him his name.

He said, "Call me 'Barbarian' for that is what I am for having committed that sin of desecration."

He was canonized and is listed as "St Barbarian."

Alex

Dear Alex:

"Saint Pio" may not be to your liking but "Santo Pio di Petralcina [I hope thats right] sounds much better, don't you think?

Maybe they will call him by his baptismal name, we can always use another St. Francis.


defreitas

Here in Kansas we have our own saint, St. Philippine Rose Duchesne. She spent a few short years working with the Pottawatomi Indians here...an elderly nun, in poor health, she never learned to speak their language, so her ministry was one of prayer. They called her "she who prays always". According to one of the stories, the Indians would see her praying on her knees in the mission chapel in the morning and would place grains of corn on her habit skirt. Hours later they would come back and the grains of corn would be in the exact same spot. According to the same stories she would be so lost in contemplation that she didn't even know this had been done. Both she and the Pottawatomi were broken hearted when she was recalled to the motherhouse of the Religious of the Sacred Heart (also known as the Madams of the Sacred Heart) in St. Charles, Missouri. I have had the honor to visit her shrine there and have an even greater honor of possessing a 2nd Class Relic of St. Philippine.
Don

Dear Brother Don,

I saw a statue of St Rose Duchesne at the Old Ursuline Convent in New Orleans as she venerated the miraculous image of Our Lady of Prompt Succor there.

Not too far from where my in-laws have their cottage is the Indian village of Ossosane where St Jean de Brebeuf witnessed and recorded the "Feast of the Dead" where relatives who had died over the previous three year period were brought together for internment in a common grave.

Joseph Chiwatenhwa, the first Christian Indian who participated in the first Christian wedding in Ontario was from there.

He was the first Indian also to do the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius and later became the proto-martyr of Huronia, killed by one of his own for his work to spread the Gospel.

We too have a number of such local saints, including our Methodist Ann Preston of Thornhill, a woman of prayer and miracles.

Alex

Amado and others,

Bl. Josemaria, the founder of Opus Dei, will actually be quicker that Padre Pio. He died in 1975 and is being made a saint in October. I'm curious if there is a quicker cannonization in modern history. And also my Carmalite spiritual director said that they are trying to change the current usage of St. Teresa of Avila to St. Teresa of Jesus and St. Therese of Lisieux to St. Therese of the Infant Jesus. He said this would be more in the spririt of a name like St. John of the Cross.

-Mark

Someone else will undoubtedly know better than I on this one, but I think I remember reading somewhere that either Saint Anthony of Padua or Saint Clare of Assisi was canonised within a year of their death. I think it was Saint Anthony...

Dear Friends,

Saints are really up my alley, you know . . .

Mother Teresa will undoubtedly set a new record for least amount of time lapsed between her repose and her canonization.

Historically, whenever Saints were canonized "too quickly" this caused comment.

Pope St. Pius X was considered to have been canonized "too quickly" but even secular commentaries on his life remark on how truly holy he was.

I think the all-time record is held by the Orthodox New Martyr St George of Ioannina and I wanted to share his story.

He was condemned to die by beheading by the Turks.

As he knelt on the scaffolding, the executioner, being in a mischievous mood I suppose, wanted to have "some fun" with him.

So he gently swung his scimitar that landed ever so lightly on the back of George's neck, just barely breaking the skin.

In the Church nearby, the Priest was serving a Litia, naming various saints in the prayer.

A young fellow was standing at the door of the Church watching the goings-on outside.

The crowd jeered at the Turkish executioner, but George prayed constantly, kneeling, hands tied behind his back.

Just as the priest approached the end of the Lity prayer, the Turk outside cut off George's head, at which time the young man at the door shouted to the priest at the front "George is dead!"

At that the priest ended the Lity prayer with, "And of the Holy New Martyr St George of Ioannina, and all Thy Saints, Amen!"

A record, wouldn't you say?

May St George pray unto God for us all!

Alex