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Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Have you met a person who experienced one? Sure, I’ve experienced things that seem like they might have a supernatural component. Many to most of us probably have, at least at some point in a long lifetime. But I’m talking about the real deal. That is, something so extraordinary that you can’t quite explain it by normal physical means, nor can medical personnel. Something that is so stunning, that so defies rational-scientific explanation, that it actually gets taken up by, oh, the Vatican — which, in turn, takes the time to scrutinize it. I...

...We begin, therefore, with a little “Litany to Saint Paul VI”, a list of 50 outrageous titles that can justly be applied to this new anti-saint. The idea, of course, is not to ask anyone to use this for an actual litany (God forbid!), but rather to point out vividly the absurdity of taking this wicked man for a saint of the Catholic Church. “St.” Paul VI was the… destroyer of the sacraments architect of the Novus Ordo Missae deformer of the Curia captain of collegiality councilor of heresy admirer of false religions cheerleader for the United Nations patron of...

Monument of the Guardian Angel of Portugal apparition to the three little shepherd children of Fatima. Credit: Daniel Ibanez / CNA. Fatima, Portugal, May 12, 2017 / 07:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Tomorrow, on the 100th anniversary of Mary’s first appearance at Fatima, Pope Francis will canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three shepherd children who witnessed the Marian apparitions.A press conference preceding the Pope’s arrival highlighted the miracle that paved the way for their canonization. The miracle involved a Brazilian boy named Lucas, who was miraculously healed through the intercession of the shepherd children.Jacinta and Francisco both died...

It always seemed as if Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, was in trouble for something. A 1956 article in the New York Times describes an instance in which Day was fined $250 for being the landlord of a building that failed to comply with the fire code. In addition to the fine she was also in danger of being forced to evict the sixty tenants from her house of charity. The paper explains that as she headed to court, “there was a group of needy men about the door, awaiting the distribution of clothing. From their midst...

Fr. Jose Gabriel Brochero NICOLAS FLORES WAS supposed to live the rest of his life in a vegetative state, but today he walks, talks and swims – one of the miracles attributed to a “cowboy priest” who will become Argentina’s first saint today. Sixteen years ago, when Nicolas was nearly killed in a car crash, his father prayed to a late priest named Jose Gabriel Brochero, who is revered in Argentina for his supposedly miraculous healing powers. Brochero, a blind leper who lived from 1840 to 1914, was known for traveling on a mule across the vast Argentine pampas, or...

Sr. Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, a Swedish religious sister, will be canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday Pope Francis will on Sunday officially recognize the sanctity of Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, who readily risked her life in the midst of the Second World War, opening the doors of the Roman convent where she was the superior to take in persecuted Jews. Piero Piperno, 87, owes his life to this Swedish woman who, after having been a nurse in New York, embraced Catholicism and joined the Order of the Brigittine Sisters. Piperno, who was 15 years old when Mother Elizabeth took in his...

The Vatican committee that approves elevations to sainthood will meet Tuesday to consider a recommendation that Mother Teresa of Calcutta becomes Saint Teresa, the Holy See announced on Monday. With the long-awaited decision seen as a formality, Pope Francis is expected to sign a decree approving the canonisation of the 1979 Nobel peace prize winner and set a date and venue for it to happen.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis celebrated his 79th birthday on Thursday (Dec. 17) with a gift to the many devotees of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: The pontiff gave final clearance for “the saint of the gutters” to become an official saint. Francis took the step by signing a decree declaring that the inexplicable 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man who suddenly woke from a coma caused by a viral brain infection was due to the intercession of the Albanian-born nun, who died in 1997.

When Pope Francis canonizes Father Junípero Serra on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Serra will be the first Hispanic American saint, and the first saint canonized on American soil. He also figures to be one of the most controversial saints in the long history of the Roman Catholic Church – a symbol that roils some hearts even as it lifts others. Serra, an 18th-century Spanish friar who founded nine of the 21 California missions, including Mission San Juan Capistrano, is gaining sainthood, in part, because he helped bring the church to the Americas. By one reckoning, Serra’s legacy is nothing less...

This past weekend pope Francis canonized four new saints in a ceremony which received extra attention as two of the four were of Palestinian origin. One of the new Palestinian saints, Sister Mariam Baouardy (1846-1878), was a mystic and stigmatic also known as “Mary Jesus Crucified.” She was a Palestinian and foundress of the Discalced Carmelites of Bethlehem in the late 1800’s. The other new Palestinian saint, Sister Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas (1843-1927), was a co-founder of the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters, who spent much of her life in Bethlehem founding schools and orphanages.Despite the interesting politics of the situation, we...

Message of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians On The Occasion of the Canonization of the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, April 23, 2015 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because… the Spirit of God is resting on you.” 1 Peter 4:14 Dear and pious faithful brothers and sisters, Under the gaze of biblical Ararat, in this cherished holy shrine of the Christ-built Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, today with unified prayer we offer glory up to our Omnipotent God for all of His...

... Statues of ... historical figures stand in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall, where each state has two representatives cast in bronze or marble ... [Father Junipero] Serra could be the first and only actual saint in Statuary Hall -- Pope Francis recently announced plans to canonize him -- yet he's also a polarizing figure. Is it time to send Serra to the sidelines (or more accurately, move his statue to the California Capitol grounds)? ... Take our pointedly unreliable poll, leave a comment or do both! ...

As a church history professor, I am sometimes asked how certain practices developed in church history. For example: When did the Roman Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) emphasis on praying to saints and venerating relics and icons begin? A somewhat obscure, but extremely helpful, book by John Calvin answers that question directly.In his work, A Treatise on Relics, Calvin utilizes his extensive knowledge of church history to demonstrate that prayers to the saints, prayers for the dead, the veneration of relics, the lighting of candles (in homage to the saints), and the veneration of icons are all rooted in Roman paganism. Such practices infiltrated...

But, wait, there’s more! According to La Stampa, Pope Paul VI has reportedly been penciled in for beatification this coming fall at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Yes, that’s right—Paul VI! Remember him? That vague, sort of nondescript pontiff who made up for negligible personal magnetism with an almost fanatical penchant for novelty. There is no particular cult associated with his cause, of course, other than among a few aging ecclesiastical hippies inside the Vatican who are evidently bound and determined to nominate their pal Paul for a Halo Award, come hell or high water. Something...

VATICAN CITY –  Pope Francis declared Popes John XXIII and John Paul II saints before some 800,000 people on Sunday in an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square.Never before have a reigning pope and a retired pope celebrated Mass together in public, much less at an event honoring two of their most famous predecessors.Benedict's presence was a reflection of the balancing act that Francis envisioned when he decided to canonize John and John Paul together, showing the unity of the Catholic Church by honoring popes beloved by...

Julia Marie Desilets participates in the canonization Mass of John Paul II and John XXIII on April 27, 2014. Credit: Stephen Driscroll/CNA. Vatican City, Apr 27, 2014 / 02:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- One young woman's participation in today's canonization liturgy offered a special opportunity for intercessory prayer. Julia Marie Desilets, who was a candle-bearer in the procession of John Paul II's relics, reflected, “I felt like I was carrying more than a candle. It was like carrying many of the devoted to the altar with their intentions, gratitude and love for these popes.” “I felt like I was placing the...

April 25, 2014 (WPVI) -- On Sunday, when Pope Francis presides over the dual canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII he will be following a long established process. Being named a saint is, usually, the end of a four-step process. First, after the candidate's death, someone needs to begin gathering the evidence to support sainthood, and then present that to the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints. ------------ , it turns the candidate's name over to the Pope who proclaims the candidate "venerable." ------------- The next step is the investigation of possible miracles attributed to the...

Pope Francis’ sermon for the canonization. Some analysis to follow. At the heart of this Sunday, which concludes the Octave of Easter and which John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine Mercy, are the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus.He had already shown those wounds when he first appeared to the Apostles on the very evening of that day following the Sabbath, the day of the resurrection. But Thomas was not there that evening, and when the others told him that they had seen the Lord, he replied that unless he himself saw and touched those wounds, he would...

Two Modern Saints for the Modern World Sean FitzpatrickPope Francis shook the Catholic world on July 5th, 2013, with the announcement that Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II will be canonized together on April 27th, 2014.Pope Francis approved the healing of Floribeth Mora of Costa Rica from a brain aneurysm as miraculous, making it the second approved miracle attributed to the beloved Polish pope who passed away in 2005. The first miracle was the healing of a French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, who had been afflicted with Parkinson’s disease—the very ailment that John Paul II suffered from....

At least seven people wrote Decker and told him to “go to hell.” For instance, MariaTM supportively promised, “I will pray for your burning soul.” And Amanda kept things real simple: “Go to hell lowlife.” One simple text just said: “hater.” Someone calling himself or herself SSPVArchangel asked, “When did the other 2 ‘popes’ die and who made Decker Supreme Pontiff??” On FreeRepublic.com there was KarlFromOhio who cleverly wrote, “Since John Paul II eliminated the Devil’s Advocate position in the canonization procedure, I guess USA Today has decided to take the position on a pro bono basis.”