Pope Benedict XVI canonizes 4 new saints (with photos from ceremony)

AP ^ | October 15, 2006 | FRANCES D'EMILIO

[NYer]

Pope Benedict XVI gave Catholics four news saints Sunday, bestowing the honor on a 19th century nun who struggled in the American frontier, a bishop who tended to the wounded during the Mexican Revolution and two Italian clergy.

French-born Mother Theodore Guerin endured harsh conditions on the American frontier and resisted the objections of a local bishop in pursuing her dream of establishing Catholic education for pioneers. She established a college for women in Indiana, which enrolled its first student in 1841.

Among those at the ceremony on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica were ailing Chicago Cardinal Francis George and five Indiana churchmen. George, who is recovering from cancer surgery, flew to Rome with hundreds of alumnae, trustees and students of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana.

After enduring a long sea and land journey, Guerin, who was born in Brittany in 1798, turned a log cabin into a chapel with five other French nuns, Benedict told the crowd. By the time of her death in 1856, her order was running schools and orphanages in Indiana, the pope noted.

Young people from the Indiana delegation waved blue scarves when the pope praised Guerin. Many of them wore T-shirts with Guerin's image.

The pope also elevated to sainthood Bishop Rafael Guizar Valencia, a missionary who risked his life to tend to the wounded during the Mexican Revolution, sometimes disguising himself as a street vendor or a musician.

Guizar Valencia, who died in 1938, was a great uncle of the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ order of priest whom the Vatican restricted from public ministry this year amid allegations Degollado sexually abused seminarians.

Benedict hailed Guizar Valencia for working tirelessly in "the beloved Mexican nation," even facing persecution, to ensure that seminarians were properly educated "according to the heart of Christ."

A dozen years after the bishop's death, when his body was removed from a cemetery to the cathedral in Xalapa in the Mexican state of Santa Cruz, his remains showed little sign of decay.

"We register them in the roll call of the saints and we establish that in all the Church they will be devotedly honored among the saints," Benedict said as he read the canonization ritual in Latin.

Also joining the ranks of sainthood was Italian Rev. Filippo Smaldone who pioneered education for the deaf and founded an order of nuns, the Congregation of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts. The order has convents in Brazil, Moldavia, Paraguay and Rwanda. Smaldone died in 1923.

The other Italian, Rosa Venerini, was also a social pioneer, advocating education for young girls in Italy. Veneri, who died in 1728, founded the Congregation of the Holy Venerini Teachers order of nuns and pushed to establish the first public schools for girls in Italy.

"Their names will be remembered forever," Benedict said of the saints, as he began his homily to the applause of several thousands of faithful in the square.

It was Benedict's first canonization ceremony in nearly a year.

His predecessor, John Paul II, led several canonization and beatification ceremonies yearly, but Benedict has departed from that practice. Ceremonies for beatification, the last formal step before sainthood, are now held in the country where the faithful lived or worked, and the services are led by local prelates.

[NYer]

AP - Sun Oct 15, 6:28 AM ET

The tapestries depicting, from left, Italy's Rosa Venerini, Mexico's Bishop Rafael Guzar Valencia, Italy's Filippo Smaldone and U.S. Mother Theodore Guerin are seen in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday Oct. 15, 2006 during the canonization ceremony led by Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff gave Catholics four news saints Sunday, bestowing the honor on a 19th century nun who struggled in the American frontier, a bishop who tended to the wounded during the Mexican Revolution, an Italian priest who helped the deaf, and an Italian nun who pushed for public school education for girls. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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AP - Sun Oct 15, 6:08 AM ET

Students and members of a delegation from the St. Theodore Guerin High School in Lafayette, Indiana, are seen in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday Oct. 15, 2006 during the canonization ceremony of Mother Theodore Guerin, a French-born nun who struggled in the 19th century in the American frontier land, Rafael Guizar Valencia, a Mexican Bishop whose dead body reportedly did not decay and two Italians, Rosa Venerini, who pushed for education for girls and Filippo Smaldone, an Italian priest who worked with the deaf. Pope Benedict XVI gave Catholics four news saints Sunday, bestowing the Church's highest honor in a ceremony in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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Reuters - Sun Oct 15, 8:03 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he arrives for the canonization ceremony of Italian nun Rosa Venerini, Mexican bishop Rafael Guizar, Italian priest Filippo Smaldone and Indiana nun Theodore Guerin in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, October 15, 2006. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (VATICAN)

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AP - Sun Oct 15, 7:29 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI greets faithful as he arrives in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday Oct. 15, 2006 for the canonization ceremony of Mother Theodore Guerin, a French-born nun who struggled in the 19th century in the American frontier land, Rafael Guizar Valencia, a Mexican Bishop whose dead body reportedly did not decay and two Italians, Rosa Venerini, who pushed for education for girls and Filippo Smaldone, an Italian priest who worked with the deaf. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

[NYer]

Reuters - Sun Oct 15, 8:17 AM ET Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful as he arrives for the canonization ceremony of Italian nun Rosa Venerini, Mexican bishop Rafael Guizar, Italian priest Filippo Smaldone and Indiana nun Theodore Guerin in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, October 15, 2006. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (VATICAN)

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The gospel was chanted first in Latin, then in Greek. The Vatican choir has been studying Greek and chanted the response. Pope Benedict XVI then blessed all assembled with the Greek Book of the Gospels. A beautiful ceremony under a magnificently blue sky!

[Miss Marple]

That was beautiful, wasn't it? I got up at 4AM to watch.

I saw our bishop in the procession!

[NYer]

That was beautiful, wasn't it? I got up at 4AM to watch.

I never miss these canonizations! They are just so inspirational, filled with the enthusiastic emotions of all those gathered in St. Peter's Square. I see you're still up ;-) Do you live in Indiana?

[Kolokotronis]

"The gospel was chanted first in Latin, then in Greek. The Vatican choir has been studying Greek and chanted the response. Pope Benedict XVI then blessed all assembled with the Greek Book of the Gospels. A beautiful ceremony under a magnificently blue sky!"

Sounds good in Greek, doesn't it!

[Mercat]

any particular reason for Greek?

[OpusatFR]

Don't you just love Benedict16's sweet face?

I can't wait until he comes to the US.

[Hieronymus]

any particular reason for Greek?

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Why settle for a translation when you can have the original?

[ELS]

What's up with that mitre? It looks like something from a sci-fi movie. Couldn't they find a nice green and gold mitre in the sacristy?

[Military family member]

I have just returned from a youth Mass in St. Theodora Guerin's honor at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. Very Nice to see 500 teenagers from the archdiocese of Indianapolis.

[Salvation]

I trieid to post this story that was linked on SpiritDaily, but the souce (not Spirit Daily btw) can not be posted on FR.

It's a neat story about the healing of someone!

No less than a miracle

[NYer]

Why settle for a translation when you can have the original?

Great response!!! And, yes K, it sounds beautiful chanted in Greek, as well as in Latin :-) I still have happy memories from 2 years ago when a Maronite monk was canonized and the Gospel was chanted by a RC deacon in Latin, then by a Maronite priest, in Arabic.

I believe the Pope uses these events to remind Catholics that the Church is both Western and Eastern. This is the first time, however, that the Vatican choir chanted the responses in Greek. That speaks volumes about the Pope's seriousness in conveying this message.

[NYer]

I can't wait until he comes to the US.

You're either an optimist or an insider who knows something the rest of us are not privy to. Which is it :-)?

[NYer]

I have just returned from a youth Mass in St. Theodora Guerin's honor at the Church of the Immaculate Conception at St. Mary-of-the-Woods.

Did you watch any of the coverage of today's canonization on EWTN? The Baptist man who received the 2nd miracle, was in attendance. When each of the 4 groups brought up their gifts, St. Theodora Guerin's group was followed by a trio - two women with a balding man sandwiched between them. Do you know if this is he was the one whose miracle completed her cause?

Very Nice to see 500 teenagers from the archdiocese of Indianapolis.

And here's a group that managed to make their way to the canonization in Rome.

AP - Sun Oct 15, 8:42 AM ET Members of the Saint Mary of the Woods College, Indiana, U.S., (from top left clockwise) students Sam Dumn and Lauren Schueler, the three presidents Joan M. Lescinski, Barbara Doherty and Jeanne Knoerle, and students Molly Cuff, Colleen Hall, Frannie Schalasky and Maggie Mullens pose for a photo in front of St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, at end of a canonization ceremony celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The pontiff beatified Mother Theodore Guerin, a French-born nun who struggled in the 19th century in the American frontier land, Rafael Guizar Valencia, a Mexican Bishop whose dead body reportedly did not decay and two Italians, Rosa Venerini, who pushed for education for girls and Filippo Smaldone, an Italian priest who worked with the deaf. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

[Miss Marple]

Yes, I live in Indiana, and this was a big deal for our state. It made the front page of the Indianapolis Star for several days, and Monsigneur at our church made a point of discussing it. We had a picture of St. Theodore Guerin displayed at mass.

My sister, who teaches at a Catholic school, helped make a banner last year. Her principal is a Sister of Providence.

[Salvation]

I think the article I linked above came from the Indianapolis Star. Don't ask me why the delaware online site carried it. Maybe they own the Indianapolis Star.

Hmmmm.

[Miss Marple]

Is the Delaware paper a Gannett paper? That would explain it.

I never bother with the Star's articles because Gannett will only allow a link, no excerpts.

This was a joyous day for our state.

[Salvation]

Pope to Canonize Indiana Nun, Give U.S. a Role Model [St. Mother Theodore Guerin]

I trieid to post this story that was linked on SpiritDaily, but the souce (not Spirit Daily btw) can not be posted on FR.

It's a neat story about the healing of someone!

No less than a miracle

[ELS]

I believe the Pope uses these events to remind Catholics that the Church is both Western and Eastern. This is the first time, however, that the Vatican choir chanted the responses in Greek. That speaks volumes about the Pope's seriousness in conveying this message.

Maybe that is one of the reasons Benedict XVI wants to free the traditional Latin Mass. It does contain Latin AND Greek. ;-) At all high Masses the choir (and the congregation) chants the Kyrie.