May 3, 2013 // Uncategorized

Pope signs decrees in sainthood causes, including for an Italian queen

Todays Catholic

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis recognized the miracles needed for the beatifications of a 19th-century Catholic queen and a 20th-century Italian mystic.

The pope signed the decrees May 2, according to a Vatican statement the next day. The dates for the beatification ceremonies were not announced. The two decrees were for:

— Maria Cristina of Savoy, the wife of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, died in 1836 at the age of 23 from complications of childbirth; she was known and venerated in Naples for her faith and charitable work.

— Maria Bolognesi, was born in 1924 to a poor family in northeastern Italy; because she was needed to help care for her siblings and work in the fields, she managed to complete only the first two years of elementary school. Known as a mystic, she was often sick and died in 1980 at the age of 56.

Also May 2, Pope Francis signed decrees recognizing that two other sainthood candidates heroically lived the Christian virtues: Spanish Father Joaquim Rossello Ferra, who lived 1833-1909, and founded the Mallorca-based Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; and Polish Mother Janina Kierocinska, also known as Mother Maria Teresa of St. Joseph, who lived 1885-1946, and founded the Carmelite Sisters of the Infant Jesus.

The decrees mean they can be referred to as “venerable.” A miracle is needed for their beatifications.