For the past five years I taught Six Grade Religion. One of the major topics of the course is the Universal Call to Holiness and the Process of Canonization. I love the Saints and was always happy to share this with my students! This past Sunday October 17th, I was privileged to attend my first Canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square. It was truly a beautiful Eucharist and celebration of the lives of the six Saints: Stanislaw Kazimierczyk Soltys, Andre Bessette, Candida Maria De Jesus Cipitria Y Barriola, Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Giulia Salzano, and Battista Camilla Da Varano. At the Eucharist you can not help but feel a part of Church History and to be proud of our Church! Pilgrims gathered from all over the world and we all gathered together to pray as one. We sat among the pilgrims from Australia who were overcome with Joy (Mary MacKillop, Australia’s First Saint!) This experience brought back many fond memories of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney.
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, spoke about each Saint and how they lived their call to holiness. I was struck by the Holy Fathers prayer at the time of the Angelus, "Now let us turn in prayer to Mary Most Holy, who God placed at the center of the great assembly of saints. We entrust to her [and all the other saints] the entire Church, so that, enlightened by her example and sustained by their intercession, the faithful will go forward with an ever new spirit toward the homeland of heaven." This is why we have Beatifications, Canonizations, and Saints! In this crazy and sometimes dark world, we need shinning stars! These six new stars can lead us closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us continue to pray for each other as we journey toward the homeland of Heaven.
Saint Stanislaw Kazimierczyk Soltys, pray for us.
Saint Andre Bessette, pray for us.
Saint Candida Maria De Jesus Cipitria Y Barriola, pray for us.
Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, pray for us.
Saint Giulia Salzano, pray for us.
Saint Battista Camilla Da Varano, pray for us.
Amen.
Saint Giulia Salzano, pray for us.
Saint Battista Camilla Da Varano, pray for us.
