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26 Dodgingtown Road, Bethel, CT 06801 Phone: (203)744‐5777 Fax: (203)744‐3740 Website: www.stmarybethel.org Email: stmaryoffi[email protected] Visit us on Facebook: StMaryChurchBethel PARISH OFFICE HOURS: The Parish Office phones are open Mon.‐Thurs. from 9am‐2pm and Fri. from 9am‐12 noon. If you need to speak to someone in person, please call (203)744‐5777 in ad‐ vance to make an appointment and masks are required. You can email us for ques‐ ons and Parish business. St. Mary Catholic Church Fourth Sunday of Easter FATHER COREY’S EPISTLE † All Chrisans are called to be saints. Saints are persons begin a cause on his own iniave, in which case he is the in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroical- peoner.) ly virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were mar- Posio – a comprehensive summary of all documenta- tyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitaon. on; in this context, there are two: the one summarizing In official Church procedures there are three steps to the invesgaon of a candidate's life and heroic virtues or sainthood: a candidate becomes "Venerable," then offering of life, or martyrdom and a second for any al- "Blessed" and then "Saint." Venerable is the tle given to leged miracles. The Posio is prepared during the Roman a deceased person recognized formally by the pope as phase by the postulator with the assistance of someone having lived a heroically virtuous life or offered their from the Congregaon for the Causes of Saints. life. To be beafied and recognized as a Blessed, one mir- Postulator -- person appointed to guide and oversee the acle acquired through the candidate's intercession is re- cause. One oversees the cause at the diocesan or eparchi- quired in addion to recognion of heroic virtue or offer- al level (Phase I); the Roman postulator, oversees all as- ing of life. Canonizaon requires a second miracle aer pects of Phases II and III. beaficaon. The pope may waive these requirements. A miracle is not required prior to a martyr's beaficaon, Prefect -- the head of any of the Roman curial congrega- but one is required before canonizaon. ons, usually a cardinal. Key Terms in the process: Relator – person appointed by the Congregaon for the Causes of Saints to assemble the historic documentaon Beaficaon -- the second stage in the process of pro- of the candidate for canonizaon. claiming a person a saint; occurs aer a diocese or epar- chy and the Congregaon for the Causes of Saints has Saint – the tle given to someone who has been formally conducted a rigorous invesgaon into the person's life canonized by the Church as sharing eternal life with God, and wrings to determine whether he or she demon- and therefore offered for public veneraon and imitaon. strates a heroic level of virtue, offered their life or Servant of God -- the tle given to a candidate for saint- suffered martyrdom. A miracle aributed to the person's hood whose cause is sll under invesgaon, prior to be- intercession must be proved. ing declared Venerable. Blessed -- tle bestowed on a person who has been bea- Venerable – the tle given to a candidate for sainthood fied and accorded limited liturgical veneraon. whose cause has not yet reached the beaficaon stage Canonizaon – the formal process by which the Church but whose heroic virtue has been declared by the pope. declares a person to be a saint and worthy of universal History veneraon. In the first five centuries of the Church, the process for Congregaon for the Causes of Saints – a department of recognizing a saint was based on public acclaim or the vox the Roman Curia, established originally as the Congrega- populi, vox Dei (voice of the people, voice of God). There on of Rites by Pope Sixtus V in 1588. Reorganized and was no formal canonical process as understood by today's renamed in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, and again in 1983 by standards. Beginning in the sixth century and connuing Pope John Paul II. Some of the responsibilies of the Con- into the twelh century, the intervenon of the local gregaon include making recommendaons to the pope bishop was required before someone could be canonized. on beaficaons and canonizaons, and the authenca- The intervenon of the local bishop usually began with a on and preservaon of sacred relics. request from the local community for the bishop to rec- Miracle –something that has occurred by the grace of ognize someone a saint. Upon studying the request and a God through the intercession of a Venerable, or Blessed wrien biography, if he found it favorable, the bishop which is scienfically inexplicable. would typically issue a decree, legimaze the liturgical cult and thereby canonize the person. Peoner – party iniang an acon in canon law. In the case of a sainthood cause, the peoner is one who asks Starng in the tenth century, a cause proceeded with the the diocesan bishop to begin the invesgaon which usual steps, i.e. the person's reputaon would spread, a could ulmately lead to canonizaon. (A bishop may also request to the local bishop from the people to declare the St. Mary Catholic Church April 25, 2021 FATHER COREY’S EPISTLE person a saint occurred, and a biography would be emoons of the moment dissipate. The pope can dis- wrien for the bishop's review. Now however, the bishop pense from this waing period. would collect eyewitness tesmony of those who knew The bishop of the diocese or eparchy in which the person the person and who had witnessed miracles, and he died is responsible for beginning the invesgaon. The would provide a summary of the case to the Pope for his peoner (who for example can be the diocese/eparchy, approval. The Pope then reviewed the cause, and if he bishop, religious order or associaon of the faithful) asks approved it, he issued a decree declaring the person a the bishop through a person known as the postulator to canonized saint. The first documented case of papal in- open the invesgaon. venon is by Pope John XV on January 31, 993 for the canonizaon of St. Ulric. When Pope Sixtus V reor- The bishop then begins a series of consultaons with the ganized the Roman Curia in 1588 he established the Con- episcopal conference, the faithful of his diocese or epar- gregaon for Sacred Rites. One of its funcons was to chy and the Holy See. Once these consultaons are done assist the Pope with reviewing causes. Except for a few and he has received the 'nihil obstat' of the Holy See, he canonical developments, from 1588 the process of can- forms a diocesan or eparchial tribunal. The tribunal will onizaon remained the same unl 1917 when a universal invesgate the martyrdom or how the candidate lived a Code of Canon Law was promulgated. life of heroic virtues, that is, the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues of pru- The 1917 code contained 145 canons (cc. 1999- 2144) on dence, jusce, temperance and fortude, and others spe- causes of canonizaon, and mandated that an episcopal cific to his or her state in life. Witnesses will be called and process and an apostolic process be conducted. The epis- documents wrien by and about the candidate must be copal process consisted of the local bishop verifying the gathered and examined. reputaon of the person, ensuring that a biography exist- ed, collecng eye witness tesmony and the person's Phase II: Congregaon for the Causes of Saints wrien works. All of this was then forwarded to the Con- Once the diocesan or eparchial invesgaon is finished, gregaon for Sacred Rites. The apostolic process consist- the documentaon is sent to the Congregaon for the ed of reviewing the evidence submied, collecng more Causes of Saints. The postulator for this phase, residing evidence, studying the cause, invesgang any alleged in Rome, under the direcon of a member of the Congre- miracles and ulmately forwarding the cause to the Pope gaon's staff called a relator prepares the 'Posio,' or for his approval. This process remained in effect unl summary of the documentary evidence from the diocesan 1983 with the promulgaon of the 1983 Code of Canon or eparchial phase in order to prove the heroic exercise Law and new norms for causes of canonizaon: Divinus of virtue or the martyrdom. Perfeconis Magister, Normae Servandae in Inquisioni- bus ab Episcopis Faciendis in Causis Sanctorum and Sanc- The 'Posio' undergoes an examinaon by nine theologi- torum Mater (2007). This revised process for causes of ans who vote on whether or not the candidate lived a canonizaon is sll in force and is detailed below. heroic life or suffered martyrdom. If the majority of the theologians are in favor, the cause is passed on for exami- No precise count exists of those who have been pro- naon by cardinals and bishops who are members of the claimed saints since the first centuries. However, in 1988, Congregaon. If their judgment is favorable, the prefect to mark its 4th centenary, the Congregaon for the Caus- of the Congregaon presents the results of the enre es of Saints published the first "Index ac Status course of the cause to the pope, who gives his approval Causarum." This book and its subsequent supplements, and authorizes the Congregaon to dra a decree declar- wrien enrely in Lan, are considered the definive in- ing one Venerable if they have lived a virtuous life or a dex of all causes that have been presented to the Congre- Blessed if they have been martyred.