On October 13, five new saints were canonized in the Catholic Church. In Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis led a group of about 50,000 men and women from all over the world in a Mass celebrating the lives of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Giuseppina Vannini, Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, and Margherita Bays. Following the readings of each biography, the Sistine Choir sang the Litany of the Saints and Pope Francis solemnly read the Latin formula of canonization, declaring “Today we give thanks to the Lord for our new Saints. They walked by faith and now we invoke their intercession.”
The philosophy of St. Cardinal John Henry Newman on humility and difficulty of holiness was quoted by Pope Francis in his homily. Newman, a famous English theologian, was baptized and educated in the Church of England and later helped lead the Oxford Movement of the 1830s to revive traditional Roman Catholic doctrines within the Anglican Church. In 1845, he then chose to convert to Catholicism and soon after became a priest. He was made a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. Newman is remembered for maintaining the authority of the Church, affirming the unity of faith and reason, and emphasizing the role of the conscience. A Newman Club for Catholic students was founded three years after his death, and ministry centers at many secular colleges and universities in the United States continue to learn and serve in his name.
These canonizations also point to the strength and commitment of women throughout the Church’s history. St. Giuseppina Vannini is remembered for founding the still-active Daughters of St. Camillus for the care for the sick. St. Mariam Thresia, the foundress of the Congregation of the Holy Family, was an Indian mystic who received the stigmata and cared for the poor, the sick, and lepers. As the first woman from Brazil to be canonized, St. Dulce Lopes Pontes was a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. This became the largest charitable organization in Brazil which is dedicated to educating workers and caring for the poor. Lastly, St. Marguerite Bays was a mystic seamstress who was miraculously cured from cancer, yet prayed to continue to suffer in the name of her faith and received the stigmata. All four of these women stand as exceptionally devout, humble, and selfless symbols of the Catholic faith.
Among the many attendees of the canonization were leaders from Brazil, Britain, India, Italy, and Switzerland, which are the home countries of the five new saints. Britain’s Prince Charles and a delegation from the Anglican Communion came to celebrate Newman’s canonization as well as Ireland’s Minister for Education to recognize Newman’s founding of University College Dublin. The President of Italy, India’s Foreign Minister, and Brazil’s vice-president were also present for the celebration. Each of these five new saints will be remembered for their everyday holiness, described by Newman as “a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not.”
Editor’s note: the title of the printed version of this article misspells the name of St. John Henry Newman. We regret this error.
Mary Rose is a Senior majoring in English and Perspectives and minoring in Management for Social Impact and Public Good. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys bopping with the Full Swing dance team, working at the Church in the 21st Century Center, and leading projects for IATG: The Feminist Society of BC.
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