canonization

One hundred and eighty years ago Ira Dutton was born in Stowe on farmland upon which now stands Blessed Sacrament Church. “No one at that time had the slightest inkling that 180 years later, people from Hawaii and people from Stowe and beyond would be together (in the church) to give thanks to God for his birth and his presence among us,” said Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva. He was the homilist and celebrant of a special Mass celebrated in April at Blessed Sacrament Church to mark the 180th anniversary of the birth of Dutton, now known as Servant of God Joseph Dutton.

Even before consideration of these three, the bishops’ Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance estimated there are more than 85 sainthood causes at various stages of the beatification or canonization process in at least 55 U.S. dioceses.

Cardinal Peter Turkson met with the sisters to discuss the sainthood cause for Mother Henriette Delille, the free woman of color who founded the congregation in 1842 to educate the enslaved and care for the elderly.

The refusal to help desperate migrants “is revolting, it’s sinful, it’s criminal,” Pope Francis said as he canonized a bishop dedicated to assisting migrants and a Salesian brother who had immigrated with his family to Argentina.

While their life journeys and the stages of their sainthood causes diverged, two men born in Italy are set to be canonized together Oct. 9: Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Blessed Artemide Zatti.

Like Jesus who died on the cross, it is by his actions more than his appearance that we know and celebrate the work of St. Titus Brandsma, canonized May 15 by Pope Francis.

Father Capodanno, a native of Staten Island, was killed while ministering as a U.S. Navy chaplain to wounded Marines on a battlefield in Vietnam.

For the “Footsteps” pilgrimage, she guided the participants to the former site of St. Thomas Church where the blessed was a pastor for six years until his death in 1890.