Beatification

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For the process of making something beautiful, see Beautification. For the stages of a canonisation, see Canonization § Since 1983.

Pope Pius IX (1792–1878), beatified on 3 September 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II beatified more people than all his predecessors had during the previous 400 years, and was himself beatified in 2011.

Beatification (from Latin beatus 'blessed' and facere 'to make') is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. Beati is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone the process of beatification; they possess the title of "Blessed" (/ˈblɛsɪd/) (abbreviation "Bl.") before their names and are often referred to in English as "a Blessed" or, plurally, "Blesseds".[1]

Blesseds are venerated regionally, Saints by the entire universal Church.

History

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Local bishops had the power of beatifying until 1634, when Pope Urban VIII, in the apostolic constitution Cœlestis Jerusalem of 6 July, reserved the power of beatifying to the Holy See.[2][3]

Since the reforms of 1983, as a rule, (for non-martyred Venerables) one miracle must be confirmed to have taken place through the intercession of the person to be beatified. Miracles are almost always unexplainable medical healings, and are scientifically investigated by commissions comprising physicians and theologians.[4][5][6]

The requirement of a miracle for beatification is waived in the case of someone whose martyrdom is formally declared by the church.[7]

The feast day for a beatified person is not universal, but is celebrated only by territories, religious institutes, or communities in which the person receives particular veneration. For instance, Kateri Tekakwitha liturgical feast was celebrated in the United States and Canada when she was declared Blessed. John Duns Scotus was venerated among the Franciscans, in the Archdiocese of Cologne and other places. Similarly, veneration of Chiara Badano is particular to the Focolare movement.[citation needed]

The Blessed, elected by popular acclamation (the vox populi) enjoyed local veneration. While the procedure of canonization was taken in hand from the twelfth century by the papacy in Rome, that of beatification continued on a local scale until the thirteenth century before settling at the Council of Trent, which reserved to the pope the right to say who could be venerated.[8]

Practices under the popes

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Pope John Paul II (1978–2005) markedly changed the previous Catholic practice of beatification. He proclaimed more saints and blessed than all his predecessors together since 1588, the year the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was founded. In a statement, John Paul emphasized that he was doing nothing different from what the Second Vatican Council had wanted, which reaffirmed that holiness is the essential note of the Church.[9]

John Paul II's successor, Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013), personally celebrated the beatification Mass for his predecessor at St. Peter's Basilica on the Second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday, on 1 May 2011, an event that drew more than one million people.

Rite of Beatification

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The rite of beatification is part of a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Holy Father or his delegate (mostly the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints). After the penitential act, the rite of beatification of one or more venerable servants of God is structured as follows:

  • If the celebration is presided over by the Pontiff, the ordinary of the diocese where the cause of beatification has been instituted approaches the latter's seat, together with the postulator(s), and says these words, addressing the Holy Father:

(Latin) Beatíssime Pater, Ordinarius/Ordinarii N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See), humíllime a Sanctitáte Vestra petit/petunt ut Venerabilem Servum/Servam Dei [Venerabiles Servos Dei] N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), número Beatórum adscríbere benigníssime dignéris.
(English) Most Holy Father, the Ordinary [Ordinaries] of N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) humbly asks your Holiness to inscribe among the number of Blesseds the Venerable Servant(s) of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds).

  • If the celebration is presided over by the Papal Delegate, the ordinary says these words:

(Latin) Eminentissime Domine, Ordinarius N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) Suam Sanctitatem N. (name of the Pontiff) humillime petit, ut Venerabilem Servum/Servam Dei [Venerabiles Servos Dei] N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds) numero Beatorum adscribere benignissime dignaret.
(English) Your Eminence, the Ordinary [Ordinaries] of N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) humbly requests His Holiness Pope N. (name of the Pontiff) to inscribe among the number of Blesseds the Venerable Servant(s) of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds).

  • The postulator then reads the biographical profile of the servant(s) of God.
  • The Pope, or the Papal Delegate, having worn the mitre and holding the ferula, or pastoral staff, pronounces, sitting on the chair, the formula of beatification:

(Latin) Nos, vota Fratris Nostri N. (name and surname), Archiepiscopi [Episcopi] N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See), necnon plurimorum aliorum Fratrum in Episcopatu multorumque christifidelium explentes, de Dicasterii de Causis Sanctorum consulto, Auctoritate Nostra Apostolica facultatem facimus, ut Venerabilis Servus/Serva Dei N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), Beati/Beatæ nomine in posterum appelletur, atque die n. (ordinal number) mensis n. (name of the month), [qua in caelum ortus (orta) est], quotannis in locis et modis iure statutis celebrari possit [possint]. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
(English) Acceding to the request of our Brother(s) N. (name and surname), Archbishop [Bishop] of N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See), of many other of our Brothers in the episcopate, and many of the faithful, after consultation with the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, by our apostolic authority we declare that the Venerable Servant of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), shall henceforth be invoked as Blessed and that his/her/their feast day/s shall be celebrated every year [through which he/she has risen to heaven] on the n. (ordinal number) of n. (name of the month), in the places and according to the norms established by Church law. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

  • The portrait of the new Blessed(s) is then unveiled and their relics are brought to the altar.
  • If the celebration is presided over by the Pontiff, the ordinary of the diocese that initiated the cause of beatification approaches the Pontiff's seat again, accompanied by the postulators, and expresses gratitude by saying the following words to the Holy Father:

(Latin) Beatíssime Pater, Ordinarius/Ordinarii N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See), gratias ex animo Sanctitati Vestræ agit/agunt quod titulum Beati hodie Venerabili Servo/Serva Dei [Venerabílibus Servis Dei] N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), conferre dignatus es.
(English) Most Holy Father, the Ordinary [Ordinaries] of N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) give heartfelt thanks to your Holiness for having today proclaimed Blessed the Venerable Servant(s) of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds).

  • If the celebration is presided over by the Papal Delegate, the ordinary says these words:

(Latin) Ecclesia N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) Suæ Sanctitati N. (name of the Pontiff) grata et devota, Patri Domini nostri Jesu Christi et Patri nostro, Deo Uno et Trino, gratias agit, quod titulum Beati hodie Venerabili Servo/Serva Dei [Venerabílibus Servis Dei] N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), conferre dignatus est.
(English) The Church of N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) grateful and devoted to His Holiness Pope N. (name of the Pontiff) give thanks to the Father of Jesus Christ and Our Father, to God three times holy for having proclaimed Blessed the Venerable Servant(s) of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds).

  • From this moment on the Eucharistic celebration proceeds as usual.

Notes on the beatification rite

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  • In certain cases, if the presider is a papal delegate, he says these words before pronouncing the beatification formula: "By the mandate of the Supreme Pontiff N. (name of the Pontiff), I am now going to read the Apostolic Letter by which His Holiness has inscribed among the Blesseds the Venerable Servant(s) of God N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds)."
  • If the ordinary is a cardinal, the initial formula will be "Nos, vota Fratris Nostri N. (name) Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalis N. (surname)."
  • If there are multiple Blesseds, there will generally be multiple bishops involved. Therefore, they will be listed as follows: "Nos, vota Fratrum Nostrorum N. (name and surname), Archiepiscopi [Episcopi] N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See) et N. (name and surname), Archiepiscopi [Episcopi] N. (name of the Ecclesiastical See)... ut Venerabiles Servi Dei N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds) et N. Beatorum nomine in posterum appellentur, eorumque festum: N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), die n. (ordinal number) mensis n. (name of the month) et N. (name of the blessed or the group of blesseds), die n. (ordinal number) mensis n. (name of the month) in locis et modis iure statutis quotannis celebrari possit."
  • If the presider is a papal delegate, he says these words after pronouncing the formula:

(Latin) Datum Romæ, apud Sanctum Petrum (or Laterani), die n. (ordinal number) mensis n. (name of the month), Anno Domini (ordinal number), Pontificatus nostri (ordinal number of the year of the pontificate), N. (name of the Pontiff) PP.
(English) Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's (or the Lateran), on the n. (ordinal number) day of the month of n. n. (name of the month), in the year of our Lord (ordinal number), the (ordinal number of the year of Pontificate) of our Pontificate, Pope N. (name of the Pontiff).

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "American Saints and Blesseds | USCCB". usccb.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ^ A. De Meester, Juris Canonici et Juris Canonico-Civilis Compendium Nova Editio, Tomus Tertius, Pars Secunda (Brugis: Desclée de Brouwer et Sii, 1928) p. 86 (citing the canonist Pope Benedict XIV, De Servorum Dei Beatificatione et Beatorum Canonizatione)
  3. ^ Beccari, Camillo (1907). "Beatification and Canonization." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Via New Advent. newadvent.org. Accessed 1 November 2015.
  4. ^ Ghose, Tia (9 July 2013). "The Science of Miracles: How the Vatican Decides". livescience.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Miracles under the microscope". The Economist. 20 April 2000. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  6. ^ Gjelten, Tom (31 August 2016). "How The Catholic Church Documented Mother Teresa's 2 Miracles". NPR. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Sarno, Robert J., "Process of Canonization", Archdiocese of Oklahoma City". Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  8. ^ Vincent-Cassy, Cécile (2016), "Les joyaux de la Couronne Sainteté et monarchie en Espagne après le concile de Trente", Dévotion et légitimation, Presses universitaires de Liège, pp. 41–56, doi:10.4000/books.pulg.8977, ISBN 9782875621061, retrieved 5 August 2022
  9. ^ https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/why-john-paul-ii-proclaimed-so-many-saints-5988

Sources

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