CNA Staff, May 22, 2021 / 05:55 am
Pope Francis on Saturday advanced the causes of seven people, including a missionary to China and a sister killed by Maoist guerrillas.
The pope authorized the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints to issue seven new decrees during a May 22 meeting with the congregation’s prefect, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.
The pope recognized the heroic virtues of Fr. Mariano Gazpio, a Spanish member of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. The step means that Gazpio can now be referred to as “Venerable.”
Heroic virtue is one of the requirements for beatification in the Catholic Church. A verified miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession is also usually required.
Born in Puente la Reina, Navarre, on Dec. 18, 1899, Gazpio began his missionary work in China in 1924, in Shangqiu, a city in eastern Henan province. Over the next 28 years, he became known for his apostolic zeal, piety, and love for the poor.
After the Chinese Communist Revolution, he remained at his mission station despite rising religious persecution. In 1952, he was expelled from the country along with other foreign missionaries.
According to Augustinian Recollects’ website, Gazpio was known for this great devotion to the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart, and the Virgin Mary.
“Besides the community hours for prayer, he spent many more in the oratory or in the choir in personal prayer. His contract with God was continuous,” it said.
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