Status of the causes of canonization in the Augustinian-Recollect Family

The General Postulation of the Augustinian Recollects is the body in charge of initiating, promoting and following up at all stages all those causes of canonization of the members of the Augustinian Recollect Family. There are a total of 18 open causes and this is the complete situation as of November 13, 2024.

The process

The Holy See body in charge of studying, determining and proposing to the Pope the consideration as “saints” of people who have died is the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. When someone dies, leaving behind admiration, example, a general feeling of gratitude for his goodness and for his good influence as a model of Christian life, in many cases the first popular consideration is spontaneously born: “he was a saint.”

It is only the first step in a long road. Canonization sanctioned by the Church only occurs after a long and complex judicial process, which can take a long time, even decades.

This process is started by the local Church of the place where the person who wants to be proposed as a saint died. It starts with this spontaneous feeling, but once it has officially begun, the process takes on a completely different character: witnesses who knew him more or less deeply are cited – in favor or against his declaration of sainthood – what he wrote and said is reviewed, every moment of his life is reviewed and every detail, event and relationship is scrutinized. The Church takes very seriously to reach the point of considering a person as an example of life.

According to the rules of the Congregation, it is necessary to wait five years after the death of the affected person before introducing his or her cause. Previously, fifty years had to pass, but the period was reduced to avoid the disappearance of evidences.

After the process is opened by the diocesan Church, the person becomes a “Servant of God”. It is then that all possible material is gathered and the Diocese “judges” whether or not it is appropriate to elevate it to the Roman Congregation. If, after reviewing the documentation, it is deemed plausible to continue, the Pope will proclaim that the candidate had an exemplary life and becomes “Venerable”: that is, it is decreed that he or she lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way.

To become “Blessed” a miracle must be proven through his or her intercession, except if the cause is because he or she suffered martyrdom, which is considered the highest testimony of love for Christ, the Church and one’s own faith, since the most precious good is given without turning back: life.

With the declaration as blessed, that person can now be venerated and their intercession can be requested. With a second miracle, the moment of canonization arrives, a ceremony normally presided over by the Pope and which extends the veneration of the saint to the entire Church and for all time.

Saints

Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki and Saint Ezekiel Moreno are the two most illustrious members of the Augustinian Recollect Family and have already been declared saints; their processes, therefore, are entirely concluded:

• Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki (1611-1634)
  • Beatification: February 18, 1981, John Paul II.
  • Canonization: October 18, 1987, John Paul II.
• Saint Ezekiel Moreno (1848-1906)
  • Beatification: November 1, 1975, Paul VI.
  • Canonization: October 11, 1992, John Paul II.

Both stood out for their total dedication to Jesus: Magdalena was a martyr during the persecution in Japan; Ezekiel, in the words of Saint John Paul II, was an evangelizer whose uncontrollable desire to proclaim Christ guided every step of his life.

Blessed

The term “blessed” means, in Latin, “happy” in its broadest sense: this person already enjoys life in God. At present, the blessed men and women of the Augustinian Recollect Family have seen their path to canonization halted because there is no news of possible miracles related to their intercession. Most of them have followed the path of martyrdom to reach this condition, in fact 15 of the 16 blessed of our Family:

Blessed martyrs of Japan

• Vincent of Saint Anthony (1590-1632), Portuguese, beatified in 1867.
• Francisco de Jesus (1590-1632), Spanish, beatified in 1867.
• Martin of Saint Nicholas (1598-1632), Spanish, beatified in 1989.
• Melchior of Saint Augustine (1599-1632), Spanish, beatified in 1989.
• Kaida Hachizo [Lawrence of Saint Nicholas] (1601-1630), Japanese, beatified in 1867.
• Yukimoto Ichizaemon Mancio [Augustine of Jesus Mary] (1606-1630), Japanese, beatified in 1867.
• Sawaguchi Kuhieye [Peter of the Mother of God] (1599-1630), Japanese, beatified in 1867.

Blessed martyrs of Motril, Granada, Spain

• Vicente Soler (1867-1936), beatified in 1999.
• Deogracias Palacios (1901-1936), beatified in 1999.
• León Inchausti (1859-1936), beatified in 1999.
• José Rada (1861-1936), beatified in 1999.
• Julián Benigno Moreno (1871-1936), beatified in 1999.
• Vicente Pinilla (1872-1936), beatified in 1999.
• José Ricardo Diez (1906-1936), beatified in 1999.

Blessed Discalced Augustinian Nuns

• Josefa María (Inés) de Benigánim (1625-1696), beatified in 1888.
• Josefa de la Purificación Massiá Ferragut (1887-1936), beatified in 2001.

Venerables

We also have no recent knowledge of possible miracles attributed to any of these causes, but they have already been recognized as people who lived the Christian virtues in a particularly heroic way and have completed their diocesan processes, their causes being in Rome:

• Monica de Jesus (1899-1964), declared venerable on June 13, 1992. She is an Augustinian Recollect nun.
• Esperanza Ayerbe (1890-1967), declared venerable on December 14, 2015. She is the co-founder of the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries.
• Alfonso Gallegos (1931-1991), declared venerable on June 8, 2016. He is an Augustinian Recollect bishop, a tireless worker for Hispanics in the United States.
• Mariana de San José (1568-1638), declared venerable on December 18, 2017. She is the founder of the contemplative Augustinian Recollect nuns and of several of the monasteries of these nuns that exist today in Spain.
• Mariano Gazpio (1899-1989), declared venerable on May 22, 2021. He was a missionary in China and a trainer and spiritual director of religious in Spain.

Servants of God

These nine causes are in different stages, which we point out:

• Jenaro Fernandez (1909-1972), Augustinian Recollect. In the Roman phase, with a decree of validity in 2011. All his documentation is being prepared to continue the cause.
• Ignacio Martinez (1902-1942), Augustinian Recollect. The diocesan phase is complete (2004).
• Isabel de Jesus (1584-1648), Augustinian Recollect nun. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2014.
• Antonia of Jesus (1612-1695), Augustinian Recollect. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2007. Her documentation is being prepared to continue the cause.
• Isabel of the Mother of God (1614-1687), Augustinian Recollect nun. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2011. All her documentation is being prepared to continue the cause.
• Simi Cohen [María de los Dolores of the Love of God] (1801-1887), Augustinian Recollect nun. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2015.
• Cleusa Carolina Rhody Coelho (1933-1985), Augustinian Recollect missionary. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 1994. All her documentation is being prepared to continue the cause.
• Dionisia Talangpaz (1691-1732). Augustinian Recollect Sisters. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2003.
• Cecilia Rosa Talangpaz (1693-1731). Augustinian Recollect Sisters. In Roman phase, with decree of validity in 2003.

Some particularities

The Augustinian-Recollect Family owes a debt of gratitude to all these people who have lived the charism and spirituality of St. Augustine and the Recollection in an integral and conscious way in their lives. For this reason, we should gladly make them known, pray for their causes and processes, promote them; in the case of the blessed and the saints, we should also celebrate them with joy and give them importance and honor.

In the case of Bishop Alphonse Gallegos, auxiliary bishop of Sacramento dedicated to pastoral care and social justice for Hispanics in California, since his declaration as venerable on June 8, 2016, his life and pastoral action have become increasingly known through publications and audiovisuals in Catholic media and social networks. There are many who remember his work and strive to show a genuine testimony of admiration for the Recollect bishop.

On May 22, 2021, Pope Francis approved the heroic virtues of Brother Mariano Gazpio and declared him venerable. This concluded the first stage of the canonization process, which began on February 10, 2000 in the Archdiocese of Pamplona-Tudela. In recent years, there has also been a special effort to disseminate information about his life with various publications.

In the case of Jenaro Fernández, after receiving the methodological indications for the presentation of his canonization process to the Holy See, it is expected that the preparation of the study on his virtues will begin soon.

As for Ignacio Martínez, administrator and later prefect of the Prelature of Lábrea, Amazon, Brazil, the task was completed in 2004, but the study of his virtues has not yet been presented, since some historical aspects need to be studied in depth. His life and work are known and recognized by the faithful, given the total dedication he had for his people.

In the case of the Recollect nuns Isabel of Jesus, Antonia of Jesus, Isabel of the Mother of God and Simi Cohen, due to various circumstances centuries passed before their trials were initiated, which is why their cases must be considered “historical.” This makes obtaining documentary material very difficult. The Recollect Augustinian nuns have made enormous efforts to make their figures known.

In the case of Cleusa, the Augustinian Recollect missionary murdered in Labrea in 1985 for her defense of the rights of indigenous peoples and the promotion of peace in the Amazon region in very difficult times, a study of her life is currently being finalized in order to request a declaration of martyrdom.

The Talangpaz sisters, founders of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters of the Philippines, are also among the so-called “historical” causes and are being held, as they require a complicated investigation to justify the request for recognition of their virtues.

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