Catholic Fire

May 12, 2013. (Romereports.com) With Latin American flags waving through St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis canonized two Hispanic nuns. 'Mother Lupita' from Mexico and 'Mother Laura' from Colombia were declared saints, along with roughly 800 Italian martyrs from Otranto.   The canonization of Sister Laura Montoya, marks the first time a Colombian has been raised to the altars. The Pope highlighted her tireless work in  both educating and evangelizing within indigenous communities.   POPE FRANCIS “St. Laura Montoya was an instrument of evangelization. First as teacher and then as the spiritual mother of the indigenous community. She brought them hope, by showing them the love she learned from God. She led them to God with an effective pedagogy that was not contrary to their own culture.” The new Mexican saint dedicated her life to helping the poor. Speaking in Spanish, the Pope said her example should encourage others to help the needy. POPE FRANCIS “St. ...

May 9, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis will make history on May 12, during the canonization of the newest saints to the Catholic Church. Not only is it his first canonization, but he's set to become the Pope with largest number of saints created, overnight. It's only possible because of an important technicality. Of the 802 soon to be saints, 800 of them are the martyrs of Otranto. After Ottoman soldiers invaded their town 1480, they killed the villagers for refusing to convert to Islam. Pope Clement XIV beatified the group in 1771, and after 240 years, they will become saints. In canonizing the martyrs of Otranto, Pope Francis will have surpassed the 482 saints canonized by John Paul II. But the history making continues with two other soon to be saints. On May 12, Mother Laura Montoya will become the first saint from Colombia. She was born in 1874 and died on 1949. She founded her own religious congregation to carry out missionary work in neglected areas of Colom...

April 3, 2013. ( Romereports.com ) The Vatican issued the liturgical agenda for Pope Francis for the months of April and May, which will includes several celebrations outside of the Vatican. First up on April 7 is the ceremony to take possession of the Basilica of St. John Lateran as the Bishop of Rome. The following Sunday, he will celebrate a Mass at that same time at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. On April 21, he returns to St. Peter's Basilica for a 9:30AM service, where he will ordain several priests. The following Sunday at St. Peter's Square, during a 10AM Mass he will confirm a group of young Catholics. For the month of May, the major liturgical celebrations will all take place at St. Peter's Square. His only planned event outside the Vatican is a rosary service at 6PM on Saturday, May 4 at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The next day, on May 5, he will officiate a Mass at 10AM for confraternities, organizations of Catholic lay people. Sund...

March 25, 2013, (Romereports.com) It was during a consistory with cardinals that Benedict XVI announced his resignation in Latin. The news spread like wildfire, eclipsing everything else happening inside. As a result, few know that in the consistory, Benedict XVI set the date for the canonization of three new saints. It will take place May 12, and will be led instead by Pope Francis. The new saints are: Antonio Primaldo and 800 fellow martyrs of Otranto, Italy; Mother Laura, of Colombia, founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena; and Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, a Mexican nun known as Mother Lupita, co-founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Saint Margaret Mary and the Poor. Antonio Primaldo and his 800 fellow martyrs were executed in the 15th Century for refusing to convert to Islam. Mother Laura will be Colombia's first saint, who dedicated her life to working with indigenous people. Mo...

(Romereports.com) Benedict XVI will announce on Monday the date for the canonization of over 800 new saints for the Catholic Church, during a consistory with cardinals. Among the soon to be saints are Mother Laura, the first Colombian saint, and Mother Lupita, the second female Mexican saint.   Mother Lupita co-founded the religious congregation of the Handmaids of Saint Margaret Mary and of the Poor in Jalisco, Mexico. Mother Laura Montoya founded the Missionaries of St. Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena to help local indigenous people. The rest of the large group are the 813 martyrs of Otranto (Italy), killed by the Turks in the Fifteenth Century for not renouncing their faith. The ceremony will likely take place in October. Once it happens, Benedict XVI will have canonized more saints that his predecessor John Paul II, who elevated “only” 482 people to sainthood.