Catholic Fire

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...