Sainthood near for Cope and Tekakwitha, Dolan now a cardinal
The New York Times reports that Pope Benedict XVI created 22 new cardinals in ceremonies at St. Peter’s Basilica today. Among those now wearing the scarlet cloak and cap is Timothy Dolan, 62, the archbishop of New York since 2009 and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
A second archbishop from the United States, Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, 73, was also made a cardinal. For what it’s worth, cardinals under age 80 are those eligible to elect new popes.
The article went on to state:
Pope Benedict announced that he would canonize seven new saints, among them two Americans: Marianne Cope, a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse, N.Y., who cared for lepers on the island of Moloka’i,Hawaii, in the late 19th century, and Kateri Tekakwitha, an 17th century Mohawk Indian from upstate New York who converted to Catholicism and will be the Catholic church’s first Native American saint.
Read more about Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk-Algonquin woman born in 1656, in this post by Martha Foley from December 2011.
I was having trouble understanding when those sainthoods would become official. According to information from the Vatican’s official website, the actual canonization ceremony will take place Oct 21, 2012.
Tags: Catholic Church, history, Kateri Tekakwitha, Marianne Cope, native, religion, Timothy Dolan
Sorry, but unless the bishops are dead, they won’t canonized, they will be installed.
Canonization is the act by which the Catholic church declares a deceased person to be a saint.
My mistake, thanks Pete.
Though I’ve read Dolan aspires to sainthood (one day, should he prove worthy, etc.) the wording has been amended to keep the good cardinals on this earthly plane at present.
Also, the NYT link takes readers to updated versions of the story, which seems to no longer mention the announcement of the upcoming canonization of the seven slated for sainthood.
Go to the third link from the Vatican for specific mention of those details.
Kateri Tekakwitha may be the first female indigenous american saint, but not the first overall – that credit goes to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native Nahuatl of Mexico http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Diego .
And since Mexico is an undeniable part of the American continent, that would appear to make Kateri Tekakwitha may be the second female indigenous American saint.
Twenty two new cardinals and only three of them from non-western countries? Yet the Catholic church is growing primarily in non-western countries. There is something wrong here, although this coming from Benedict doesn’t surprise me.
Lucy,
Here is a little known fact about sainthood and the Catholic Church. According to Church doctrine and speaking technically, anyone who makes it into Heaven is a Saint. It’s just not that everyone is recognized because to be recognized you have to have people praying to you the deceased person and being rewarded by their prayers by having them answered in a “miraculous” way.
The Church is very, very legal in its laws and codes, and would put a Philadelphia lawyer to shame.
Are you Catholic PNE, do you believe that the Pope is chosen by God and guided by the Holy Spirit?
Are you Catholic PNE, do you believe that the Pope is chosen by God and guided by the Holy Spirit?
What does that question have to do with the group that was recently appointed cardinal-elects?
It has everything to do with it, its a spiritual process not a political one. If you are not a believing Catholic I don’t understand your interest?
If you are not a believing Catholic I don’t understand your interest?
So there can be no academic interest in religion if you are not a Catholic? Interesting. And please don’t be so naive as to believe that there are no politics in the Vatican.
I mean do you check out the Methodists or the Mormons or the Baptists to give them your approval or disaprovel, I mean who is monitoring them?
I just don’t get this obsession with the inner spiritual workings of the Catholic Church unless you are a believing Catholic.
Now I do understand arguing about stances the Church takes in the public square, sure that is understandable, but who the Pope is or who the Cardinals are is a purely spiritual process for Catholics.
I mean do you check out the Methodists or the Mormons or the Baptists to give them your approval or disaprovel, I mean who is monitoring them?
Yes.
And the Jews, Buddists, Hindus, Jains, Muslums, etc. Do you have to be religious to have an academic interest in religion?
The majority of Christian denominations don’t even accept sainthood as relevant, I think Protestants believe in the sainthood of all followers of Christ through faith alone in His sacrifice, I mean I see BIG problems with some of those saints. An investigation is called for it looks suspicious!
An investigation is called for it looks suspicious!
Merval, sounds like you are suggesting a political process in your investigation of suspicious Protestant saints. Also sounds like you have an obsession with the inner spiritual workings of Protestant denominations. If you are not a believing Protestant I don’t understand your interest.
ahaha I DO!
And I will get to the bottom of it, Dan Brown’s cousin and I are taking this one on.
I’ve stopped being Catholic, but I must say: there’s a great focus on the natural world in all the images surrounding Kateri. I hear the rusty joints of the official Church creaking as it turns to regard the environment. Maybe this will be a new cause for the leaders to champion — rather than this nonsense against contraception.
Mervel, you’re not really that obsessed with protestants, are you? Let’s take our saints wherever we can find them — regardless of denomination.
Mervel,
you co-authoring a book about Saints?
Two Cents, only Protestant Saints. But in Protestant theology (which I respect); all believers are saints.
Terence, no I am just joking around a little, I think the Catholic Church does have a pretty good view of the environment and is taking it seriously.
I also agree that it is just as important as debates over health care and contraception.
Mervel,
You take too much of this stuff too seriously and too personally.
The Catholic Church used to maintain a fairly low profile, often for obvious reasons. One should not run around trying to be a martyr.
I think there is a difference between “defending your faith” and “defending the Church.” Faith is something you have or don’t have. The Church has managed to defend its self for over 2,000 years without any help from you or me.
Mervel,
let us know when your book is on the shelves, i would like to read it.
(my last post was an honest question, not sarcasm)
You’ve got to admit the Catholic Church has plenty of good story lines from over the last couple millennia; they’ve got schisms, Crusades, Inquisitions, Jesuits, Saints, excommunications, exorcisms, even stories of a Pope who was secretly a woman. Dan Brown is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re waiting for the book Mervel.
Anyone who doesn’t think the appointment of particular bishops to the select group who appoints the Pope isn’t political hasn’t studied the history of the Catholic Church. It’s an organization as “political” as any in the history of mankind. And given dear leader’s health is worsening by the day, he’s most likely stacking the group who will choose his eventual successor. A successor who he hopes will continue in his vain. That is to say keeping the Catholic church stuck in the past as he himself has done.
Knuckle,
This begs the question, why are Protestants so boring?
I don’t think they are! Thus my book will start with the venerable Augustinian Monk, Martin Luther and his wife the nun Katrina Van Bora and delve into the secrets surrounding his movement.
Clapton, for a believing Catholic, the process certainly has politics involved as every endeavor that includes human beings does; however we believe that the process in the end is guided by the Divine Providence of God, that indeed the Church itself is under the authority and guidance of God. If it was simply and only a human effort, than it would truly be a worthless sham and NO ONE should follow anything it has to say or do.