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The cross was followed by a copy of the Carmelite Rule to symbolize the Blessed’s battle of faith when he left behind his wealthy and honorable life to join the simplicity of the Carmelite life. Finally, a friar brought to the altar a relic of Blessed Nuno, which the Prior General enthroned. All these aspects of Nuno’s life featured the night before in the vigil prepared us to understand that Nuno was about to be canonized because he was an integral and coherent person whose life was guided by the Gospel in his role as husband and parent, and also a model of life fighting for the superior moral interest of a nation when he was a soldier and for the causes of the less fortunate and the poor when he became a religious. Inspired by the holy life of Nuno who aimed for greater perfection in charity, we were ready to attend the canonization Mass the next morning. I did not know what a canonization mass would be like. I used to think that the Holy Father proclaimed somebody a saint in the context of the homily and the signing of a book. To my surprise, there is a beautiful and well illustrated rite that takes place immediately after the Penitential Rite… all in Latin! On the morning of Sunday, April 26th, Blessed Nuno was canonized along with four others; Arcangelo Tadini, Bernanrdo Tolemei, Geltrude Comensoli, and Caterina Volpicelli; all of them founders of religious institutes of consecrated life. The Prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints asked the Pope to states that the saints are canonized “to the honor of the Holy Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith, and the increment of Christian living.” At this point, all the followers and devotees of each of the newly canonized saints cried out with joy throughout Saint Peter’s Square. The final act of the canonization rite is the exhibition of the saints’ relics. I can claim that I have seen miracles in my life. However, I could never claim before to know a person who received the miracle which led to this canonization. This time I met Guilhermina de Jesus, a Portuguese woman who in the year 2000 received the miracle of canonization. Guilhermina lost her sight when boiling oil fell on her eye while she was cooking. After many failed treatments the doctors could not do anything to restore her sight. But Guilhermina, a devotee of Blessed Nuno, and her family prayed to him. canonize each Blessed presented and immediately he read a small biography of each saint. After the Litany of the Saints, the Holy Father then continued with the Formula of Canonization which By Jim Tierney,Mount Carmel Grad, class of 1991 Contributors: Father Carl Markelz, O.Carm.,and Father Raul Maravi, O.Carm. Ever since my wife, Kendra’s, spiritual director had suggested that we request that the Pope administer our son, Jack’s, First Communion during our upcoming trip to Rome, Jack has been offering little sacrifices: his bedtime prayers, and the family Rosary for this honor. But after a 1 month and a half of calling various offices in the Vatican and petitioning the Bishops’ Office for United States Visitors to the Vatican, we had not been successful and had less than a week to make this happen. After several attempts, we heard from Monsignor Guido Marini, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations at the Vatican. The very understanding and gracious Monsignor Marini informed us that the Holy Father’s next public Mass on April 26th was a canonization Mass and it was the Prefect for the Causes of the Saints who has the ability to assign individuals to the Pope’s communion line. Unable to fight the feeling that the wind had left our sails, the family joined Jack in praying for a miracle. I asked God for an outcome that would glorify Him in the eyes of my son. I also had the thought that we should find out who the new saints were going to be, on the off chance that we would have a connection to one of them. If nothing else, we could pray for their intercession. That is the first we had heard of Blessed Nuno de Santa Maria Álvares Pereira, O.Carm. I reached up and held my scapular, and all of a sudden I felt all over again as if this improbable goal could actually happen. Blessed Nuno
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