Maryland's own Father Seelos considered for canonization
Issue date: 9/1/09 Section: News
In 2003, when Heibel was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, she began wearing a tiny relic of Seelos' bone around her neck. In January of 2005, she started to pray to Seelos with then pastor of St. Mary's, Rev. Denis Sweeney. Just weeks later, no trace of cancer could be found on CT scans, and every scan since has come back clean.
"I'd never seen anybody be cured and not recur until her," said Dr. Michael Gibson in a Baltimore Sun article from June 2009.
Seelos has already passed the first step toward becoming a saint - beatification. On April 9, 2000 he was declared "Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos" by Pope John Paul II for a miracle that occurred in New Orleans. A woman with terminal liver cancer was cured after praying to Seelos.
After someone is beatified, another miracle is needed for them to be canonized a saint. Heibel's astonishing and unexplainable recovery from cancer could be the missing piece, though how long it will take until the Church deems whether her story is truly a miracle is difficult to predict.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore conducted an investigation this summer into the circumstances surrounding the supposed miracle. Their findings will be sent to Rome, where the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will launch their own investigation and make a recommendation to Pope Benedict XVI, who has the final say on whether or not Seelos will be declared a saint. This process could take years, as many cases fall apart due to lack of evidence or support.
If Seelos is canonized, he will join other saints who left an imprint in the Baltimore area, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann, who was one of Seelos' mentors.
"It was here at St. Mary's in Annapolis that these two confreres met for the first time," said Rev. John Kingsbury, C.S.R., the current pastor of St. Mary's. "It makes me proud to be connected to this Religious Congregation (the Redemptorists) that gave birth to these two confreres."
For many members of St. Mary's, the title of "saint" is not required to know that Seelos was a saintly man."Whether or not this is declared a miracle, I find the life of Seelos to be the best of what I would expect of a Redemptorist who truly loves God and wants to live the Gospel," said Rev. Kingsbury.
"I'd never seen anybody be cured and not recur until her," said Dr. Michael Gibson in a Baltimore Sun article from June 2009.
Seelos has already passed the first step toward becoming a saint - beatification. On April 9, 2000 he was declared "Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos" by Pope John Paul II for a miracle that occurred in New Orleans. A woman with terminal liver cancer was cured after praying to Seelos.
After someone is beatified, another miracle is needed for them to be canonized a saint. Heibel's astonishing and unexplainable recovery from cancer could be the missing piece, though how long it will take until the Church deems whether her story is truly a miracle is difficult to predict.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore conducted an investigation this summer into the circumstances surrounding the supposed miracle. Their findings will be sent to Rome, where the Congregation for the Causes of Saints will launch their own investigation and make a recommendation to Pope Benedict XVI, who has the final say on whether or not Seelos will be declared a saint. This process could take years, as many cases fall apart due to lack of evidence or support.
If Seelos is canonized, he will join other saints who left an imprint in the Baltimore area, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Neumann, who was one of Seelos' mentors.
"It was here at St. Mary's in Annapolis that these two confreres met for the first time," said Rev. John Kingsbury, C.S.R., the current pastor of St. Mary's. "It makes me proud to be connected to this Religious Congregation (the Redemptorists) that gave birth to these two confreres."
For many members of St. Mary's, the title of "saint" is not required to know that Seelos was a saintly man."Whether or not this is declared a miracle, I find the life of Seelos to be the best of what I would expect of a Redemptorist who truly loves God and wants to live the Gospel," said Rev. Kingsbury.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Myke Rosenthal-English
posted 9/01/09 @ 2:39 AM EST
An excellent article about Blessed Seelos.May this German American Priest who was born here in Fussen Germany quickly be ploclaimed a Saint.His manner and care of souls in the confessional is a great example to all today's priests,as well as the laity on the inportance of this Sacrament. (Continued…)
Post a Comment