New step in sainthood cause of dad-daughter pair

Pope Francis has paved the way for the beatification of a young Spanish laywoman, recognizing this May 21, 2022, a miracle attributed to her intercession.

Maria de la Concepción Barrecheguren y García (1905-1927), known as Conchita, was a young woman born in Granada with very poor health, so much so that her parents could not send her to school. Her father, Venerable Francisco Barrecheguren Montagut, took charge of her education, preparing her for catechism so that she could receive her first Communion and confirmation. At a very young age, she felt the call to become a Carmelite nun, taking St. Therese of the Child Jesus as her model, but several new serious illnesses prevented her from doing so.

Conchita contracted tuberculosis after a pilgrimage to Lisieux at age 21. She knew her life would be short and she died in 1927, at age 22. Her mother died 10 years later, and her father eventually became a Redemptorist, and was able to witness the first steps of his daughter’s cause for canonization.

People said that Conchita was a saint because she had had a holy father, but he responded that it was his daughter who, with her holiness, inspired him in his Christian life. They were recognized venerable together by Pope Francis in May 2020.

The miracle attributed to Conchita’s intercession was the healing of a two-year-old Spanish girl in 2014.

Also today, the Pope approved for canonization two people:

~ Bishop Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, a patron of migrants. Scalabrini, who served as Bishop of Piacenza, Italy, in the 19th century, is the founder of the Congregations of the Missionaries of St Charles, which have as a special charism the mission of serving migrants.

~ Artemide Zatti, an Italian layman who emigrated with his family to Argentina in the late 1800s, and who became a Salesian co-worker and missionary in Patagonia.

Five men and two women will now be recognized as venerable, following the official proclamation of their heroic virtues.

These include a Polish laywoman, Janina Woynarowska (1923-1979), a poet and nurse who is known for her dedication in caring for various types of infirmity, despite herself suffering from a serious physical impairment. She combined social and charitable activities with poetry. Sustained by a firm faith, she became a Professed Member of the Secular Institute of Christ the Redeemer, making her profession to the then-Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyła (St John Paul II). She died in a car accident in 1979.

Also included is a Filipino prelate, Teofilo Bastida Camomot (1914-1988), coadjutor archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, the Philippines, and founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of Saint Teresa.

This Filipino from Cebu felt called to work for the poor at a very young age and was ordained in 1941. He was a parish priest for 12 years before joining the Discalced Carmelites who had just settled on the island to become their prior.

In 1955, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Jaro by Pius XII, then archbishop coadjutor of the missionary diocese of Cagayan de Oro by John XXIII. Between 1962 and 1965, he participated in three sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome. After suffering from kidney disease, he had to resign in 1970 and returned to Cebu, where he lived out his life, caring for the poorest of the poor on a daily basis and being considered a saint by his community. He died tragically in a car accident, his driver having fallen asleep at the wheel.

Luigi Sodo (1811-1895), Bishop of Telese-Cerreto Sannita, Italy;

Ordained at 22 with a dispensation from Pope Gregory XVI, he became rector of a parish frequented by the local aristocracy and then of the sanctuary of Saint Lucy of the Sea, where he took care of the souls of the sailors. His pastoral zeal was noticed and he was appointed bishop of Crotone, but he fell ill and had to return to Naples. In 1953 he was appointed to head the diocese of Telese o Cerreto, where he remained until his death. During the unification of Italy, he was wrongly accused of instigating a revolt and had to flee for some time. He died loved by his people and the priests of his diocese.

José Torres Padilla (1811-1878)

This Spanish diocesan priest, originally from the Canary Islands, was the co-founder, along with St. Mary of the Angels Guerrero González, of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross in Seville.

Jôao Pedro di Sesto San Giovanni, born Clemente Recalcati, (1868-1913), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, Capuchin, founder of the Missionary Capuchin Sisters of Saint Francis of Assisi in Brasilia;

A native of Milan, this Capuchin priest was a missionary in the Northeast of Brazil, where he had to face the immense poverty and violence against the Church in that region.

Alfredo Morganti, known as Berta, (1886-1969), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor;

A Franciscan priest from the Marches (Italy). He was a hard worker, a very learned teacher, appreciated by his students, and left an abundant hagiographic, mystical and historical work.

Mariana of the Holy Trinity, born Mariana Allsopp González-Manrique, (1854-1933)

This Mexican nun was the co-founder, with the venerable Father Francis of Assisi Mendez Casariego, of the Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity. Her charism is aimed in particular at protecting women who are victims of prostitution networks.

Read more:5 Sets of siblings who all became saints

Read more:Meet the family and their friends that gave the Church at least a dozen saints