Pope Francis canonized Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (1839-1905) and Artemide Zatti (1880-1951) on 9 October, Sunday in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican. Read about the lives of two saints:
Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (1839-1905)
Born in Como, Italy, on July 8, 1839, Scalabrini entered the seminary aged 18 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1863. After holding the positions of rector in a minor seminary and subsequently parish priest of a church in his hometown, he was consecrated as Bishop of Piacenza at the age of 36 in 1876. For 29 years, he promoted the systematic teaching of the Church’s doctrine among the laity and priests of his diocese and took special care of the poor, elderly and infirm.
After witnessing the mass migrations of Italians to North and South America in search of better opportunities and the deplorable conditions they had to endure, Scalabrini founded the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo and the Missionary Sisters of St Charles to minister to them. Publishing many writings on migrants, some of his proposals were adopted in the new emigration laws approved by the Italian State in 1901.
Scalabrini died due to poor health on June 1, 1905. He was declared Venerable on March 16, 1987, and beatified by Pope John Paul II on Nov 9, 1997.
Artemide Zatti (1880-1951)
Born on Oct 12, 1880, in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Artemide’s family emigrated to Argentina when he was 17 years old in search of a better life. Inspired by the life of Italian Salesian Saint John Bosco, Artemide felt called to the priesthood and entered the Salesian Congregation in 1900 at age 19. Not long after, while caring for a young priest suffering from tuberculosis, he contracted the disease and was forced to leave the novitiate to recuperate in a hospital in the country.
Through the encouragement of Salesian Fr Evaristo Garrone, a physician and pharmacist there, Artemide made a promise to Our Lady, Help of Christians that if she obtained a cure for him, he would serve the sick poor for the rest of his life. He soon recovered, continued his studies as a Salesian religious brother, and became trained as a nurse, pharmacist and operating-room assistant.
After the death of Fr Garrone in 1913 and fulfilling his promise to Our Lady, Artimede dedicated the next 40 years of his life to running the hospital and pharmacy, taking care of both rich and poor patients. Despite the demands of his duties, he was much loved for his Salesian joy and trust in God’s providence.
Artemide died of liver cancer on March 15, 1951. He was declared Venerable on July 7, 1997, and beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 14, 2002.
The causes of beatification and canonization of saints are handled by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, formerly known as the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. There are three steps to sainthood: a candidate becomes ‘Venerable’, then ‘Blessed’ and then ‘Saint’. ‘Venerable’ is the title given to a deceased person recognized formally by the Pope as having lived a heroically virtuous life or one of martyrdom.
For the beatification as a ‘Blessed’, one miracle effected through the candidate’s intercession is required in addition to recognizing heroic virtue or offering of life. Canonization as a ‘Saint’ requires a second miracle after beatification, but sometimes, a Pope may waive these requirements. A miracle is not required before a martyr’s beatification, but one is required before canonization.