At a Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope canonized Guido Maria Conforti, Italian archbishop and founder of the Pious Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (1865-1931); Luigi Guanella, Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Charity and of the Institute of the Daughters of Our Lady of Providence (1842-1915), and Bonifacia Rodríguez de Castro, Spanish founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters, Servants of St. Joseph (1837-1905).
«It is very providential that precisely today the Church points out to all its members three new saints who were transformed by God’s love and who oriented their entire lives to it. In diverse situations and with different charisms, each of them loved the Lord with all their hearts, and they loved their neighbors as themselves, ‘so as to be examples for all believers,'» he said in the homily.
The Pope went on to describe the lives and virtues of the three saints.
He concluded citing the responsorial psalm, which proclaimed, «I love you, Lord, my strength.»
«These three new saints are incredible examples of such passionate love,» the Pontiff said. «Let us be inspired by their example and led by their teaching so that our lives may become a testimony of true love of God and of others.»
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-33720?l=english
