Pope approves decrees for 2 new Blesseds and 4 Venerables
By Tiziana Campisi
On Thursday, Pope Leo XIV held an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and authorized him to promulgate decrees related to two people who will be beatified and four new Venerables.
The decrees recognized the martyrdom of Fr. Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio, a priest of the Order of Friars Minor, and a miracle attributed to the intercession of Sr. Maria Ignazia Isacchi, founder of the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Asola. Both will therefore be proclaimed Blessed.
He also recognized the heroic virtues of Nerino Cobianchi, a layman, and Srs. Crocifissa Militerni, Maria Giselda Villela, and Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, who have been proclaimed Venerable.
Guatemalan priest and martyr
Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio was born in Guatemala City on November 5, 1937, into a large and devout Catholic family.
Having discerned a religious vocation, he began his Franciscan novitiate in Jumilla, Spain, where, after completing studies in philosophy and theology, he was ordained a priest on June 18, 1967.
In 1978, he served as guardian and parish priest of San Francisco el Grande in Antigua, Guatemala, dedicating himself to the parish’s pastoral life and to the poor and defenseless, while the country was being torn apart by civil war.
Arrested on June 2, 1983, he was tortured and then released but was placed under special surveillance and received numerous death threats.
On November 7, 1983, he was seized again by soldiers and killed during a transfer to the outskirts of the city. The decree recognizes that he was killed in hatred of the faith.
Italian Superior General of Ursuline Sisters of Somasca
Maria Ignazia Isacchi—born Angela Caterina and known as “Ancilla”—was born on May 8, 1857, in Stezzano, in the Italian province of Bergamo, and entered the Ursuline Sisters of Somasca at just over the age of twenty.
Elected Superior General, she transferred the motherhouse to Asola and continued to direct the institute there until 1924, when, for reasons of health, she was forced to resign; she nonetheless received the title “Superior General for life ad honorem.”
She died on August 19, 1934, in Seriate, and in 2022 she was declared Venerable.
Attributed to her intercession is the miraculous healing, in 1950, of Sister Maria Assunta Zappella, who suffered severe abdominal pain due to “enterocolitis of probable tubercular nature.”
On the last day of a novena, the sister suddenly felt better; the next day, a chest X-ray showed regression of the illness, and the treating physicians noted an unexpected and sudden improvement, with rapid progress and complete healing a few days later.
New Italian and Brazilian Venerables
Nerino Cobianchi—declared Venerable on Thursday—was born in the Italian province of Pavia on June 25, 1945, into a deeply religious farming family.
After moving with his family to Cilavegna in 1974, he became involved in the parish community, dedicated himself to young people, and was among the founders of a scout group.
He organized prayer groups, volunteered after the Irpinia earthquake in 1980, and carried out many charitable initiatives, extending them to other countries in the Sahel region.
Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 1996, he continued his initiatives until his death on January 3, 1998.
His life was marked by intense charitable activity rooted in a firm faith, nourished by prayer, daily Mass, reading of the Bible, and recitation of the Rosary.
Crocifissa Militerni (born Teresa) was born on December 24, 1874, in Cetraro, in the Italian region of Calabria, and from a young age showed a strong inclination for a life of prayer and apostolic work directed to the young.
She contributed to the creation of the “Princess Mafalda” nursery school and devoted herself to caring for the sick, assisting the poor, the elderly, and the dying.
Humble and detached from material goods, she faced with serenity the sufferings caused by serious health problems and died on March 25, 1925.
Maria Giselda Villela, born in Brazil on January 12, 1909, lived an existence marked by illness and became prioress of the Carmel in Pouso Alegre.
Nicknamed Mãezinha (“little mother”) for her welcome and kindness, she became a spiritual point of reference for many.
Though living in enclosure, she knew how to open herself to the world, welcoming those who knocked at the parlor for comfort or advice.
She died on January 20, 1988, animated by great faith and trust in Divine Providence.
Maria Tecla Antonia Relucenti, born in the Italian city of Ascoli Piceno on September 23, 1704, embraced the project of founding the Congregation of the Pious Worker Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and was appointed Superior for life on December 8, 1744.
She dedicated herself to education and formation, collaborated in drafting the Constitutions, and died on July 11, 1769, remembered for steadfast faith and a spirit of charity.
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