JOHN PAUL II BEATIFIES FIVE SERVANTS OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, APR 9, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, during the celebration of Mass in St. Peter's Square, John Paul II proclaimed as Blesseds the following Servants of God: Mariano de Jesus Euse Hoyos (1845-1926), Franz Xavier Seelos (1819-1867), Anna Rosa Gattorno (1831-1900), Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957) and Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan (1876-1926).

In his homily, the Pope reminded the 40,000 faithful present that the Colombian, Fr. Mariano, known as Marianito, "tirelessly committed himself in the evangelization of children and adults, especially among peasant farmers." The Holy Father said he hoped that "his radiant witness of charity, understanding, service, solidarity and forgiveness may be an example for Colombia and a beneficial aid to continue working for peace and total reconciliation in that beloved country."

He said that the Redemptorist, Fr. Seelos. "left his native Bavaria and committed himself generously and joyfully to the missionary apostolate among immigrant communities in the United States." The new Blessed "invites the members of the Church to deepen their union with Christ in the Sacraments of penance and the Eucharist."

"Entrusting herself entirely to Providence and animated by a courageous impulse of charity, Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno (foundress of the Institute of the Daughters of St. Anne), had one intention: to serve Jesus in the painful and wounded body of her neighbor, with sensitivity and maternal attention for all human misery."

John Paul II affirmed that Blessed Hesselblad, a Swedish Lutheran who concerted to Catholicism, was a "pioneer of ecumenism. ... From the very beginning her foundation, (the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Bridget), characterized by its Eucharistic and Marian spirituality, committed itself to the cause of Christian unity by means of prayer and evangelical witness."

The Indian Blessed Chiramel Mankidiyan, foundress of the Congregation of the Holy Family, committed herself "to a life of prayer and penance." Her union with the Cross of Christ "enabled her to remain steadfast in the face of frequent misunderstandings and severe spiritual trials."

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