PROCLAMATION OF THREE NEW BLESSEDS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 13, 2005 (VIS) - Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica today, during which, by order of Benedict XVI, he read out the Apostolic Letter by which the Pope proclaims as Blesseds the following Servants of God: Charles de Foucauld, priest (1858-1916); Maria Pia Mastena, virgin and foundress of the Institute of Sisters of the Holy Countenance (1881-1951); and Maria Crocifissa Curcio, virgin and founder of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (1877-1957).

  At the conclusion of the Mass, the Holy Father arrived in the basilica to venerate the relics of the new Blesseds. He also greeted those present and imparted his apostolic blessing.

  Speaking in French, the Holy Father gave thanks to God for the testimony of Fr. Foucauld. "Through his contemplative and hidden life at Nazareth," said the Pope, "he found the truth of Jesus' humanity, inviting us to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation. He discovered that Jesus - Who came to unite Himself to us in our humanity - invites us to that universal brotherhood which he later experienced in the Sahara, and to that love of which Christ set us the example. As a priest, he put the Eucharist and the Gospel at the center of his life."

  Benedict XVI emphasized the modern relevance of the charism of Maria Pia Mastena who, "overcome by the Holy Countenance of Christ, assimilated the Son of God's loving kindness towards humanity disfigured by sin, gave concrete form to His gestures of compassion, and devised an institute with the aim of 'propagating, repairing and restoring sweet Jesus' image in people's souls'."

  Speaking of Maria Crocifissa Curcio, the Holy Father highlighted the fact that at the center of her life "was the presence of merciful Jesus, Whom she encountered and adored in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. True passion for souls was what characterized the existence of Mother Maria Crocifissa who enthusiastically cultivated 'spiritual repair' in order to repay Jesus' love for us. Her life was a continuous prayer even when she went out to help others, especially poor and needy girls."

  The beatification Mass was concelebrated by 65 cardinals and bishops, among them Cardinals Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, and Polycarp Pengo, archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; Archbishops Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, France, and Vincent Landel S.C.I. of Rabat, Morocco; and Bishop Elias Lahham of Tunis, Tunisia.

  In his homily, Cardinal Saraiva Martins affirmed that Charles Foucauld, the French missionary who passed his life among the Tuareg, the nomadic peoples of the Sahara, "exercised an important influence on the spirituality of the 20th century, and at the beginning of this third millennium he continues to be a fruitful point of reference and an invitation to a radically evangelical form of life." The new Blessed stood out for his "acceptance of the Gospel in its simplicity, evangelizing without imposing, bearing witness to Jesus Christ while respecting other religions, and reaffirming the primacy of charity in fraternity."

  The prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints pointed out how the Italian nun Maria Pia Mastena - whose congregation has spread in Italy, Brazil and Indonesia - took Christ to the poorest and most abandoned. Her motto, he recalled, was "when a brother is sad and suffering, it is our duty to bring a smile back to his face."

  Finally, the cardinal mentioned Maria Crocifissa Curcio who, he said, "was a simple and strong woman, seized by the love of God, stretching towards heaven while stooping attentively over the earth, especially over suffering and needy humanity."
HML/BEATIFICATION/SARAIVA                        VIS 20051114 (620)