Pope Leo XIV Brings 6 People Closer to Sainthood Including a Disabled Laywoman, a Female Doctor, and 2 Martyred Priests
During an audience granted on Friday 21 November to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decrees regarding the martyrdom — in hatred of the faith — of Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, age 26, bursar of the parish of San Martino di Caprara, and Fr. Martino Capelli, a Dehonian religious, age 32, chaplain at San Michele di Salvaro; and four new Venerables from Italy, Australia, and Brazil.
Promulgation of Decrees of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, November 21, 2025
During the Audience granted to His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Supreme Pontiff authorized the same Dicastery to promulgate the Decrees regarding:
- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Ubaldo Marchioni, diocesan priest, born on 19 May 1918 in Vimignano di Grizzana Morandi (Italy) and killed out of hatred for the faith on 29 September 1944 in Casaglia/Marzabotto (Italy);
During the Audience granted to His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Supreme Pontiff authorized the same Dicastery to promulgate the Decrees regarding:
- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Ubaldo Marchioni, diocesan priest, born on 19 May 1918 in Vimignano di Grizzana Morandi (Italy) and killed out of hatred for the faith on 29 September 1944 in Casaglia/Marzabotto (Italy);
Fr. Ubaldo Marchioni, born in 1918 in Vimignano di Grizzana Morandi, Bologna, was ordained a priest in 1942 and was appointed spiritual advisor at San Martino di Caprara in March 1944, serving a parish near Nazi combat zones. On September 29, 1944, he stopped at the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Casaglia to safeguard the Blessed Sacrament and provide refuge to parishioners fleeing German soldiers. The Nazis killed the people he sheltered, and then Fr. Ubaldo, just 26, was shot in the head inside the church in an act confirming odium fidei ("hatred of the faith").
- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Martino Capelli (born Nicola), professed priest of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, born on 20 September 1912 in Nembro (Italy) and killed out of hatred for the faith on 1 October 1944 in Pioppe di Salvaro (Italy);
- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Martino Capelli (born Nicola), professed priest of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, born on 20 September 1912 in Nembro (Italy) and killed out of hatred for the faith on 1 October 1944 in Pioppe di Salvaro (Italy);
Fr. Martino Capelli, born in Nembro in 1912 and ordained a priest in 1938, went to Salvaro in the summer of 1944 to assist the local parish priest despite the heavy fighting in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. He chose to remain with the local population and, on 29 September 1944, rushed to assist the dying after the Nazi slaughter in nearby Creda, leading to his imprisonment. On the evening of 1 October 1944, Fr. Capelli was martyred by the Nazis, executed along with Salesian Fr. Elia Comini and others at Pioppe di Salvaro.
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Enrico Bartoletti, Archbishop of Lucca, born on 7 October 1916 in Calenzano (Italy) and died on 5 March 1976 in Rome (Italy). Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti, born in Calenzano, near Florence, in 1916, was ordained a priest in 1938 and later protected Jews in the seminary during WWII, which led to his arrest. Appointed auxiliary bishop of Lucca in 1958, he participated in the Second Vatican Council and actively promoted its implementation in the Diocese. He was named secretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference in September 1972 by Saint Paul VI, overseeing key pastoral guidelines before his sudden death in Rome on March 5, 1976, at age 59.
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Gaspare Goggi, professed priest of the Congregation of Divine Providence, born on January 6, 1877 in Pozzolo Formigaro (Italy) and died on August 4, 1908 in Alessandria (Italy); Born in Pozzolo Formigaro, Italy, in 1877, Gaspare Goggi met Saint Luigi Orione at age 15 and was welcomed into the Little Work of Divine Providence, later earning a degree from the University of Turin. Ordained a priest at 26, he was sent to Rome as rector of the church of Sant’Anna dei Palafrenieri in the Vatican, where he became known as a sought-after confessor and dedicated servant of the poor. Despite fragile health, he continued his ministry until his early death on August 4, 1908, in the hospital of Alessandria, having been regarded as "a little saint."
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Enrico Bartoletti, Archbishop of Lucca, born on 7 October 1916 in Calenzano (Italy) and died on 5 March 1976 in Rome (Italy). Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti, born in Calenzano, near Florence, in 1916, was ordained a priest in 1938 and later protected Jews in the seminary during WWII, which led to his arrest. Appointed auxiliary bishop of Lucca in 1958, he participated in the Second Vatican Council and actively promoted its implementation in the Diocese. He was named secretary of the Italian Bishops' Conference in September 1972 by Saint Paul VI, overseeing key pastoral guidelines before his sudden death in Rome on March 5, 1976, at age 59.
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Gaspare Goggi, professed priest of the Congregation of Divine Providence, born on January 6, 1877 in Pozzolo Formigaro (Italy) and died on August 4, 1908 in Alessandria (Italy); Born in Pozzolo Formigaro, Italy, in 1877, Gaspare Goggi met Saint Luigi Orione at age 15 and was welcomed into the Little Work of Divine Providence, later earning a degree from the University of Turin. Ordained a priest at 26, he was sent to Rome as rector of the church of Sant’Anna dei Palafrenieri in the Vatican, where he became known as a sought-after confessor and dedicated servant of the poor. Despite fragile health, he continued his ministry until his early death on August 4, 1908, in the hospital of Alessandria, having been regarded as "a little saint."
Born in Pozzolo Formigaro in 1877, Gaspare Goggi met Saint Luigi Orione at age 15, joined the Little Work of Divine Providence, and earned a degree in Arts and Letters and Philosophy from the University of Turin. Ordained a priest at 26, he served as rector of the church of Sant’Anna dei Palafrenieri in the Vatican, where he became a renowned confessor and served the poor. Despite poor health, he died young at the age of 31 on 4 August 1908 in the hospital of Alessandria.
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria of the Sacred Heart (née Maria Glowrey), professed nun of the Society of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, born on 23 June 1887 in Birregurra (Australia) and died on 5 May 1957 in Bangalore (India);Born Maria Glowrey in Birregurra, Victoria, Australia in 1887, she earned her medical degree in 1910 and was inspired to become a missionary doctor in India. Settling in Guntur in February 1920, she joined the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph, took her perpetual vows in November 1924 as Sister Maria of the Sacred Heart, and dedicated herself to medical service for the poor, eventually founding today's Saint Joseph’s Hospital. She also founded the Catholic Health Association of India in 1943 and the Catholic Hospital Association, working on health and demographic issues until her death in Bangalore on 5 May 1957.
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria de Lourdes Guarda, a faithful laywoman, born on November 22, 1926 in Salto (Brazil) and died on May 5, 1996 in São Paulo (Brazil).
- the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Maria de Lourdes Guarda, a faithful laywoman, born on November 22, 1926 in Salto (Brazil) and died on May 5, 1996 in São Paulo (Brazil).
Born in Salto, São Paulo, Brazil, in 1926, Maria de Lourdes Guarda became paralyzed in her lower body in February 1948 and spent nearly fifty years bedridden, which led her to consecrate herself to the Secular Institute Caritas Christi in 1970. Her hospital room became a center for apostolic activities, serving as the national coordinator for ten years of the “Fraternity of Persons with Disabilities,” where she worked for their inclusion and rights. Maria de Lourdes, known as the "Apostle to people with disabilities," died of bladder cancer on 5 May 1996, leaving behind a strong reputation for holiness.
Sources:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/21/0888/01597.html and Vatican News with Image from [Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, addresses Pope Leo XIV on June 13, 2025. (File photoe Vatican Media)
Sources:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/21/0888/01597.html and Vatican News with Image from [Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, addresses Pope Leo XIV on June 13, 2025. (File photoe Vatican Media)
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