Cause of Fr. Ciszek progressing
This is a cause I am praying for:
Father Ciszek’s cause is moving forward in Rome
SHENANDOAH – It may seem that the cause for canonization of Shenandoah native Father Walter J. Ciszek is at a standstill, but according to a co-postulator of the effort, the investigation is continuing at the Vatican.
Monsignor Anthony D. Muntone, a Shenandoah native and priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, provided the news Sunday during the 26th annual Father Walter Ciszek Day Mass in St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church, 229 N. Jardin St., Ciszek’s native parish.
Muntone and the Rev. Thomas F. Sable are co-postulators of the cause. Postulators work with the sponsoring diocese to collect the materials necessary and take the case to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
“I know that many, many of you wonder how far is the cause and can we hope that maybe next week or next month to learn that Father Walter has been declared a saint,” Muntone said from the pulpit at the conclusion of Mass. “I wish that I could say ‘Yes’ to those questions, but I can say this afternoon that the cause is moving along, and it’s moving along very nicely, and it’s very encouraging. There are a lot of things working behind the scenes that’s not very visible, and because it’s not visible, we get the impression that nothing is happening, but a whole lot is happening.”
If you have never read Fr. Ciszek’s He Leadeth Me, I highly recommend buying a copy and getting started ASAP.
His book “With God in Russia” is also to be recommended. While it tells the same story, it is more the “nuts and bolts”, describing how he was arrested, the interrogations at Lubianka, his day to day life in the prison camps, what happened after his release and how he finally returned to the US.
I absolutely agree with Adoro. By reading the “nuts and bolts” of his journey first, will you really best understand the lessons of “He Leadth Me”. It is a very powerful read, with an excellent readability. It is insprirational without being unattainable. Highly recommend them both!
I grew up in Shenandoah – yes, seriously! – and when I was growing up, there were 7 – yes, seven! – Catholic churches WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE of one another! Everybody was Catholic! I didn’t know any non-Catholics. I didn’t know there WERE non-Catholics. I attended Catholic school from sixth grade on (1981-1982), and was taught by sisters – who wore habits! It was a different world. In the past 20 years, Shenandoah has experienced a steep decline in religiosity and culture. Churches have closed, the sisters are gone, many people have moved away. The Catholic community in Shenandoah is hanging on by a thread. It needs to be re-evangelized, rekindled. When I go back there every few months to visit family, I don’t see a lot of optimism, the article about Father Ciszek being the exception.