Cause for the Canonization of
Servant of God
Demetrius Gallitzin
"Apostle of the Alleghenies"
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Cause for the Canonization of Servant of God Demetrius Gallitzin "Apostle of the Alleghenies"
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Catholic Register - Biographical Sketch
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The following article was published in 6 parts in The Catholic Register from February 18, 2008 to April 28, 2008 During
the pontificate of the late Pope John Paul II, a record number of persons were
beatified and canonized, prompting criticism that the Church had become a
“saint - making factory.” The
response from the Causes
of beatification and canonization follow a careful series of norms and
regulations mandated by successive Popes. Betty
Seymour, one of the postulators for the Cause of the Servant of God Demetrius
Augustine Gallitzin, has provided an outline of the procedures involved in his
Cause in order to acquaint the people of the Altoona - Johnstown Diocese with
the procedures now in place and being followed regarding Father Gallitzin. Gallitzin’s
Cause For Sainthood Is
Initiated In The Diocese Of
Pope
Benedict XVI in a recent address to the Although
the process has been streamlined, the seriousness, thoroughness and integrity of
the process has not been sacrificed. According
to Mrs. Seymour, Father Gallitzin’s Cause began when certain steps had been
followed and determinations had been made: *
On *
The many articles and books written about the “saintly” Gallitzin,
plus the many years of pilgrimage, attested to by the number of signatures
recorded at the Prince Gallitzin Chapel House in Loretto, were examined for an
indication that Father Gallitzin had been considered saintly over the long
expanse of time since his death in 1840; *
The determination was made that the Diocese of Altoona - *
It was determined that since more than 30 years have elapsed since Father
Gallitzin’s death, his would be an “historic Cause,” i.e. one with no
living witnesses to his life and ministry. In
pursuing the cause of a “confessor” verification must be made of the
existence of a true and widespread reputation for sanctity. *
In January 2005 petitions were sent to Bishop Joseph V. Adamec requesting
that a letter be sent to Rome for a “Nihil Obstat” (no impediments/no
obstacles) for the Cause. Bishop
Joseph’s request was sent in March. *
In June 2005 the Congregation for the Causes for Saints informed Bishop
Joseph there were no impediments standing in the way of initiating Father
Gallitzin’s Cause. In issuing the
Nihil Obstat, Father Gallitzin was given the title “Servant of God.” Beginning
The Process When
the Congregation for the Causes for Saints informed Bishop Joseph V. Adamec that
there were no impediments blocking the initiation of a Cause for Father
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, The Diocese of Altoona - In
accord with Norms from the Holy See, as reformed by Pope John Paul II in 1983,
several appointments had to be made to oversee the efforts: -
- Monsignor Michael Servinsky was named “Delegate Instructor” to serve as
Bishop Joseph’s representative overseeing all aspects of the Cause; -
- Frank and Betty Seymour of Loretto were named Postulators of the Cause.
Mr. and Mrs. Seymour have been directed to collect primary source
materials about the life and ministry of the Servant of God Demetrius Gallitzin,
contacting all archives that might possess such materials.
The Postulators have also been directed to make know the spirituality of
the candidate and promote devotion to him; to address the monetary concerns of
financing the Cause; and to deal with the investigation of a miracle, if one
should occur before the completed works are sent to the Vatican; -
- Father Angelo Patti was named the Promoter of Justice; -
- A Theological Commission and an Historical Commission were named consisting of
experts charged to read, study and evaluate everything concerning Father
Gallitzin. The Theological
Commission studies only Father Gallitzin’s own writings.
The Historical Commission studies those writings and all that has been
written about him. In 1940, a book, Gallitzin’s
Letters 1815 - 1836 was published, providing a concise collection of Father
Gallitzin’s letters written in defense of the faith.
This book is an invaluable tool to the two Commissions. The
Diocesan Inquiry When
the appointments were made by Bishop Joseph, the Diocesan Inquiry Phase of the
Cause commenced. According
to Mrs. Seymour “The diocesan inquiry has as its goal the collection of all
the proofs concerning the life, heroic virtues, the reputation of sanctity of
the Servant of God, as well as the proofs of possible miracles.
However,” she continued “the latter inquiry must be done separately
from the inquiry concerning the heroicity of virtues.” On
Getting
Down To Work On
that day, each commission member received 230 copies of Father Gallitzin’s
letters, collected from archives across the country, and additional documents.
The members of the Historical Commission received many articles
concerning Father Gallitzin, the first installment of such documentation, with
many more to follow. The
Cause has received a major boost from a source in When
the work commenced on The
Cause In If
a miracle through Father Gallitzin’s intercession would be reported, two
options would face the local Church. Such
a report could be investigated here in the Diocese of Altoona - No
matter which option would be chosen locally, only approval by In
either scenario, when the local documentation of Father Gallitzin’s Cause is
sent to the
Research The
process of collecting documents began with an official diocesan letter to 30
archival centers, libraries, religious institutions and museums in the The
Prince - Priest wrote many letters to Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, his
brothers priests, wealthy individuals (including Charles Carroll, the only
Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence), bankers, newspapers, etc.,
and received an extensive correspondence in return.
Beginning in 1815 and continuing through 1839 he wrote several booklets
of apologetic literature, including his best - known work, Defence (sic)
Of Catholic Principles. These
writings are extremely valuable to the collection as they reveal Father
Gallitzin’s expansive knowledge of scripture, and his thorough understanding
of Catholic doctrine. A
good response has followed the request for archival material on Father
Gallitzin. As predicted, the
Associated Archives in “The
most surprising response to our letter came from an archival museum housing
letters/documents of a prominent family in “I
first became aware of these letters through a lovely lady from near Gresley’s
daughter established connections in A
Wonderful Gift “After
four years and several delightful letters exchanging information, Elisabeth sent
me copies of two original letters of the young Prince Gallitzin, written in 1791
- - one year before he sailed to this country - - to his friends, the Von Droste
- Vischering brothers. What a
gift!,” Mrs. Seymour exclaimed. “Of
course, I was curious to know what else the museum in Translating
e - mails and letters from the museum’s director has been problematic, and has
covered such areas as directives for use of the materials sent to this country,
and instructions on how to wire money to the museum for services rendered.
But more problematic has been the question of translating Father
Gallitzin’s letters, and other materials related to him.
But thankfully, Mrs. Seymour said “There have been a few wonderful and
generous persons who have done this work.” The
letters in the “However,
the hand written letters, written over 200 years ago in German, are in a
specific dialect. None of our
volunteer translators are familiar with that dialect,” said Mrs. Seymour.
“When Elisabeth sent the first two letters, she typed them into modern
German, which we then had translated. When
I informed her of our present difficulties, she and her husband, Wolfgang,
volunteered their services. “Wolfgang,”
she noted, “traveled to the museum and faithfully hand - copied each letter,
and Elisabeth began typing them for us. This
will take much time and effort, and then, of course, all of the letters will
need the work of our translators.” The
Von Droste - Vischering brothers were two of the young Catholics who formed part
of the “ As
Archbishop of Cologne from 135 - 1845, Clemens August was initially held in
great favor by the Prussian government, but eventually ran afoul of King
Frederick William III and his ministers, when he defended the rights of the
Church in regard to marriages between Catholics and non - Catholics.
For two years, 1837 - 1839, he was held as a prisoner of the state in the
Fortress of Minden. Pope
Gregory XVI vigorously defended the Archbishop and denounced his imprisonment.
Archbishop Von Droste - Vischering was freed and his reputation restored
when a new King ascended the throne of The
Archbishop visited the
Virtues
And Miracles Examined When
the documentation about Father Gallitzin’s life and ministry is assembled by
the Commissions investigating his sanctity, members of the Congregation for
Causes of Saints will examine it, and be asked to determine whether or not
Father Gallitzin gave evidence of “heroic virtue.”
In his book, Canonization, Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father
William H. Woestman makes these points about heroic virtue: -
- Heroic virtue does not have to end in martyrdom.
The candidate does not have to have been favored with mystical gifts.
Simply put, heroic virtue signifies that a person in his/her whole way of
acting was faithful to the faith, animated by charity, sustained by hope, and
that as a consequence, practiced the cardinal virtues; -
- The constant faithful and joyful fulfillment of all the duties of one’s
state of life in the midst of the difficult daily trials is called heroic; the
heroic tendency to perfection and to heroic sanctity; -
- It is precisely the process of progressive assimilation to Christ that
Christian heroism demands. One must
respond with a total and unconditional love which must be supremely active. Father
Woestman includes another definition of heroic virtue “that could have been
written for Father Gallitzin,” stated Mrs. Seymour:
“Indeed, it is in the wear and tear, in the routine and tedium of daily
life, that true heroism is differentiated from merely apparent heroism . . .
Christian heroism is lived in an ordinary life with faith and constancy, and is
perfectly Christ - like.” If
a determination of heroic virtue is made in Father Gallitzin’s favor, his
title would change from ‘Servant of God” to “Venerable,” Mrs. Seymour
explained. At that point, it would
be permissible for the Cause to be given more than local notice; a world - wide
dissemination of information about Father Gallitzin would be possible, with
prayers for his eventual beatification and canonization being sought, and
permission given for a distribution of his image on holy cards and other
devotional items being allowed on a wider scale than is at present permitted.
Third class relics - - generally pieces of cloth touched to his remains -
- could also be made available to the faithful. The
Alleged miracles “receive a most searching examination, based on both historical criticism and medical science,” said Mrs. Seymour. One verified miracle would be needed for Father Gallitzin’s beatification; another would be needed for his canonization.
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