Information Sheet 26 on the beatification and canonization process of Faustino Pérez-Manglano
FAUSTINO – INFORMATION SHEET 26 – January 2010.
Information sheet on the process of beatification and canonization of the Servant of God Faustino Pérez-Manglano. Year XIX * N. 26 * January 2010 * Dep. Leg. M-21283/87 * Imp. SM
SOULMATES?
Saint Maria Rafael Arniz and the Servant of God Faustino Pérez-Manglano
On October 11, 2009 Benedict XVI solemnly canonized five new saints in Rome, among them the young Trappist Fray Mara Rafael Arniz (1911-1938). Faustino made him a ‘friend’ of his.
Who is San Rafael Arniz?
I was born in Burgos in 1911. I studied at the Jesuit College. He is a nice, cheerful young man, with solid Christian convictions, with a sense of humor and very good artistic qualities. In 1930 he approved the admission to the Madrid School of Architecture. A visit to the Trappa in San Isidro de Dueas (Palencia) impresses him and convinces him that the Lord calls him there. In January 1933 he entered as a novice, but an illness forced him to leave the austere and happy life of the monastery. In 1937 he asked to enter so he could die as a Trappist. A deeply contemplative soul and in love with God, she died on April 26, 1938.
A text that excites Faustino
Faustino Pérez-Manglano (1946-1963) in the last months of his life always had a print with a text by Fray María Rafael Arniz with which he felt identified. After his death, a new signature appeared under the text and the name of his author, Faustino’s. As if to say: me too!
“Suppose you are at home, sick, full of care and attention, but one day you saw Jesus pass under your window, followed by a crowd of sinners, the poor, the sick, lepers… If you saw that Jesus was calling you and he would give you a place in his entourage, and he would look at you with those divine eyes that give off love, tenderness and forgiveness, and he would say:
“Why don’t you follow me?”
“What will you do? Were you going to answer him: Lord, would I follow you if you gave me a nurse, would I follow you if I were healthy and strong to be able to manage?
“No. If you had seen the sweetness of Jesus’ eyes, you would have gotten up from your bed without thinking of yourself at all, you would have joined Jesus’ entourage and you would have told him:
“I am going, Lord, I do not care about your ailments, nor death, nor eating, nor sleeping; if you admit me, I go; if you want you can heal me; I don’t care that the path where you take me is abrupt, difficult and full of thorns; I don’t care if you want me to die with you on the cross… I’m going, Lord, because you are the one who promises me an eternal reward, you are the one who forgives, the one who saves… you are the only one who fills my soul. Not even suffering until the end of the world is worth stopping following Jesus.”
These sentences reflect very well Faustino’s attitude in his last two months of life.
Br. Tefilo Sandoval: “soul mates”
Brother Tefilo Sandoval, a Trappist, had been the confessor of Brother María Rafael. He received Faustino’s biography at the end of 1963. He got excited… and writes:
“Your Faustino has pleasantly surprised me by verifying the parallelism that exists between Faustino’s life and diary with the life and writings of Brother Rafael. Although they appear to be of different temperaments, their feelings toward family and fellow students run evenly. They seem like two kindred souls, except that Faustino led a life cut short in bloom without being able to ripen the fruit in his writings, which if he went ahead would have been identified with those of Rafael. But both coincide in embracing his death not only with integrity but even with joy, like those who are sure that another life awaited them, much better than the one they lost. They both walked the paths of painful love, and without a doubt now lead a life full of glorious love. Rafael has left a message for the university youth, especially, while Faustino remains as a model for the ‘pre-university students’. (…) There is also a great similarity in the tender devotion that both professed to the Blessed Virgin, considering her as the initiator and preserver of her respective vocation… “
Surely Benedict XVI will remember Rafael again at the 2011 World Youth Days in Madrid. It would be wonderful if his “soul mate”, Faustino, accompanied him as another model. And they will not be the only ones. In our world there are still young people, more than we think, who have lived a holy life. And many who are willing to live it… if we help them to ‘meet’ Christ.
FAUSTINO “VENERABLE” ON THE WAY?
On November 27, 2009, the eight theologians entrusted with the study of virtues, favors, and reputation for holiness met in Rome at the Congregation for Saints. Chaired by the promoter of the faith and the rapporteur of the Cause, they have given their opinions in writing. All favorable.
Now another commission of 8 cardinals and bishops will go on to study the whole. In this meeting, in addition to presenting his report, it will be about the opportunity for his beatification for the good of the people of God. If it is positive, a “Decree of heroic virtues” will be drawn up to be read and approved by the Pope. Faustino will then be declared “Venerable”.
And we will be left with the task of obtaining a demonstrable miracle through Faustino’s intercession in order to proceed with his beatification. It is the task of all of us to make him known and ask for favors through his intercession.
NEWS
The “Faustino” groups of Lusaka (Zambia)
Father Manuel Corts, Superior General of the Marianists, writes to us from Lusaka:
“I have been able to verify the great devotion they have to Faustino in Lusaka. In addition to giving the Prenovitiate its name, there are numerous “Faustino groups” of children and adolescents around the College community. We live there the World Day of Prayer of the Marianist Family. About 400 people, including adults, youth and children, for a whole day of meeting and prayer (African Eucharist)… The person in charge of the ‘Faustinos’ asked me to be in the meeting with them. You can’t imagine what happened when I told them that I was born in the same city as Faustino, that I had studied at the same school and that he was a year younger than me, that I had met him at the school… questions rained down. . They gave me a group shirt. In Nairobi (Kenya) they plan to create and animate groups of “Faustinos”.
Haiti: “Friends of Faustino”.
With more than 200 members, the Friends of Faustino Movement is present in various departments of Haiti. It has several purposes: to help children grow in the Christian life following the example of Faustino; transmit Marianist spirituality; teach respect and help to others; prevent them from falling into crime.
In May they received the visit of the Vice Provincial of France, Jean Marie Leclec, who with the leaders visited the five departments where they are implanted.
San Salvador: 15th anniversary of the Punto-Corazón Faustino.
A Point-Heart is an establishment of volunteers who, in very poor neighborhoods in more than 30 countries, take care of children. The organization depends on the Molokai Fraternity, born in France. Each Heart-Point has its patron. The one in El Salvador is dedicated to Faustino. Alexis Dupuy, one of the volunteers, wanted to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its foundation. For this, he has come up with various acts, including a theatrical representation of Faustino’s life with kids from the neighborhood. A long preparation that culminated on November 7, 2009. An unexpected success! The new Archbishop of San Salvador, Mons. José Luis Escobar visited them. They presented him with Faustino’s biography.
Alicante: Faustino in the “Contemporary Holiness Days”.
These Conferences, organized by the CEU, had this year as their theme: “Children, adolescents and young saints”. Javier Juregui and José María Salaverri took part in them, presenting the figure of Faustino to the young people in the function rooms full of two Colleges with a power point. I really liked the presentation.
Faustino’s sister dies.
On February 3, 2009, Faustino’s sister, María Encarna Pérez-Manglano, died of a rapid illness. An exemplary and self-sacrificing wife and mother of a family. She was one of the witnesses in her brother’s Cause.
“Year of the Priest”: Faustino for seminarians.
Faustino has already demonstrated his ability to arouse vocational concern in generous souls. Both Cardinal Antonio Mara Rouco, Archbishop of Madrid, and Mons. José Ignacio Munilla, Bishop of Palencia at the time, accepted the offer to give a biography of Faustino to each seminarian, especially the minors. It will help them strengthen their vocation. The offer is open to all diocesan seminaries that request it from our address.
“Maybe God speaks to me” on the internet.
Dani Pajuelo sm writes to us saying that, with the help of volunteers, he has digitized the biography “Perhaps God speaks to me.” Now it can be downloaded in its entirety in PDF format from the page http://www.marianistas.org/faustino. It also announces that in gora there is a photo gallery http://marianistas.org/galeria/v/santos/faustino and a category of photos about Faustino http://fotos.marianistas.org/foro-107.html
Many thanks to Dani and his team for this good work in favor of Faustino’s Cause.
THEY HAVE DISCOVERED FAUSTINO
As always, there are many who write to us saying they are happy to have ‘met’ Faustino. Impossible to transcribe them all. We select…
“Faustino’s book is teaching me a lot”:
So says José María, a boy from Lima (Peru). He is 9 years old. He is acolyte in his parish. “He is teaching me a lot. The anecdote I like the most is when Faustino saw the nun’s crucifix and tried to remove the nails. (…) I also really liked another phrase: ‘Say all that is good’.(…)”.
“Will I be able to be a saint some day?”
This letter also comes from Peru. He writes a mother about his little son: “Tadeo is very interested in learning more about Faustino’s story. Today he asked the grandmother if he believed that he could be a saint one day. The truth is, and it’s not because I’m his mother, it seems to me that he is one of the best children I’ve ever met. His concern for everyone else to be happy is impressive. (…)” What great use could be made of Faustino in the education of the little ones!
“Faustino serves as my company…”
Also from Peru. A lady named Bertha, with skin cancer: “I have been very scared, but I am now at peace and trusting in the Lord, offering everything for the sick in body and soul. I am enjoying reading Faustino. It keeps me company, now that I have to sit with my leg up (…)”
They ask for more information.
Anbal, Cuban, from Holgun: “I just read the novel ‘The boy in the photo’. I liked the style of the narration and I would like to have more information about Faustino, the real character of the novel”.
From Levaldigi Cuneo: “I am a young Italian and my name is Piergiorgio. On an Italian ‘site’ I have read a very beautiful page on Faustino. Could you send me prints to make it known?
From Valladolid. “They gave me the Faustino Sheet, where I have read testimonials from educators and even adolescents…I liked it so much that I would like to have “9 days with Faustino”…Reading these testimonies has made me not lose hope and pray to Faustino Help me keep fighting.” Maria Carmen D.
help for prayer
From Paran, Entre Ros, Argentina. Nora, mother of a family, writes: “By the Providence of God, Faustino’s page has come to me. I knew something because my 12-year-old son Agustn belongs to the scouts in Oro…