Ann Ball - Modern Saints Book 2: Their Lives and Faces

Modern Saints

Their Lives and Faces

Book Two

Ann Ball

Copyright 1990, Ann Ball

DEDICATION

For Our Lady of Atocha
and her beloved Santo Nio:

May You take great joy in the lives of these faithful friends.

For my childrenJoanna, Sam, and the "A.K.'s":

May you pattern your lives in joy on the lives of these saints who showed such love for the Holy Child and His Blessed Mother.

The canonization of St. Vincent Mary Strambi by Pope Pius XII, June 11, 1950.

DECLARATION OF OBEDIENCE

In loving obedience to the decrees of several Roman Pontiffs, in particular those of Pope Urban VIII, I declare that I in no way intend to prejudge Holy Mother Church in the matter of saints, sanctity, miracles, and so forth. Final authority in such matters rests with the See of Rome, to whose judgement I willingly submit.

the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ann Ball credits St. Christopher with beginning her interest in Catholic saints, as his was the first saint's biography she read. While sitting with a third-grade class during library period in Austin, Texas in 1964, she noticed a series of saints books for children on the shelves. Her father had carried a key chain with St. Christopher's image on it, so she began by reading his biography to find out why he was known as a patron of travelers. Later, it was a photograph of St. Therese of Lisieux in a wheelchair, and the startled reactions of her fifth-grade students at seeing a photographas opposed to a paintingof a saint, which led Ann into her hobby of collecting photographs of modern saints. She wanted to display these modern-day heroes and heroines as real people in order that they might be more believable examples to her students.

Ann Ball studied journalism at the University of Texas and holds a B.S. degree in education from the University of Houston. She taught school for many years, teaching almost all grades from first through twelfth. She has worked as a private investigator and is currently a corporate officer and manager for a private security company in Houston. Writing is her hobby. She writes poetry for herself and her friends. A convert to the Catholic Faith, she enjoys writing Catholic bookswhich she jokingly says are necessary in order to explain her religion to her large, extended, mostly Protestant family.

Ann has two children. Additionally, she considers herself blessed to have a large number of "A.K.'s""Adopted Kids." These are former students, friends of her children, and other young people who sometimes consider Ann as "another mother."

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Since I began "saint collecting" in the late 1960's, there have been many persons who have approved of and assisted in my research on modern saintsresearch which has resulted in this second volume. A complete list of all those who helped make this book possible would fill a book itself. Those persons listed in the bibliography pages under "Correspondence" have all contributed information or photographs. In order to locate these people, however, I have had recourse to many others who have directed me to the proper addresses.

Postulators and Vice Postulators of individual causes and of entire orders have been generous in taking time to answer questions and make suggestions. Never has anyone refused me help. From the archivist of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints to my next-door neighbors, from bishop to postulant, from well-known authors to previously unknown friends and correspondents, assistance in my project has poured in through my mail slot.

In particular, I would like to thank all those in the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston for their assistance and advice. Mrs. Joan Carroll Cruz, Fr. Salvator Fink, OEM., Fr. Richard Flores, Fr. Boniface Hanley, O.F.M., Mr. Leo Knowles, Professor John McAleer, and Fr. John Rubba, O.Pall "saint collecting" friends and authorshave sent books, leads, addresses and other valuable information. Numerous members of the Dominicans, the Passionists and the Salesians have sent encouragement and support. A number of the Basilian priests here in Houston have answered countless theological questions for mein particular, Fr. James Gaunt, C.S.B., and Fr. John Boscoe, C.S.B.

Last, but most assuredly not least, I owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Tom Nelson, the publisher of this volume, who feels much as I do about the need to disseminate the stories of the modern heroes of the Catholic Church, and to Mary Frances Lester, the editor on this book. And for all those I have not specifically named but who have been so much a part of the preparation of this book, I leave your thanks in the hands of Our Blessed Mother.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

My work in hagiography or lives of the saints ("saint collecting") is actually a hobby that got out of hand. As I related in the first book of Modern Saints, the idea for this book was conceived because of the reactions of a group of my students to a photograph of St. Therese the Little Flower. After making many references throughout the year to her and to her "little way," I brought to class a photo of St. Therese in her wheelchair. Comments ranged from "Where are the roses?" to "You mean she was real?"

I had been speaking of Therese Martin, a real person, but the children had visualized only a statue of a nun holding a bunch of roses. After questioning them, I discovered that these otherwise intelligent students had no concept of what sanctity was. And how could I expect them to be interested in or to imitate a plaster statue? Immediately I began to search for more photographs to "prove" that the saints were real.

Thus in the late 1960's I began collecting photographs of saints, beati (blesseds) and servants of God. Instead of romanticized portraits, I wanted to show my students real flesh and blood people who have lived the sort of lives that made them fit candidates for canonizationmodern heroes well suited to imitation by all the faithful. I wanted my students to know that we all have the opportunity to become saints. Eventually I realized that my collection had grown to the scope of a bookor rather, more than one bookwhich, if published, might give this same message of hope to more than just the few children I taught. The first book of Modern Saints was published in 1983.

The response to the book was outstanding. One of the many pleasures I have derived from it has been receiving the letters people have written me; even today I still receive a number each year. Usually the writers are seeking more information about a particular saint or servant of God. This makes me happy, for I wrote Modern Saints as I would invite people to a party: Come and meet new friends; enjoy all, and make special friends of some. The servants of God are just that, very special friends of God.

One letter which I recently received asks a question that I have been asked repeatedly: "How come there are so few married saints or single lay people canonized? It would really be nice for those of us serving God as married people and single people to know about some of our own." This is a good point, since one of the main purposes of canonization is to give an example of holiness for imitation by the faithful.

So why, one might ask, are there so few lay persons canonized? The answer has much to do with the complications of the canonization process itself. It is the most careful investigative process in the world and, prior to the 1969 procedural changes, was extremely long and involved, requiring much collecting and compiling of information and records. Even today it requires much investigation and compiling of information. The investigation still takes many years, but not as many years as formerly. Members of religious orders have often been the ones to promote the causes of their deceased members, keeping them progressing on the road to canonization. But Pope Paul VI streamlined the process somewhat, and today more and more causes for lay persons are being entered.