Vatican City, Nov 9, 2003 / 22:00 pm
On Sunday, Pope John Paul reached the record number of 1,320 blessed during the ceremony of beatification of Juan Nepomuceno Zegri y Moreno of Spain (1831-1905), Valentin Paquay of Belgium (1828-1905), Luigi Maria Monti of Italy (1825-1900), Bonifacia Rodriguez Castro of Spain (1837-1905), and Rosalie Rendu of France (1756-1856).
In his homily, while speaking about the new blessed, the Pope said, “Juan Nepomuceno Zegri y Moreno, a priest of deep Eucharistic piety, understood well how the proclamation of the Gospel must be converted into a dynamic reality, capable of transforming the apostle’s life.”
“With this goal, he developed his redeeming spirituality, born in intimacy with Christ and oriented toward charity with those most in need. Invoking Our Lady of Mercy, Mother of the Redeemer, he was inspired to found the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, with the goal of always making the love of God present,” the Pontiff also said.
Speaking of the Belgian Franciscan Friar, Fr. Valentin Paquay, John Paul said he was “a disciple of Christ and a priest according to the heart of God. Apostle of mercy, he spent many hours in the confessional with a particular gift for setting sinners on the right track, reminding human beings of the grandeur of divine forgiveness.”