The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-31
80 1Aft
CANONIZATION COST
Small Fortune Necessary
for Establishment in
the Calendar.
SEVEN SAINTS THIS CENTURY
Cardinal Borronso's Advice
-eAthelje Church
Isws.

Pope Lee XIII personally canenized on
Ascension Day two priests, both of Wnom
had died in the seventeenth century. Al
Italian, Antonio Maria Zaccaria, ana a
Frenchman; Peter Fourier, both of whom
have been beati1ied, or pr~onoupceu
blessed many. years ago, says the Pni'-
adelphia Record. y They were douptiessly
both deserving and dutifni priests n @,
Fourier it Is said that he invented ana
originated accident insurance n pen
ssions for the old and infirm.
All this would not a sufficed to make
them saints. That ceremony costs money
and a great deal of it at that. IN the
first place it must be proved tnat ehe
u candidate for sanctity must have per-
formed wonders, n wha constitutes d
wonder is left to the Apostolic Consre-
earion OF. Cardinals to decide. For TINS
purpose a canonfcal process must De nieu
with the congregation upon the request
of a ..postulator'' or petitioner, and, since
the affair is conducted. according to the
pedantical Il vexing rules of canonieai
law. the fees and costs incumbent upon
the process are enormous. Should the
funds at hand for the purpose give out
at any time there is a sudden stop in the
proceedings, which have to rest until new
funds are forthcoming.
There are at the present moment more
than a hundred applications to beatty
or sanctify famous men or women when
have been hung up in the Congregation
for a number of years, some of them Tor
a hundred and two hundred years, Tor
lack of money. 1t seems that the lock
of the gate of heaven has to be oiled
from time TO time if is not to get rusty
Still the costs of the process in the Con-
gregation is but a preliminary expense.
The costs of the canonization proper are
still higher The word means the ac-
ceptance of a beatified person into the
number ~(canon) of saints.
In the beginning of Christendom each
martyr of the faith was considered a
saint n accepted into the Canon WITH
out great ceremony, and, of course, WITH
out expense. Later on the bishops can
onized a humble of saints, but since 9s5
the Popes alone performed that ceremony
with steadily increasing ~splendor, Whlcn
made it dearer and dearer. During TINS
century only seven saints were addeo
to the Canon. If il was not so expensive
the ceremony would occur much oftener,
for there is no lack of worthy applica-
tons.
Each priest and each layman employed
in the ceremony benefits in some way py
il. This celebration must be performed
in entirely new and precious
by all taking part, and this must be paid
for by the postulators of the canonlza-
ton. The Pope himself receives besides
magnificent t~unicles, stockings. shoes ana
gloves, four golden altar plates empel-
lished with his coat-of-arms, the value
of which must not be less than $2,zU0
each, a golden chalice worth at least 500,
a tiara, set with precious jewels, an lnIul
of gold brocade, a gift of $1,000 IN goid
coin. a colossal wax taper adorned with
costly painted ornaments. and the sym
bolic gift of two gilt loaves of bread. two
golden tuns of wine, two pigeons, TWO
turtle doves and a number of singing birds
in golden cages.
All these presents remain the personal
property of the Pope, who sometimes
donates some part of them to churches
or to members of his immediate house
hold. All the assisting cardinals and
priests keep the vestments in which they
~oficiate as their property after the cere-
inony. " lille all this costs much money
ton of st. Peters Cathedral. The pro
moters of the present Cardinals
Parocchi and Aloisi-Marsella. paid each
to the Camera Apostclica, the papal treas
ury, the snug sum of SIS. 900 toward the
decoration of the church, which is con-
sidered very reasonable. At the c~anoniza-
ton of the murdered japanese mission
aries, by Pope Plus TX, in 1867, the item
of decorating St. Peters oun to
81 1900.
Carolina FEDERICO Borromeo. who bank
rupted himself in his efforts to obtain
the sanctifcation of his uncle, Carlo Bor-a
romeo, in which he was SUCCESSFUL, used
to say to his nephews: Children. be good
men, but do not try to be saints, as you;
would make yourself and all your friends
manners - tH3- t+