Canonisation
The Catholic Church announced Friday March 4 that Pope Francis will canonise Nijmegen's Titus Brandsma (1881-1942) on May 15 2022. Brandsma was Rector Magnificus and Professor of Philosophy at Radboud University – known then as the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He died in Dachau concentration camp, some six months after he had been arrested by the Nazis for his resistance to National Socialism. In 2005, he was voted Nijmegen’s Greatest Citizen of All Time.
> Nijmegen professor and priest Titus Brandsma to be canonised
Four questions about the long and complex procedure that is at the basis of canonisation by the Pope.
How do you become a saint?
A requisite is that the candidate has already been beatified, which means they have been exalted to the glory of the altars. A verifiable miracle must also be attributed to this person, and to nothing or no one else.
How you do you get beatified?
When the Pope – at the recommendation of a Papal commission on beatitudes – publicly acknowledges that the servant of God in question has long enjoyed widespread veneration or has been granted heavenly glory. Titus was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985 for his martyrdom in resisting Nazism and for his death in Dachau in 1942.
Who determines whether a verifiable miracle has occurred?
A team of medical advisors appointed by the Pope. These experts looked into the healing of Father Michael Driscoll, a Carmelite from Palm Beach, Florida, who suffered from an aggressive and malignant melanoma with metastases in the lymphatic system. His religious community started an intensive prayer campaign for his recovery through the intercession of Titus Brandsma.
At the end of November 2019, the team of medical advisors called Driscoll’s healing ‘inexplicable from a scientific point of view’ (directs to another website).
When will the canonisation of Titus Brandsma take place?
On Friday March 4 Pope Francis announced the canonisation of the Nijmegen professor and priest Titus Brandsma.
The actual canonization will be on May 15 in Rome.
Earlier steps in canonisationproces Titus Brandsma
On 25 May 2021, the unexplained healing of Michael Driscoll, O.Carm was recognised as a miracle that occurred through the intercession of Titus Brandsma (directs to another website). This recognition, after the medical advisors stated that the healing is not medically explicable, is an important step in the process of canonisation.
The canonisation of Titus Brandsma came one step closer on Thursday 25 November 2021. On this day, Pope Francis acknowledged the miracle attributed to Brandsma: the healing of Father Driscoll.
The bishops and cardinals of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints had already acknowledged this miracle, and the Pope will now adopt their recommendation. Almost all the steps in the canonisation process have now been taken.
February 23 it became clear that Pope Francis will announce his intention to canonize the Nijmegen professor and priest Titus Brandsma to the consistory on Friday March 4.
In all likelihood, the date of the actual canonization in Rome will also be announced afterwards. This is reported by the Vatican website.