Raphaël Rafiringa
Raphaël-Louis Rafiringa, FSC (born Firinga; 3 November 1856 – 19 May 1919) was a Catholic religious brother from Madagascar who served as a De La Salle Brother at a time in his nation when foreign missionaries were expelled. Rafiringa was raised in tribal religion but turned to the Christian faith and was baptized during his adolescence. Rafiringa was beatified on 7 June 2009; Archbishop Angelo Amato presided on the behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. Life Raphaël Rafiringa was born as "Firinga" on 3 November 1856 in Madagascar to Rainiantoandro. His father was a senior official to Queen Ranavalona I and captain of slaves belonging to the caste of Hova. His father lost a child in an earlier marriage. The local sorcerer – Mpisikidy – said to Rafiringa's father on the latter's decision to call his second son Rakotonirina: "Not that name!" and explained that the child would die at 22 months just like the previous son; instead the father said: "We shall call him Firinga". He saw ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beatification
Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the plural form, referring to those who have undergone the process of beatification; they possess the title of "Blessed" () (abbreviation "Bl.") before their names and are often referred to in English as "a Blessed" or, plurally, "Blesseds". It is the third stage of the ordinary process of Canonization#Since 1983, official recognitions for Catholic saints: Servant of God, Venerable#Catholic, Venerable, Blessed, and Saint. History Local Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishops had the power of beatifying until 1634, when Pope Urban VIII, in the apostolic constitution ''Cœlestis Jerusalem'' of 6 July, reserved the power of beatifying to the Holy See. Since the reforms of 1983, as a rule, (for non-martyred Venerables) one Miracle, miracle must ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. The five solae, five ''solae'' summarize the basic theological beliefs of mainstream Protestantism. Protestants follow the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began in the 16th century with the goal of reforming the Catholic Church from perceived Criticism of the Catholic Church, errors, abuses, and discrepancies. The Reformation began in the Holy Roman Empire in 1517, when Martin Luther published his ''Ninety-five Theses'' as a reaction against abuses in the sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church, which purported to offer the remission of the Purgatory, temporal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Venerable
''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Church, after a deceased Catholic has been declared a servant of God by a Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and proposed for beatification by the pope, such a servant of God may next be declared venerable ("heroic virtue, heroic in virtue") during the investigation and process leading to possible canonization as a saint. A declaration that a person is venerable is not a pronouncement of their presence in Heaven. The pronouncement means it is considered likely that they are in heaven, but it is possible the person could still be in purgatory. Before one is considered venerable, one must be declared by a proclamation, approved by the pope, to have lived a life that was "heroic in virtue" (the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity and the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Heroic Virtue
Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness. " connotes a degree of bravery, fame, and distinction which places a man high above his fellows". The term was later applied to other highly virtuous people who do extraordinary good works. In Catholicism Heroic virtue of a person is one of the requirements for his or her beatification. The view of the Catholic Church is explained in an article by J. Wilhelm in the 1910 ''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Wilhelm explains that heroic virtue, as a concept within Christian ethics, is characterized by the embodiment of the cardinal and theological virtues. These virtues encompass faith, hope, and charity, with Divine charity being paramount. Faith, fundamental to the Christian ethos, bridges the connection to the divi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2,746,984 residents in , Rome is the list of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, with a population of 4,223,885 residents, is the most populous metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in Italy. Rome metropolitan area, Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber Valley. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) is an independent country inside the city boun ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Positio
A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to canonization as a saint. Description A ''positio'' is a formal brief arguing for the canonization of an individual in the Catholic Church. Before canonization, the formal declaration by the pope that a person is a saint, there is a long process, with various intermediate steps. First, a person whose holiness is being investigated (by a postulator, appointed by the Pope) is referred to as a Servant of God. The very fact of appointing a postulator means that the process of beatification has been activated. If investigations reveal that the person was indeed holy enough, then a "formal argument for sainthood", the ''positio'', is presented to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. This document contains the '' informatio'', or life story ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Servant Of God
Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in the Old Testament, the last four in the New Testament, New. The Hebrew Bible refers to Moses as "the servant of Elohim" (עֶֽבֶד הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים ''‘eḇeḏ-hā’ĕlōhîm''; , , , and ). and refer to Joshua as "the slave of Yahweh" (עֶ֣בֶד יְהוָ֑ה, ''‘eḇeḏ Yahweh''). The New Testament also describes Moses in this way in (τοῦ δούλου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ''tou doulou tou Theou''). Paul the Apostle, Paul calls himself "a servant of God" in (δοῦλος Θεοῦ, ''doulos Theou''), while Epistle of James, James calls himself "a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ δοῦλος, ''Theou kai Kyriou Iēsou Christou doulos'') in . ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Congregation For The Causes Of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification. After preparing a case, including the approval of miracles, the case is presented to the pope, who decides whether or not to proceed with beatification or canonization. History Early history Saints were recognised by popular acclamation until the 12th century. After controversial cases, Pope Alexander III in 1170 required all candidates for sainthood to be approved by the Vatican. The papacy took total authority over the process in the 17th century. Sacred Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation for Rites was created by Pope Sixtus V on 22 January 1588 in the bull '' Immensa aeterni Dei''. The congregation dealt both with regulating divine worship and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nihil Obstat
(Latin for 'nothing hinders' or 'nothing stands in the way') is a phrase traditionally used by Catholic Church authorities to formally declare that there is no objection to the publication of a book. It also has other uses. Publishing The phrase is used by a Catholic cleric known as a (Latin for 'censor of books') to indicate that a book contains nothing contrary to Catholic doctrines, faith, or morals. Canon law requires this approval for the publication of books by faithful Catholics if they "touch upon matters of faith and morals", and requires that pastors enforce this rule. The is delegated by a bishop to review the text in question over approximately two months. If an author is a member of a religious institute, such as a monastery, and the book concerns religion or morals, then canon law further requires the ('it can be printed') of the major superior before publication. Finally, the bishop of the author's diocese or of the place of publication gives the final ap ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. He graduated with excellent grades from an All-boys school, all-boys high school in Wadowice, Poland, in 1938, soon after which World War II broke out. During the war, to avoid being kidnapped and sent to a Forced labour under German rule during World War II, German forced labour camp, he signed up for work in harsh conditions in a quarry. Wojtyła eventually took up acting and developed a love for the profession and participated at a local theatre. The linguistically skilled Wojtyła wanted to study Polish language, Polish at university. Encouraged by a conversation with Adam Stefan Sapieha, he decided to study theology and become a priest. Eventually, Wojtyła rose to the position of Archbishop of Kra ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rosary
The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the Rosary-based prayers, Franciscan Crown, Bridgettine Rosary, Rosary of the Holy Wounds, etc.), refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers. When referring to the prayer, the word is usually capitalized ("the Rosary", as is customary for other names of prayers, such as "the Lord's Prayer", and "the Hail Mary"); when referring to the prayer beads as an object, it is written with a lower-case initial letter (e.g. "a rosary bead"). The prayers that compose the Rosary are arranged in sets of ten Hail Marys, called "decades". Each decade is preceded by one Lord's Prayer ("Our Father"), and traditionally followed by one Glory Be. Some Catholics ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |