Dear Colleague in Blessed Edmund,

Greetings from Rome! As you may have gathered from a recent issue of the CLT Newsletter, I have arrived in Rome  to take on the onerous duty of  promoting the Canonisation of Blessed Edmund Rice. My other role is that of Congregation Historian, whose first assignment is to become familiar with the contents of the various congregational archives, both central and local.  So I will not be eating the bread of idleness!

Regarding the Cause for the Canonisation of Blessed Edmund, I first need to re-establish official contact with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints where Edmund’s Cause has been on hold since his Beatification in 1996. The worldwide celebration in 2002 of the bicentenary of the founding of the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers gave a new impetus to Edmund’s Cause and there were many requests from various groups that found their inspiration in Blessed Edmund that a campaign for his Canonisation be proceeded with without delay. In answer to that call, the Congregation Leadership Teams of the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers in early January 2003 chose me as Postulator and Br Martin Kenneally fpm as Vice-Postulator. Because of  academic commitments in Ireland, it is only now in September 2003 that I am free to take up the position of Postulator here in Rome.  First of all, I need to complete a course on the process of Canonisation being held at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from October until March.  I also need to complete a course in Italian to brush up whatever Italian has survived since my last residency in Rome in the early 1980s. So I foresee that I am, of necessity, going to be quite involved with Rome-based activities until Summer 2004.

In the meantime, however, so that I can organise a mailing list, you can oblige me by making available to me, as soon as possible, the names and addresses/ contact numbers of various individuals in your Province/Region who are involved in spreading devotion to Blessed Edmund.  Some areas have, I know, a designated person appointed to deal with the Cause of Blessed Edmund, but this is not uniform, and I am informed by the CLT here in Rome that this is an evolving matter.  Apart from the names of people who are promoting the Cause in an official/semi-official capacity, I would need to know the names and contact information of people involved in such activities as Edmund Rice Prayer Groups, Edmund Rice Camps, Edmund Rice Awards, etc. Evidence is required that people actually pray through Edmund’s intercession and see him as an exemplar of various aspects of Christian living.

P.T.O.

Regarding favours received, it is important that a record is kept of these, even of the most ‘ordinary’. Regarding more extraordinary favours, which may in fact be miraculous cures granted by God through the intercession of Blessed Edmund, these need to be recorded locally in detail and copies of the medical evidence must be obtained, if these are going to be processed as possible miracles, one of which performed since Edmund’s Beatification on 6 October 1996 will be needed if Edmund’s Cause is to advance towards Canonisation. Who knows but one of the favours granted in your region of the world may very well be the one that God will use towards Edmund being declared ‘St Edmund Rice’!

So what I am asking you initially to provide is a list of contact people who will be in a position to forward to me most of the information concerning the current state of the Cause of Blessed Edmund Rice in your part of the world.  It is only then that I can get a sense of the place that Blessed Edmund occupies in the ministries and lives of people in your part of the world. I will, at a future date, be required by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to write in detail on such matters.

I will soon be allotted a new e-mail address here in Rome: blake.d@tiscalinet.it

But until that occurs, I can be contacted at the Generalate postal and e-mail addresses here in Rome [See page 1], but please write “For the attention of Br Donal Blake”.

Thanking you in anticipation for a reasonably prompt reply and praying God’s blessing and Edmund’s guidance on your and my ministries and activities –

Yours fraternally,

Br Donal S. Blake cfc

Postulator

PS.  Feel free to copy this letter and send it to those who may be in a position to supply the Edmund Rice-based information required.

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