To the Visitors and Regional Superiors

Dear confreres,

At the Angelus on 1 November 2005, Benedict XVI taught us that the Solemnity of All Saints makes us taste the joy of being part of the great family of God’s friends, and “to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light” (Colossians 1:12).

Today my heart is filled with joy at the message of the Superior General, Father Tomaž Mavrič, who has presented us with a new page of the Postulation of the Congregation of the Mission. This is the first step in the implementation of a plan for a precise reconstruction of the Postulation, which would not have been possible without the hard work of our Communications Office, to which I am sincerely grateful for the technical work done.

Special thanks go to my dear predecessor, Father Giuseppe Guerra, who for many years diligently collected and preserved a wealth of information on the candidates to the honors of the altars of our Congregation of the Mission. Without his efforts, our joy at the new Postulation website would not be so full today.

Now we have new goals to reach and, counting on your collaboration, I am convinced that we will succeed in showing the beauty and meaning of the charism and spirituality of the Congregation of the Mission, through the examples of our saints and blessed, recognized by the Church.

I take this opportunity to draw your attention to a few points:

• from today the website: http://www.santivincenziani.it ceases to be the official website associated with the Postulation of the Congregation of the Mission;
• on the new page you can learn easily about the lives of our saints and blessed, Venerables and Servants of God, and about graces received through their intercession, as well as report new graces and miracles to the Postulator General, received through their mediation;

3)  I sincerely confess to you that since the beginning of my mandate I have received many requests for relics. Only a few of them have followed the prescribed procedure. For the sake of unification, a form has been designed for sending requests for relics. It is important to know:

–   it is up to the Postulator General to evaluate the requests received and grant the relics, accompanied by the certificate of authenticity, bearing the seal of the Postulation itself;

–   for first class relics, the original Nulla Osta of the local Ordinary or Major Superior of the Institute always is required; telephone or WhatsApp requests are not taken into consideration;

–   it is always necessary to specify that the request for relics is for the public veneration of the faithful and to indicate clearly the place (church or public chapel) where the relic will be placed for veneration;

• Many requests for second- or third-class relics also have been received. Some have been met, some have not, and some are still being processed;
• I sincerely encourage everyone to collaborate in sharing the news of our confreres who have glorified God with their lives in various ways. Their examples have inspired many. I encourage all Visitators, Regional Superiors to make our Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God known to the laity in the best possible way, inviting them to pray through their intercession.

Today there is often a lack of forms of evangelization, teaching, preaching, etc. Do our saints and blessed, with the example of the gift of their lives, have something to tell us? I encourage each of us to imitate the virtues of our saints and blessed. They have much to teach us.

Dear brothers, at the moment the Postulation page is only available in Italian. Other languages and materials will be added as soon as possible. This is the first step! The next one will be on 25 January 2025.

Grateful for your attention, I welcome this opportunity to greet you fraternally in the Lord.

Fr. Serhiy Pavlish, C.M.
Postulator General