As
a Man of God...and
a Man for Others...
Saint Hannibal strived to become himself a model of the "good laborer"
spoken of in the Gospels, and to be a priest "according to the
Heart of Jesus". His charity knew no bounds, and it was directed
toward all those in need, including priests facing difficulties
and cloistered nuns who often are forgotten by benefactors.
People
regarded him as a Saint even when he was still alive. Mons.
Angelo Paino, Bishop of Messina,later gave this testimony about
him: "He was considered a Saint by all people. By this I mean
people from all walks of life, social status and religious convictions".
His
Return to the Father's Home...
On
June 1st, 1927, Saint Hannibal died in Messina. As soon as
the people heard the news of his death they began to say: "Let
us go to see the sleeping saint". A few days before the Blessed
Virgin Mary had appeared to him and assured him of Her protection,
a vision to reward his tender devotion toward her.
Newspapers
of the entire region reported with pictures and articles of
the funeral and burial. Crowds of thousands came to mourn his
passing away. Local authorities quickly released the permit
allowing that his body be buried in the church of the "Evangelical
Rogation" which Saint Hannibal himself had wanted and built
in Messina. It is the only church in the world dedicated to
the Gospel's passage: "Pray therefore the Lord of the Harvest".
Many
of his contemporaries, and among them the Blessed Luigi Orione,
contemporary of his, requested that a formal Cause for Canonization
be promptly started. But World War II put a temporary stop to
the undertaking.
On
April 21, 1945, the information stage of the process for Canonization
began with the "Diocesan Investigations". All the writings of
Saint Hannibal (62 volumes) were examined by a Special Committee
of Theologians.
In
1979 the Congress of Cardinals voted to begin the formal Cause
for Canonization which officially began in Messina on March
8, 1980 at the same time the Eccliastical Tribunal set up a
Committee of Historians.
On December 21, 1989 the Holy Father John Paul II promulgated
the Decree on the "Heroic Virtues of the Servant of God".
To
proceed with the Cause of Canonization, a sign of God, a miracle
was needed. On June 30, 1990 the Medical Commission of the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints unanimously agreed that the case of
Gleida Danese - a young Brazilian girl who was doomed to die
because of the rupture of the aorta but who suddenly recovered
- had no possible medical explanation. Both the Commission of
Theologians on July 14, 1990 and then the Congress of Cardinals
and Bishops on July 27, 1990 unanimously agreed upon the miraculous
recovery of the girl and found that it was to be attributed
to the intercession of the Servant of God, Hannibal Di Francia.
Today the religious families founded by Saint Hannibal are
present in the five continents of the world. In the spirit of
their Founder, they dedicate themselves to a variety of apostolates.
They work in institutions for orphans and abandoned children,
schools for deaf and blind, homes for aged and pregnant girls,
educational institutions and vocational schools, missions and
parishes, religious printing houses and vocation centers which
promote the ideals of "Rogate".
The
message and the mission of Saint Hannibal is not only valued
among those involved in vocation ministry and those who have
at heart the formation of the clergy but also by all those who
have come to understand the need of prayer for more vocations
in the Church.
The
need for such a prayer has been recently recognized by the Supreme
Authority of the Church. Pope Paul VI on January 23, 1964 instituted
the "World Day of Prayer for Vocations". Since then, every year,
the Popes remind the universal Church that still today salvation
comes to us through the work of many and holy ministers of the
Gospel and that to obtain them from God we must pray.
