In the context of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Stefano Bellesini (1874-2024), a professed priest of the Order of Saint Augustine, procedures have been followed for the canonical recognition of his relics. This entails the acquisition of a rescript from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Those relics are kept at the Sanctuary-Basilica of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano. In this sacred and beloved place for the Order, the Blessed spent his last years after returning to religious life, following his escape from his hometown of Trent to serve the Prior General. He died in Genazzano in 1840 as a parish priest after contracting the plague while serving the sick. Father Josef Sciberras OSA, General Postulator of the Order of Saint Augustine, recounts these events of special significance for the Augustinian family.
What is canonical recognition?
Canonical recognition of the mortal remains of a Blessed or Saint is an official act of the Church aimed at verifying the state of conservation of the relics, authenticating their identity, and ensuring their dignified custody for the future. This process, authorized by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the request of the Postulation and the Ordinary of the place where the relics are located, is carried out in a para-liturgical and legal context, with the participation of medical experts, specialists, and qualified witnesses. During the inspection, the remains are analyzed, studied, and, if necessary, treated to ensure their proper preservation before being sealed again and placed in a suitable place for public veneration, in accordance with canonical and popular piety norms.
First session of the inspection: breaking the wax seals
On November 29, at the Convent of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio in Genazzano, Monsignor Mauro Parmeggiani, Bishop of Tivoli and Palestrina, along with the members of the tribunal formed for the inspection, the General Postulator Father Josef Sciberras OSA, the rector and parish priest of the Sanctuary Father Ludovico M. Centra OSA, the Prior of the community Father Giovanni Gisondi OSA, several religious, the medical expert with assistants, the reliquary specialist, and other collaborators gathered. After the necessary oaths were taken, the bishop proceeded to break the wax seals, still intact, which had been placed on the relics since their initial placement. These seals bore the coat of arms of Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli, Bishop of Palestrina at the time of Blessed Stefano’s beatification. After a thorough initial analysis, the relics were found in a cavity located just below the statue of the Blessed, in the urn where his remains are venerated.
In the following days, the medical expert, assisted by his team, performed the necessary interventions for the better preservation of the remains, in compliance with current standards in the field. A detailed list of the bones found was also drawn up.
It was confirmed that some fragments were missing, likely distributed as relics for public veneration following the beatification. At the end of the first session, the bishop appointed Mr. Salvatore Fusci as the custodian of the relics, requiring him to take the corresponding oath.
Second session of the inspection: an improvement in the containers to preserve the Blessed’s remains
After the preservation interventions carried out by the medical expert, the reliquary specialist Antonino Cottone, assisted by the General Postulator and the custodian of the relics, proceeded with their arrangement. Transparent plexiglass containers were chosen, replacing the cloth bag in which they were initially found, in order to better preserve the different bone types and avoid deterioration over time. The relics were secured with stainless brass wire and placed in five boxes of varying sizes, which were then positioned at the base of the Blessed’s statue.
The second session of the inspection took place in the afternoon of January 18, presided over by Monsignor Parmeggiani. It was also attended by Father Javier Pérez Barba OSA, Assistant General for Southern Europe, and Father Rocco Ronzani OSA, legal representative of the Genazzano community. After the initial prayers, the attendees proceeded with the reading of the minutes of the sessions and then the solemn act of sealing the boxes containing the relics with wax, using the episcopal seal.
The “rogito” was also read and signed, and once sealed in a tube, the parchment was placed alongside the relics as a future reminder of the event. Finally, the statue of the Blessed was placed back on the base that holds the relics and was resealed. Some relics ex ossibus were handed to the General Postulator for the purpose of spreading devotion to Blessed Bellesini.
The value of a canonical inspection
A canonical inspection is not just a legal act intended to protect the relics but also represents an opportunity for renewed appreciation of the saint or blessed, as well as an active reflection on certain foundations of Catholic theology such as cult and communion of the saints. The veneration of relics is an ancient practice in the Church, rooted in the belief that the bodies of saints, having been temples of the Holy Spirit, maintain a special connection with divine grace. This practice has its origins in biblical testimonies (cf. 2 Kings 13:20-21; Acts 19:11-12) and in the tradition of the early Christians, who venerated the tombs of martyrs. Venerating relics helps the faithful feel the presence of the saints as models of Christian life and intercessors before God. Far from any form of superstition or undue cult that diverts attention from Christ, relics are a tangible sign of the centrality of God in the life of the Christian, as well as the continuity between the Church of the early days and the present one.
Moreover, Catholic tradition attests to numerous cases of graces received and conversions attributed to contact with relics, signifying God’s action through the communion of saints.
In short, the relics of the blessed and saints remind us that the Church is one body, uniting Christ’s disciples on earth with the saints in the glory of heaven. Canonical research, therefore, is a tool the Church uses to ensure the proper respect, correct preservation, and value of these signs of holiness.
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