Show California priest on road to sainthood Serra portrait produced Banner St Peter’s Basilica heralds beautification tion after extensive examina- FERNANDEZ By ELIZABETH Sjn F'ancisco Examiner tions Dyrda 72 was there “to give witness to Serra’s powers” Father Noel Maholy the San the reigning nobility of Francisco priest who as vice of the Serra cause has the Roman Catholic Church rest been campaigning for 30 years in musty splendor forever alive is praying “the old man” will on paper Here the Pope records with come through again no possibility of error the Maholy brought along two names of those who have won “potential miracles” to the beatiBrendan the precious halo the Catholic fication ceremony: O’Rourke a from San crown of sainthood Stack after stack in thousands Francisco who contracted AIDS of volumes — some centuries-ol- d through a tainted blood transfusion and Sister Ann Clare Johnd meticulously on thick parchment — the son 30 a Fremont nun with church documents the stories of bone cancer But even if either should “miits saints their deeds and their miracles raculously” recover from their Father Juniper Serra the 18th incurable diseases Congregation century California missionary is investigators have to be conjust one step away from joining vinced it was by Serra’s interthose hallowed shelves when he vention — and by no other means That could take years was recently beatified But before Serra becomes says Sarno Perhaps it may nevAmerica’s fifth saint he will face er happen “I hope it will happen within the kind of scrutiny that makes seem like a friendly our lifetime particularly mine” Maholy told a bus load of US inquiry by the PTA busiis a serious “This pilgrims here for Serra’s beatifivery ness to recommend to the Holy cation If the path to sainthood is Father that he declare infallibly that someone is in heaven” says hard it is intended to ward off Monsignor Robert Sarno a the sins of the past when rules Brooklyn native turned spiritual of evidence governing miracles were less firm and saintly predetective tenders notably St Christopher Sarno is a member of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes slipped through Once known as of Saints the devil’s advocate of the patron saint of travelers the Vatican Charged with conChistopher is no longer listed on the church calender of saints ducting sainthood investigations The key reform came in 1234 the Congregation requires the services of 80 physicians 80 when the Pope took away the lotheologians and historians 30 power of canonization from cal bishops Bishops and 35 staff members As convoluted as the process When Serra supporters present has become Pope John Paul II the miracle needed for sainthood the Congregation will not seems to enjoy bestowing the accept it on faith nor will it saintly citation Since his papacy began in rush to judgement When it 1979 the Sacred Congregation comes to saints say church offihas been running at high gear cials there is no room for mistakes giving the green light to 365 canSerra’s established miracle — onizations and to 189 beatifications the curing of Sister Mary Boniface Dyrda’s lupus disease in Today the Congregation has 1200 “active causes” for about nuns 1960 after she and other In the United States the saints — was validated Serra to prayed most advanced case is Serra’s last December by the Congrega VATICAN CITY — Behind the thick brown door of the Ar-chiv- io pos-tulat- or hand-scripte- Iran-Cont- ra in By ELIZABETH FERNANDEZ San Franosco Examiner ROME — It’s undoubtably fanciful it’s decidedly a radical departure but a new “official” portrait of Junipero Serra in fighting fit form is now ready for reproduction on holy cards across the nation A banner featuring a copy of the painting was hung on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to herald the beatification of Serra a process elevating the 18th century California missionary two thirds of the way to sainthood The oil painting measuring 38 by 48 inches belongs to Father Noel Maholy the San Francisco priest who has pushed for Serra’s sainthood Titled “Adelante” after Serra’s motto “always go forward never go back” Maholy paid $ 2000 for the piece Oregonian Lorenzo Ghiglieri created it His work includes a portrait of former President Richard Nixon a painting of Queen Elizabeth and sculptures of assorted wildlife Ghiglieri presently working on a portrait of maverick test pilot Chuck Yeager is not a man to hide his achievements under a canvas “The art teacher told me when I was younger I had more talent in one hand than Michelangelo did in both his hands” Ghiglieri said Still Ghiglieri is a mite concerned that his Serra project might be subject to criticism For he is portraying Serra as none have ever done Traditionally the founder of nine California missions has been represented as a stiff and the strain of an arjowly man in his mid-50duous life well evident on his face and carriage “The pictures show him squat chubby frowning vague” said Ghiglieri “They weren’t drawings of a real Spaniard who walked 5000 miles They show him fat A fat man can’t walk 5000 1 ’s But a campaign is stirring in De- troit for a Franciscan Solanus Casey poor who worked withthe Typically a local diocese must push for a cause a sometimes costly process Maholy says he’s spent about a $1 million on travel and investigative ex- penses Serra was a particularly com miles” “For a portrait you want to look your best" the artist said “You don’t want to come across scowling and hungry” So the new golden-hue- d painting depicts the friar as a trim serene clad in a brown Franciscan habit a walking stick in one hand sandals on his feet In the background a composite terrain combining the best of Carmel and Santa Barbara Clearly Ghiglieri took some artistic license Serra was before he arrived in California from his native town of Majorca in Spain Still some licence seems in order since Serra himself never posed for a picture and of course photography did not yet exist “There will be somebody who’s saying ‘Where’s the authenticity’ ” conceded Ghiglieri “But the people involved felt I had the ability to interpret what he really may have been like I show him with a pleasant smile I show him with a sincere determination” Maholy here leading a tour of 80 visitors for Sunday’s beatification commissioned the painting “I’ve been accused of posing for it” Maholy said chuckling though the accusation is not without some merit “A Majorcan last night said ‘it’s not you but it is an American not a Majorcan’” Last week Maholy mailed a photographic transparency of the portrait to the Vatican It was enlarged and attached to a tapestry which will be on display beginning Sunday The portrait will be reproduced on holy cards classrooms instructional materials “probably on ceramics possibly someone will do it in bronze” Maholy said plicated case Sarno says While no precise figures are available Sarno says the average cost of canonization is probably between $40000 and $50000 The church offers saints as role models and as suitable to be prayed to because they have God’s ear and can petition him on behalf of those on Earth If and when Serra becomes a saint the church gives its stamp of approval to public prayer “on a universal level” But Serra because he is not yet a saint is limited to public prayer on a “local level” Whether that means in all of California or only Monterey where Serra died has not yet been St George noman”Catholic saint There is a Catholic named George but the one with a city named after him in Utah is a Mormon through and through The city of St George was named after early Mormon settler and apostle George Albert Smith said Steve Palmer assistant director of the St George library It is the only city in Utah that uses the “saint” prefix Smith who helped settle the southwestern Utah community in 1861 was greately loved by Brigham Young and other church members “They called him a saint because he was such a good October 29 1383 Palmer said Outside of Utah in southern Idaho is another city called St Charles settled in about 863 It was supposedly named by Brigham Young after Mormon settler Charles C Rich Another story has it that the city was named after St Charles Mo since many of the settlers in that area were from Missouri said Audrey Michaelson St Charles 1 farfarg ©attel 25 75 off Layette Play vr ear city clerk Idaho also includes a St Anthony supposedly named after St Anthony Minn and a St Joe and a St Maries In checking with city administrators no link to Mormon or Catholic saints could be found Fabric Slips Christening Lace Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm Christening 2324 Washington Blvd Standard-Examine- r Church News 7 |