Final Letter

 Here is the final revision from the letter on January 2, 2021.  This is it; I'm mailing it!

January 1, 2021

Your Holiness,

When you declared the year 2021, the year of St. Joseph, I became very excited.  You see nine years ago, Pere Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., was beatified  in Besançon, France.   Father Lataste, had great love for prisoners because he founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany with former prisoners, but he also had a great love for Saint Joseph. (cf J.M. Gueullette, My dear sisters, pp. 217-220).

It was Blessed Pope Pius IX, who, on December 8, 1870, declared St. Joseph the Patron Saint of the Church.  Pope Pius was urged to proclaim St. Joseph the patron by many people, but only one letter, from a priest, offered his life for this proclamation.

“This good religious (Jean Lataste) is offering the sacrifice of his life to obtain that St. Joseph be declared Patron of the Universal Church.  Father Lataste will shortly be granted his wish.  We have received more than five hundred letters requesting that we declare St. Joseph patron of the Church, but Fr. Lataste is the only one who offered his life.”  H.-M. Cormier, Vie du Révérendissime Père A.V. Jandel, Paris, Poussielgue, 1896 (2e édition), p. 458-460

All those who follow the spirituality of Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, have been praying for his canonization. http://dominicains.ca/blessed-jean-joseph-lataste/?lang=en  We hope that in this year of Saint Joseph, Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., will be canonized through the intercession of Saint Joseph.

With your latest Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde, you remind us that Saint Joseph represents “those who appear hidden in the shadows and yet somehow play a role in salvation.”  With those words, you are explicitly speaking of Father Lataste.  Due to his retreats to the women prisoners in Cadillac Prison he converted and saved many souls.  Later, with these former inmates, Father Lataste founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany in France.  Many years later, this Latastian message of forgiveness and mercy reached a prison of men in the USA (MCI Norfolk).  A fraternity of Lay Dominicans was founded under the patronage of Father Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P.  This prison fraternity mentored two more fraternities who follow Lataste’s spirituality: one in Texas and one in Belgium.  Father Lataste has certainly played an incomparable role in the history of salvation.

All of us (Dominican Sisters of Bethany, the contemplative nuns, the Lay Dominican Prisoners following  Father Jean-Joseph, O.P.) hope and pray that this year following the 150^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, will be the year Father Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., will be declared a saint.  We already know he is a saint and through the intercession of Saint Joseph we pray that Your Holiness will make it officially known throughout the world by canonizing, Father Jean-Joseph, O.P.  I thank you in advance for your consideration.

Ite Ad Joseph,

Respectfully your humble servant,
Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P.
Our Lady of Mercy Fraternity
Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic

Your Opinion?

 My letter to Pope Francis.  Is it stupid?  Do you think he'll answer?  Is it clear what I am asking?  What do you think?

My Home Address
Date

Your Holiness,

When you declared the year 2021, the year of St. Joseph, I became very excited.  You see nine years ago, Pere Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., was beatified with the title “Apostle of Prisons,” in Besançon, France.   Father Lataste, not only had great love for prisoners, for he founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany with former prisoners, but he also had a great love for Saint Joseph. 

It was Blessed Pope Pius IX, who, on December 8, 1870, declared St. Joseph the Patron Saint of the Church.  Pope Pius was urged to proclaim St. Joseph the patron by many people, but only one letter, from a priest, offered his life for this proclamation.

“This good religious (Jean Lataste) is offering the sacrifice of his life to obtain that St. Joseph be declared Patron of the Universal Church.  Father Lataste will shortly be granted his wish.  We have received more than five hundred letters requesting that we declare St. Joseph patron of the Church, but Fr. Lataste is the only one who offered his life.”

The intention for which Father Lataste offered his life was fulfilled by a motu proprio of Blessed John XXIII that became effective on December 8, 1962.  And now, your Holiness has written this most excellent and welcomed letter, Patris Corde.

All those who follow the spirituality of Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, have been praying for his canonization. http://dominicains.ca/blessed-jean-joseph-lataste/?lang=en  These include many prisoners, especially those prisoners who have become Lay Dominicans, due to the witnesses of the Dominican Sisters of Bethany. These sisters, contemplative and active, were founded by Father Lataste to minister to prisoners and others who live at the margins of society. We hope that in this year of Saint Joseph, Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., will be canonized as the Apostle of Prisons, through the intercession of Saint Joseph.

Your Holiness, on July 11, 2017, you recognized a new path towards canonization in a (Lettera Apostolicae Motu Proprio Datae De Oblatione Vitae).

MAIOREM HAC DILECTIONEM

http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20170711_maiorem-hac-dilectionem.html

As I understand Maiorem Hac Dilectionem, the steps towards canonization include:

1.       The individual must freely and voluntarily offer their life in the face of "a certain and soon-to-come death"

2.       There must be a "close relation" between "the offering of one's life and the premature death of the one who offers it."

3.       The person must show Christian virtues, at least to an ordinary extent, before and after offering their life.

4.       They must have a "reputation for holiness" at least after their death.

5.       They must have performed a miracle.

Father Lataste’s reputation for holiness certainly fulfills steps 3 and 4.  Step 5 had been approved for Father Lataste’s beatification.  Steps 1 and 2 have been demonstrated to you by the words of Pope IX, himself, This good religious (Jean Lataste) is offering the sacrifice of his life to obtain that St. Joseph be declared Patron of the Universal Church… And Father Lataste’s death at age 37 was certainly premature.

Now with your latest Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde, you remind us that Saint Joseph represents “those who appear hidden in the shadows and somehow play a role in salvation.”  With those words, you are explicitly speaking of Father Lataste.  Due to his retreats to the women prisoners in Cadillac Prison he converted and saved many souls.  Later, with these former inmates, Father Lataste founded the Dominican Sisters of Bethany in France.  Many years later, this Latastian message of forgiveness and mercy reached a prison of men in the USA (MCI Norfolk).  A fraternity of Lay Dominicans was founded under the patronage of Father Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P.  This prison fraternity mentored two more fraternities who follow Lataste’s spirituality: one in Texas and one in Belgium.  Father Lataste has certainly played an incomparable role in the history of salvation.

All of us (Dominican Sisters of Bethany, the contemplative nuns, the Lay Dominican Prisoners following  Father Jean-Joseph, O.P.) hope and pray that this year following the 150^th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, will be the year Father Jean-Joseph Lataste, O.P., will be declared a saint.  We already know he is a saint and through the intercession of Saint Joseph we pray that Your Holiness will make it officially known throughout the world by canonizing, Father Jean-Joseph, O.P.  I thank you in advance for your consideration.

Ite Ad Joseph,

Respectfully your humble servant,
Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P.
Our Lady of Mercy Fraternity
Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic

Letter from the Pope

Monsignor Borgia

A couple of years ago, my granddaughter's CCD class wrote letters to Pope Francis.  They were about to make their First Communion.  I remember she drew a picture of Pope Francis and enclosed it.

She received a letter back!  A year and a half late, but still.

It is signed by Monsignor Paolo Borgia, Assessor.  The Assessor for General Affairs is similar to a secretary in the Curia.  A medal blessed by the pope was included.

This is something special.

Letter to Pope Francis

Faith Calling

Your Holiness Pope Francis I,

Having the world pray for peace on Sept. 7, 2013, is a wonderful idea.  The best part of the idea, in my humble opinion, is not “pray for peace,” although that is important—very important.  I think having the “world” pray for peace is a great evangelizing tool. 

However, although communication over the internet may be instantaneous, having the word travel throughout the populace is not instantaneous.  Announcing your call to prayer on the weekend and expecting everyone to receive the message is unrealistic.  That is less than a week!

I would bet that my parish priest has not received word.  I bet his bishop hasn't.  Even if they were told, could they put together a prayer service in a few days to be ready for the Vigil of the Nativity of Mary?  Could they get word out for all the parishioners to attend, or pray along privately?  How could they possibly get the message out?

The message should be proclaimed from Sunday’s pulpit, but you haven’t given us enough time.

It is a stroke of genius to invite the entire world to pray.  You could invite all the religious leaders of the world to pray.  Imagine, the entire world praying for peace, at the same time!

As for me, of course I will pray on the Vigil of the Virgin Mary.  Tonight, when I go to Bible Study, which is in another parish, I will alert them to your prayer request.  So we have one parish involved.  Tomorrow night, when I go to my own parish’s prayer group, I’ll tell them.  Two!  That’s two parishes praying.  And before prayer group, I’m going to visit my “cloistered brothers.”  They are efficacious prayer warriors.  There, that’s three venues praying for peace in the Middle East, in Africa, in Syria, and the world. 

You are in my prayers, Holiness.  May God protect you, give you a long and blessed life.

Your sister in Christ,
InSPND,
Mrs. Faith Flaherty, O.P.