Colombian people praying for miracle for canonization of revered priest

Medellin, Colombia, Sep 6, 2006 / 22:00 pm

The inhabitants of Angostura, a small town in the Colombian region of Antioquia, are praying with hope for a miracle that will clear the way for the canonization of Blessed Father Marianito, who was a parish priest there in the late 1800s.

Blessed Mariano de Jesus Eusse, known as Father Marianito, was beatified on April 9, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.  The event was historic for the town of Angostura.  After being the site of violent conflicts between several armed groups, the town has become a place of pilgrimage for thousands who come to pray to Father Marianito.

Father Marianito spent his life working with farmers and the poor.  His beatification was possible after the miraculous cure of a priest who suffered from cancer.

Father Enrique Garcia Jimenez, who leads the parish where Father Marianito was once pastor, said he receives calls every day from people who have received favors and miracles through the revered priest’s intercession.  He said testimonies of two miracles have been sent to Rome and are being studied.

The large number of pilgrims has meant the town has had to open new hotels, restaurants, and Catholic gift shops.  The Colombian government has also agreed to finish building a highway that will connect Angostura to the rest of the country.

Father Mariano de Jesus Eusse was born in Yarumal, Colombia, on October 14, 1845.  He entered the seminary at Medellin in 1869 and was ordained on July 14, 1872.  He began work as pastor in Angostura in 1882 and died at the age of 81 in 1926.

The cause for his beatification was opened on October 10, 1980.  His remains are buried at the church where he served as pastor for 44 years.