The cause of canonisation

On the death Father Clemente Vismara, which occurred on June 15th, 1988 at Mongping, Myanmar, a remarkable reputation of his holiness immediately spread both in the diocese of Kengtung and in Agrate Brianza, his hometown.
This reputation of holiness started, a few years after his death, the Cause of Canonisation of Father Clemente.
Promoters of the case were the bishop of Kengtung, Mgr. Than Abraham and the Parish of Agrate Brianza, through GMPA (parish missionary group) and the Friends of Father Clemente, a group formed in 1994 to follow the cause of canonisation and to support the work of Father Clemente in Myanmar.

November 1995

The group “Friends of Father Clemente” published the first issue of the quarterly “Father Clement recounts ...” to spread the figure of the missioner. In the same year they founded the monthly prayer meeting for the cause of canonisation and intercession to Father Clemente for people seeking the help of prayers.

October 18th, 1996

Cardinal Martini opened in Agrate the “diocesan process” that was closed two years after on October 17th, 1998.

November 10th, 1998

The postulator Father Piero Gheddo and Msgr. Ennio Apeciti, President of the Diocesan Tribunal for the Cause of Clemente Vismara, presented to the Congregation of Saints all the material of the diocesan process, with 120 interrogations of sworn witnesses, mostly Burmese, and all the documents collected.

January 14th, 1999

In Rome the Congregation of the Saints began the process in the presence of Father Silvano Magistral (representing the Superior General of PIME, Father Franco Cagnasso), Father Piero Gheddo and Dr. Francesca Consolini, vice -postulator and rapporteur of Father Clemente Vismara’s “Positio”.

March 30th, 1999

The Congregation of Saints delivered to Father Gheddo nine bound volumes (for a total of 3,431 pages) of the diocesan process and annexed documents.

May 7th, 1999

The Congregation of Saints published the “decree of validity” stating that the process carried out in Milan with all the material collected was valid and sufficient to initiate the process in Rome.

January 2000

Appointment of the Rapporteur, Father Daniel Ols, OP, to follow the process of Positio (documented biography on the life, virtues and fame of holiness of the Servant of God Clemente Vismara) prepared and presented by Dr. Consolini in Agrate on October 18th, 2001.

March 15th, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI signed the “Decree of Venerability” for Father Clemente Vismara, acknowledging him as a Christian who has practised heroically the virtues of the Gospel.

June 26th, 2011

Celebration of the Beatification Rite at the Cathedral of Milan, presided by His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Amato, the Papal Legate, and His Eminence Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi.

December 2000

Don Ennio Apeciti Archbishop's delegate, and Dr. Franco Mattavelli, doctor in Agrate, went to Kengtung in Burma to gather evidence and testimonies of six alleged “miracles” attributed to the intercession of Clemente Vismara and presented the relevant documents to the Congregation of Saints.
This first trip to Myanmar was followed by two more, in December 2003 and July 2004, for further study of one of the cases presented.
The case considered is that of a 10 year old child, from the Catholic orphanage of Mong Young, who fell from a high tree, which he had climbed with other boys to gather fruit to eat, from a height of 4.5 meters : he hit his head on a big protruding rock and lost considerable amounts of blood and remained in a coma for three full days, with a head injury, lacerated - bruised scalp and skull fracture.

December 2000 (cont.)

The child was brought to the small hospital of Mong-Young by a man riding a bicycle, and a girl sitting behind him holding the boy in her arms.
The doctor of the poor hospital would not accept the admission of the boy, now in a coma, as he considered him without hope.
Only upon insistence of the nun, orphanage assistant, the physician accepted the admission of the child who was given first aid, without the of any type of further medical investigations because of the absence of suitable instruments.
The nun and the children of the orphanage began a novena to Father Clemente.

December 2000 (cont.)

On the morning of the fourth day he suddenly woke up and immediately asked his mother, who was at his bedside, for something to eat. The mother immediately gave him food, happy that the child had awakened.
It was a sudden healing, total and permanent.
In October 2004, all documents collected in Kengtung about this case were forwarded to the Congregation of Saints.

April 11th, 2005

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints published a decree opening the vatican process on an extraordinary grace through the intercession of the Venerable Father Clemente Vismara and presented as an alleged “miracle” for his beatification. Currently the case is under review by the Medical Committee of the Congregation.

March 25th, 2010

The Medical Committee of the Congregation of Saints, approved the miracle.

January 15th, 2011

The Theological Council certified that the miracle occurred through the intercession of Father Clemente Vismara.

March 22nd, 2011

The Plenary Assembly of Cardinals, validated the opinion of the Theological Council.

April 2nd, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI authorised the Congregation to promulgate the decree concerning a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Clemente Vismara, professed priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (P.I.M.E.).

Prayer for the Blessed Father Clemente Vismara