On August 27, Bishop Francis Kalabat signed the conclusion of the eparchy phase of the cause of canonization for Sr. Cecilia Hanna, Bp. Paulus Raho, Fr. Ragheed Ganni, and his companions Basman Daoud, Wahid Isho, and Gassan Bidawid.
In the presence of Fr. Luis Escalante, the Rome based postulator for the cause of canonization, Bishop Kalabat made the “Seal of Closure” and presented the Chaldean Servants of God’s “Acts” in front of the Chancery altar. This will bring them one step closer to officially being recognized as Martyrs and on the path to Sainthood. The original documents will remain at the eparchy, while the sealed copies will be presented to the Congregation of Saints.
Sister Cecilia, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was martyred at the age of 71 on August 15, 2002, in Baghdad, Iraq.
In 2007, Fr. Ragheed Ganni, and his companions Basman Daoud, Wahid Isho, and Gassan Bidawid were martyred by four gunmen. In 2008, Bp. Paulus Raho was kidnapped by gunmen and his body was later found in Mosul, Iraq.
Let us continue to spread devotion to our modern-day Chaldean martyrs and ask for their intercession daily so that we can one day, have the honor of saying we have Chaldean canonized Saints!
Servants of God Sr. Cecilia Hanna, Bp. Paulus Raho, Fr. Ragheed Ganni, Basman Daoud, Wahid Isho, and Gassan Bidawid… Pray for us!
