In this letter, the Postulator General invites the Visitors and Regional Superiors to respond to Pope Francis’ call for a catalogue of New Martyrs.

Dear confreres,

Pope Francis has established the Commission of New Martyrs — Witnesses of the Faith, at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in order to draw up a catalogue of all those who have shed their blood to confess Christ and bear witness to His Gospel. The Commission has the task of collecting, by the end of 2024, any useful information to compile the list of New Martyrs, those who have shed their blood from 2000 to the present day because of violent opposition to the good brought about by the Gospel, or even just because they are Christians. The catalogue will be published during the 2025 Jubilee.

I would like to draw your attention to this initiative and invite you to collaborate.

It means preparing, in a very short time frame, an essential first documentation of the names, lives, and memories of these brothers and sisters of ours– otherwise destined to be forgotten– while elaborating on the circumstances in which their lives were interrupted in the past quarter-century.

To make what Pope Francis asks of us a reality, we need collaboration among ourselves and all those who can contribute to said catalogue. For us, members of the Vincentian Family Movement, this commitment also represents a chance to become more attentive to potential candidates for the honors of the altar (path to canonization) belonging to our Family.

In this regard, I enclose two forms, with questions related to individuals or groups of the different branches of our Vincentian Family; whether they be Catholic or Christians of other denominations (given the diverse lay associations that are part of it) who have been killed for the faith. This form, once completed, should be sent in digital form to the email address: postgen@cmglobal.org and, in hard copy, to the General Curia. I kindly ask you not to send the names of our martyrs who are already on the list of the Postulator General.

Grateful for your attention to the Holy Father’s request, I welcome this occasion to greet you fraternally in the Lord,

Fr. Serhiy Pavlish, C.M.
Postulator General
Source: https://cmglobal.org/