On September 12–13, 2026, the second annual “Saints on Their Way” meeting took place at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, USA. The Shrine began this initiative in 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The meeting aims to foster dialogue among those involved in Causes for canonization and to share testimony regarding the holiness of the candidates.
Those attending included members of associations, postulators, canon lawyers, family members, and others involved in Causes at various stages of the canonization process. Friar Timothy Patrick DORE, of the Province of Our Lady of the Angels in the USA (OLA), and I, Friar Juan Alonzo PAGOADA ACOSTA, Vice Postulator of the Cause for Friar Casimir CYPHER, also participated. We presented Friar Casimir’s life, mission, and witness in view of his beatification.
The first day was reserved for representatives of the Causes. It focused on listening, getting to know one another, and reflecting on several fundamental aspects of the canonization process. Three lectures provided opportunities for further study and reflection.
The first lecture was given by Father Daniel MODE. He is a chaplain in the United States Navy who has worked for years on the Cause of the Servant of God Vincent CAPODANNO, who was himself a military chaplain. Father Daniel described those who promote a Cause as “animators”: people who keep interest in a candidate alive and continue to tell the candidate’s story, even when the process moves slowly. He also emphasized that the fama sanctitatis, or reputation for holiness, must arise spontaneously among the faithful and endure over time.
The second lecture was given by Dr. Jeanine MARINO, a canonist and professor of religious studies at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA, who explored the spiritual dimension of these processes.
“Saints are credible witnesses to Christ and to His love for us,” she said. She explained that this witness requires a desire for holiness, profession of the faith, the practice of the works of mercy, and the daily exercise of the cardinal and theological virtues. She reminded us that the saints accompany us in the Church’s mission and that we can invoke their help as we strive to live the Gospel and draw closer to the Lord. “We all need models of holiness,” she emphasized.
Monsignor Robert SARNO, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, USA, gave a lecture on the theoretical and practical aspects of canonization. Monsignor SARNO served for thirty-eight years at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. He also met individually with representatives of the Causes to discuss the specific issues each Cause faces.
The second day was open to the entire Catholic community. It began with Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Roy E. CAMPBELL, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C., USA. Afterward, participants visited the information booths that had been set up by the postulators and representatives of the Causes. More than two hundred people thus had the opportunity to discover the lives and testimony of men and women whom they otherwise might never have known.
The stories of these holy figures reflect the challenges and realities of everyday life. They show how, even amid these difficulties, we can follow Jesus and grow in holiness. Families and visitors listened to their stories with interest in a fraternal atmosphere marked by music, food, and opportunities for encounter and dialogue.
I am grateful to Friar Timothy DORE for sharing these days with me. I also thank the friars of St. Bonaventure Friary in Washington, D.C., and St. Joseph of Cupertino Friary at the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua in Ellicott City, Maryland, for their warm welcome and hospitality. I also offer my thanks and prayers to everyone who made our participation possible. This meeting has helped make the life of Friar Casimir CYPHER better known and has promoted awareness of his reputation for holiness and his witness as a martyr.
We encourage you to continue making known the holiness of the many friars of the Order who, inspired by the spirit of St. Francis, have borne witness to the Gospel wherever the Order is present.
Friar Juan Alonzo PAGOADA ACOSTA, Vice Postulator
