Pope Leo X111 granted papal approbation to the Cord of St. Philomena with several plenary indulgences in asociation with its wearing (29) and accorded the title and privilege of "archconfraternity" for the respective Philomenian devotion and work in France. (30) Pope St. Pius X continued the papal succession of encouragement for public Church devotion by approving the extension of the Archconfraternity of St. Philomena to the universal Church. (31) Far more than one solitary papal act by Gregory XVI, the papal Magisterium has repeatedly encouraged the nature and growth of ecclesial devotion to St. Philomena, in official recognition of her status as a saint, in public liturgical and devotional sanctions which extended to the universal faith and life of the Church, and thereby manifesting official and essential liturgical and devotional characteristics of her status as a saint as defined by the Church. Hagiographical Testimony St. John Vianney, beyond any other saint or blessed, manifested an expansive testimony of faith and documented witness toward the reality of St. Philomena and her profound intercessory efficacy. (32) The Curé, as recorded in the canonization process, attributed all the miracles documented at Ars to have been effected through St.Philomena's intercession; (33) repeatedly spoke of having received apparitions of St. Philomena; (34) and directly attributed his own personal miraculous cure from grave illness to her intercession. (35) The testimony and cure of Ven. Pauline Jaricot through the intercession of the young martyr saint has been noted. (36) St. Peter Julian Eymard was cured from serious illness after having been instructed by Vianney to pray a novena to St. Philomena. (37) St. Peter Channel, the first Oceanian martyr, preached of St. Philomena and referred to her as his "auxiliary" in his missionary apostolate. (38) Bl. Damien de Veuster dedicated his first chapel in Molokai to the young saint. (39) Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat consistently invoked Philomena during difficulties in the establishment of her societies, and attributed the miraculous cure of a dying novice to her intercession. (40) Bl. Anna Maria Taigi, as related in her beatification proceedings, applied oil burned before the tomb of St. Philomena to the eye of her grandchild who had been medically diagnosed with an incurable pupil tear of the eye, and the eye was immediately healed. (41) Other saints and blesseds who manifested veneration to St. Philomena include St. Magdalene of Canossa, Bl. Bartolo Longo, Bl. Annibale Da Messina, and Bl. Pius IX, who, shortly before his death, sent to Mugnano the chalice presented to him by the Belgian Federation of Catholic Circles on his golden Episcopal anniversary as one of several papal votive gifts sent in honor of and gratitude to St. Philomena. (42) |
