Q. Does the Church approve of the messages of Luisa Picaretta?
A. Thank you for this question. I have to admit I have never heard of Luisa Picaretta. Therefore, this answer is taken from sources I had to investigate, mostly from the internet.
Luisa Piccarreta, April 23, 1865– March 4, 1947 was an Italian mystic and author known as the “Little Daughter of the Divine Will.” She is under consideration for possible canonization as a saint of the Catholic Church. Her spirituality centered on union with the Will of God. The Will of God, divine will, or God’s plan is the concept of a God having a plan for humanity.
In 2010, Luisa Piccarreta’s cause for canonization was transferred from her local diocese to the Congregation for Saints in the Vatican, which has now opened her cause. It is not known how long this process will take. The Congregation for Saints is studying whether her written works and way of life are in keeping with Catholic Church teaching. The cause for canonization of a saint is ordinarily a four-fold process.
The first phase names the person a “Servant of God,” and subsequent phases determine the eligibility to be proclaimed “Venerable,” “Blessed,” and, finally, “Saint”:
A cause for beatification and canonization begins and the candidate is called Servant of God.
The positio (or case) is created to document the person’s heroic virtue and they are voted to become Venerable.
Evidence of a first miracle is investigated and verified, and the person is declared Blessed.
After a second miracle is proven, the person is named a Saint and is canonized by the pope.
Miss Picaretti’s writings are fairly extensive and there is a lot of information about them on the internet. Again, Church officials will take the time necessary to review them and see if they are compatible with the deposit of faith, which is the revealed truths that we believe as Catholics.
Since Miss Picaretti has not yet been declared “Venerable” there is nothing at this point that yet amounts to formal Vatican “approval” of Luisa’s writings. But there appear to be favorable indications about them from the lower, diocesan level of Catholic authority.
Also, a reminder, the Catholic Church does not “make” saints. It recognizes men and women of heroic virtue and valor who are held up to the faithful for emulation and imitation.
While Catholics are allowed to believe in private revelations which some saints have received, they are not bound to give assent to them.
This question was answered by a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
