CONGREGATION FOR THE CAUSES OF SAINTS

Diocese of Roermond

CANONIZATION OF BLESSED ARNOLD JANSSEN PRIEST AND RELIGIOUS FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE WORD AND OF THE MISSIONARY CONGREGATIONS OF THE
SERVANTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SERVANTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PERPETUAL ADORATION (1837 - 1909)

DECREE CONCERNING A MIRACLE

Blessed Arnold Janssen was born on November 5, 1837, in the Diocese of Münster, in Germany. After his ordination to the priesthood he dedicated himself to the teaching and the spread of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the missionary spirit among the German speaking peoples of Europe. Full of zeal for the Kingdom of God he consecrated all of his energies to the formation of priests, sisters and lay people so that he could send them to evangelize, especially among peoples who did not know Christ. For this purpose he founded the Society of the Divine Word in Steyl, Holland, and the missionary Congregations of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit and of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration. These Institutes, wisely guided and formed by their Founder, grew rapidly and carried on a fruitful apostolate in various countries. The Blessed, rich in merits and surrounded by a solid and widespread reputation for sanctity, fell asleep in the Lord on January 15, 1909.
On October 19, 1975, during the course of the Holy Year, the Supreme Pontiff Paul VI proclaimed him Blessed together with Blessed Joseph Freinademetz, Priest and Religious of the Society of the Divine Word, missionary in China.
Recently the Postulator of the Cause, taking into account the desire of many of the faithful who looked forward to the canonization of Blessed Arnold, submitted for judgement to this Congregation for the Causes of Saints a presumed miracle which took place in Baguio City, Philippines. The case concerns a fourteen year old girl, Pamela Avellanosa, who at about 2:00 p.m. of January 2, 1995, fell from her bicycle, suffering a grave cranial-encephalic trauma. Admitted to hospital several hours later after losing consciousness, she was diagnosed as being in a profound coma, with pupilar mydriasis and respiratory arrest after a period of grave respiratory difficulty. In the intensive care unit she was intubated and placed on assisted respiration. Initially, the doctors, seeing the profound state of the coma and the gravity of the situation, concluded that a surgical procedure would be useless; but, then, at about 7:30 p.m. of that same day, without the necessary physical tests, the went ahead and performed a craniotomy on the right side revealing a very large epidural hematoma which was removed. The doctors feared for the girl's life and, in the event that she survived, they predicted very grave aftereffects from the injury and even a vegetative state. Meanwhile, from about 6:00 p.m. onwards the grandmother of Pamela and the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration had begun to invoke the intercession of Blessed Arnold to obtain from God the girl's healing. And in fact, she rapidly began to improve until she had reached complete recovery.

In 1999 the Apostolic Vicariate of Baguio opened up a diocesan investigation into the presumed miracle, an investigation which was recognized as juridically valid by this Dicastery with the Decree of April 7, 2000. The Medical Commission, in its meeting of April 18, 2002, admitted that the cure was rapid, lasting and scientifically unexplainable. On October 8, 2002, there was a special Session of the Consulting Theologians. On November 19, 2002 there was the ordinary Session of the Curial Fathers, Cardinals and Bishops, in the presence of the Relator of the Cause, Most Rev. Giuseppe Coppa, Titular Archbishop of Serta. In both Sessions, that of the Consulting Theologians as well as that of the Cardinals and Bishops, to the question as to whether in this case one could speak of a genuine and authentic miracle, the response was affirmative.
A complete account of everything that has taken place has been presented by the Cardinal Prefect, whose signature is appended below, to the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. His Holiness accepted and ratified the Votes of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and ordered the publication of the Decree on the above mentioned miraculous healing.

This having been done, he summoned the Cardinal Prefect, the Relator of the Cause, myself the Episcopal Secretary of the Congregation, and all the others who, by custom, are convoked on these occasions, and said to them: It has been established that we are dealing with a genuine miracle obtained from God through the intercession of Blessed Arnold Janssen, a Religious Priest and Founder of the of the Society of the Divine Word and of the Missionary Congregations of the Servants of the Holy Spirit and of the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, that is to say the rapid, complete and lasting healing of the girl Pamela Avellanosa from a "serious cranial-encephalic trauma with the formation of an epidural hematoma on the right side, profound coma, central apnea, endocrenal hypertension and a parietal fracture".

His Holiness wished that this Decree be published and transcribed into the Acts of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Given at Rome, the 20th Day of December 2002 A.D.

Giuseppe Card. Saraiva Martins
Prefect

L + S.

+ Edward Nowak
Titular Archbishop of Luni
a Secretis