Three missionaries to be canonised

This Sunday, at 10am in St Peter's Square, Pope John Paul will celebrate the Eucharist during which he will canonize Blesseds Daniele Comboni, Arnold Janssen and Josef Freinademetz. Blessed Comboni (1831-1881), bishop, founded the Congregation of Combonian Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and the Combonian Missionary Sisters Pious Mothers of Nigrizia. Blessed Janssen (1837-1909), a priest, was the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, the Congregation of Missionary Sisters Servants of the Spirit and the Congregation of Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration. Blessed Freinademetz (1852-1908) was a priest of the Society of the Divine Word. A Vatican statement said the date for the celebration had been chosen as it was near World Mission Day. It said: "the Church gives the faithful three new Saints who dedicated their lives to proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the four corners of the globe."