Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923)
Postulation of the Cause of Blessed Columba Marmion, 3rd Abbot of Maredsous Abbey
Dom Columba Marmion
History of the Postulation
● After the cause for the beatification of Dom Columba Marmion was begun by Maredsous Abbey, a Postulator was appointed in 1955. The first postulator was Dom Benoît Becker, OSB, then Procurator of the Congregation of the Annunciation in Rome, a monk of Maredsous.
● Three Vice-Postulators were appointed:
-at Maredsous for Belgium: Dom Gisbert Ghyssens, OSB, principal documentor of the cause till his death in 1993.
-at Glenstal Abbey for Ireland: Dom Bernard O’Dea, OSB, appointed in 1956.
-at Marmion Abbey for USA: Dom Alcuin Deck, OSB, appointed 1956.
● The Diocesan Process was opened by Mgr. Charue, Bishop of Namur on 7th February 1957.
● The Process in Rome was begun on 27th March 1962.
● Dom Marmion’s body was exhumed and recognised on 29 April 1963. His remains were moved from the monastic cemetery and re-interred in the Abbey Church.
● The critical examination of the writings of Dom Marmion was completed in Rome in 1973. The official Résumé of the evidence gathered by the Diocesan Process was prepared by Dr. Carlo Snider, lawyer to the cause in Rome. This was approved by decree on 27th October 1981.
● The Congregation for the Cause of Saints, recently created, named Rev. Fr. Yvon Beaudoin, OMI, a Canadian, as Relator responsible for preparation of the Positio super virtutibus, the Statement of the Virtue and Saintly Reputation of Dom Columba . This would be the basis for expert judgement by theologians, cardinals, bishops, etc.
● On 13th February, 1986 a new Postulator was appointed in Rome when Dom Benoît Becker resigned. This was Dom Olivier Raquez, OSB, a monk of St. André, Zevenkerken, Belgium and Rector of the Greek College, Rome.
● Dom Raquez asked Dom Mark Tierney, OSB, a monk of Glenstal Abbey to undertake the work of writing the Critical Biography, the principal component of the Positio super virtutibus. Dom Mark replaced Dom Bernard O’Dea as Vice-Postulator and began work in the summer of 1987.
● Dom Ghyssens died in March 1993. Dom R.-Ferdinand Poswick, OSB was appointed in his place as Vice-Postulator (Belgium). He became responsible for the Dom Marmion Archive.
● The Critical Biography was completed in November 1993. And the Positio super virtutibus et fama sanctitatis was produced by Yolande Juste of the ‘Centre Informatique et Bible’ at Maredsous under the direction of Dom R.-Ferdinand Poswick.
● It was submitted to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints in Rome in June 1994.
● On 22nd June, 1998, the decree declaring ‘the Heroic Virtue of the Servant of God’ was published following examination of his Critical Biography. The title of ‘Venerable’ was granted to Dom Columba Marmion henceforward.
● At the same time the Positio super miraculo, the statement concerning a miracle, was prepared by the Postulation of the Cause and examined at Rome. On 25th January 2000 this resulted in the recognition of the miraculous nature of a cure attributed to the intercession of Dom Marmion. The Beatification of the Venerable Dom Columba Marmion was proclaimed by Pope John Paul II on 3rd September 2000 at Rome.
● First issue in 2001 of The Courrier of Blessed Columa Marmion
● Dom Alcuin Deck died on 19th December 2003. He was replaced as Vice-Postulator by Abbot Vincent Bataille, OSB, of Marmion Abbey, Aurora, Chicago, Illinois, USA in 2006.
● Dom Mark Tierney, OSB, of Glenstal Abbey was replaced as Vice-Postulator for Great Britain and Ireland by his confrere Dom Columba Mc Cann, OSB, in 2006.
● Dom Olivier Raquez, Postulator of the Cause since 1986, was replaced in September 2011 by Monsignor Joseph Murphy, a priest of the Diocese of Cloyne, Ireland who works at the Vatican Secretariat of State.
● Dom Mark Tierney (Glenstal Abbey) dies at the hospital of Mont-Godinne (Province of Namur, Belgium) on December 31st, 2011.
● Dom Olivier Raquez, Postulator of the Cause from 1986 till 2012, dies on december 14th
● Dom José Palmeiro Mendes, OSB, former Abbé de Mosteiro de São Bento de Rio de Janeiro, is named Vice-Postulateur for Brazil on September 27th, 2013.