Saint of the Day: Bl. Luigi Carrara and Companions

Martyrs (d. 1964)

Their story

+ Xaverian missionaries Father Luigi Carrara and Brother Vittorio Faccin were martyred in Baraka on 28 November 1964 by militants taking part in the Kwilu Rebellion, a civil uprising that took place in the West of the modern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

+ On that same day, the rebels moved to the town of Fizi, where they killed Father Giovanni Didonè (a fellow Xaverian) and Albert Joubert (a Congolese-born French priest).

+ These martyrs were beatified on August 18, 2024.
For prayer and reflection

“They were killed in that country on November 28th, 1964. Their martyrdom crowned a life spent for the Lord and for their brothers and sisters. May their example and intercession foster paths of reconciliation and peace for the good of the Congolese people.”—Pope Francis 

Prayer

May the prayer of the blessed Martyrs Luigi and his Companions, being pleasing to you, O Lord, commend us, we pray, and confirm us in the profession of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For Several Martyrs)
Saint profiles prepared by Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.