Louis-Zéphirin Moreau
Quick Facts
Biography
Blessed Louis-Zéphirin Moreau (1 April 1824 – 24 May 1901) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest who became the fourth Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe and remained in such position from his appointment in 1875 to his death in 1901. He was also the cofounder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Saint-Hyacinthe - an order he founded with the Venerable Élisabeth Bergeron. He also founded the Sisters of Sainte Martha.
He received beatification from Pope John Paul II on 10 May 1987.
Beatification
The beatification process started in the late bishop's diocese with an informative process in 1929 tasked with compiling evidence and collating documentation on his life that closed in 1934. His writings received the approval of theologians in 1950 after the team decided his writings were in line with the magisterium of the faith.
The previous processes occurred despite the fact that the formal introduction of the cause did not occur until 21 June 1952 in the pontificate of Pope Pius XII in which the posthumous title of Servant of God was bestowed upon him. It allowed for an apostolic process to be opened to continue the work of the informative one and spanned from 1953 until its closure in 1955. Both were ratified in Rome in 1959 in order for the cause to reach the next stage.
Further evaluation in Rome allowed for Pope Paul VI to proclaim Moreau as being Venerable upon the recognition that the late bishop had lived a model life of heroic virtue.
The miracle needed for him to be beatified was investigated in Sault Sainte Marie in 1983 while the investigation itself was approved in 1984. Pope John Paul II approved the complete and rapid cure of Colleen Margaritae O'Brien - aged eight - who suffered from cancer in June 1978 while in remission and still undergoing treatment - the decree was issued on 10 November 1986. John Paul II beatified Moreau on 10 May 1987.