The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a
congregation
Congregation may refer to:
Religion
*Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church
*Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...
of the
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...
, erected on 22 January 1588 by
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V (; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where h ...
by ''
Immensa Aeterni Dei
''Immensa aeterni Dei'' ("The immeasurable isdom ofthe eternal God") is an apostolic constitution in the form of a papal bull issued by Pope Sixtus V on 22 January 1588. The constitution reorganized the Roman Curia, establishing permanent congre ...
''; it was divided into two separate congregations by
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
on 8 May 1969.
The Congregation was charged with the supervision of the
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
and the process of
canonization
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...
of
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
s.
As part of the reforms following the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
,
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
's 1969
apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36.
By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...
' divided the congregation into: the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
, and the
.
[Congregation for the Causes of Saints]
Profile
accessed on 13 December 2024
Prefects
*
Flavio Chigi (1759–1771)
*
Mario Marefoschi Compagnoni (1771–1785)
*
Giulio Maria della Somaglia (1800–1814)
*
Giorgio Doria Pamphilj Landi (1821–1837)
*
Carlo Maria Pedicini (1837–1843)
*
Ludovico Micara,
OFM Cap (1843–1844)
*
Luigi Lambruschini,
B (1847–1854)
*
Costantino Patrizi Naro
Costantino Patrizi Naro JUD (4 September 1798 – 17 December 1876) was a long-serving Italian Cardinal who became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Biography
Born in Siena, Patrizi Naro was the son of Giovanni Patrizi Naro Montoro, 8th Marqui ...
(1854–1860)
*
Luigi Bilio,
B (1876–1877)
*
Tommaso Martinelli,
OSA (1877–1878)
*Domenico Bartolini (1878–1886)
*
Angelo Bianchi (1887–1897)
*
Carlo Laurenzi
Carlo Laurenzi (12 January 1821 – 2 November 1893) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1889 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1884.
...
(1889–1895)
*
Camillo Mazzella
Camillo Mazzella (10 February 1833 – 26 March 1900) was an Italian Jesuit theologian and cardinal.
Biography
Mazzella was born at Vitulano, near Benevento. He and his siblings were first tutored at home. Three of his brothers entered ...
,
SJ (1897–1900)
*
Gaetano Aloisi Masella (1899–1902)
*
Domenico Ferrata (1900–1902)
*
Serafino Cretoni (1903–1909)
*
Luigi Tripepi (1903–1906)
*
Sebastiano Martinelli
Sebastiano Martinelli (20 August 1848 – 4 July 1918) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.
Early life
Sebastiano Martinelli was born in Borgo Sant'Anna within the Archdiocese of Lucca ...
,
OSA (1909–1918)
*
Scipione Tecchi (1914–1915)
*
Antonio Vico (1915–1929)
*
Camillo Laurenti (1929–1938)
*
Carlo Salotti (1938 – 24 October 1947)
*
Clemente Micara (1950–1953)
*
Gaetano Cicognani (1953–1956)
*
Arcadio Larraona Saralegui,
CMF (1962–1968)
*
Benno Gut,
OSB (1967–1969)
See also
*
Aloisio Gardellini
References
Further reading
Catholic Encyclopedia
External links
{{Authority control
Congregations of the Roman Curia
Former departments of the Roman Curia
1588 establishments in the Papal States
1969 disestablishments in Vatican City
Canonization