Servant of God, Fr Ragheed Ganni

Posted on 27. May, 2018 in Carousel

Opening the Cause of Servants of God, Fr Ragheed Ganni and Companions

Servant of God, Fr Ragheed Ganni, in the Sanctuary of the College Chapel of the Pontifical Irish College around the time of his priestly ordination in 2001. Credit for the photo: http://www.asianews.it

On Sunday next, 3rd June, the 11th Anniversary of the deaths of Servants of God Fr Ragheed Ganni and his companions, Fr Rebwar Basa, a priest of the Chaldean Patriarchal Archeparchy of Baghdad, will preach the homily at the Sunday Eucharist to be celebrated at the Pontifical Irish College. 

It was with great joy that the Community at the Pontifical Irish College became aware that the cause of Fr Ragheed Ganni, and his three companions, has officially been opened at the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. Fr Ganni was a student at the Irish College from 1996 until 2003. He completed his formation for the priesthood here, and he was ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul in 2001.

After ordination Fr Ragheed continued his studies at the Pontifical Irish College, and he gained a Licentiate in Ecumenical Theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas, the Angelicum. In 2003 he elected to return to his home country of Iraq. On June 3rd 2007, after celebrating Mass, he was murdered along with his three companions who were subdeacons, one of whom was his cousin.

There are a number of steps involved in the recognition and canonization of saints. With the opening of Fr Ganni’s cause, the first stage has begun and he is now officially known as “Servant of God”. Competency in the cause has been transferred from the Archeparchy of Mossul of the Chaldeans to the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit of the Chaldeans. What has now begun is a diocesan inquiry into the life, the martyrdom and intercessory power of the Servants of God Ragheed Aziz Ganni, Priest of the Archeparchy of the Mossul of the Chaldeans, and 3 Companions, Subdeacons of the same Archeparchy, killed in hatred of the Faith in 2007.

The Postulator of the Cause is Rev. Dr. Luis F. Escalante, JCD
Parrocchia Sant’Antonino Martire
Via IV Novembre, 2 – 02032 – Fara in Sabina (RI) Italy