First Beatification on Cuban Soil to Take Place

(29 Nov 08 - RV) The Servant of God José Olallo Valdés of the Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God is being put on the path to sainthood today in the first beatification ceremony ever to take place on Cuban soil. Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect emeritus for the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, will preside over the ceremony taking place in the Plaza of Our Lady of Charity in Camagüey. The 19th century monk is venerated for having helped the sick during a cholera epidemic. Brother Donatus Forkan told Liadan O'Connor more about the life and legacy of the soon-to-be blessed: