The Diocese of Petrópolis, in Brazil, has taken a significant step in the canonization process of the Servant of God, Father João Francisco de Siqueira Andrade, known as Father Siqueira. The opening ceremony of the beatification cause was held on April 10 at the Cathedral of St. Peter of Alcantara, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the creation of the diocese.
“For us, in this year when we celebrate the 80 years of the creation of the diocese, the opening of the cause is gratitude and joy, but also a responsibility. The example of Father Siqueira encourages us all, for he was a creative man sensitive to the problems of his time,” said the diocesan bishop, Monsignor Joel Portela, after the Mass that marked the beginning of the process.
A tribunal to examine his life and virtues
After the liturgical celebration, the diocesan tribunal responsible for conducting the local phase of the cause was installed. In this stage, historical documents and testimonies about the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of the priest will be examined. The members of the tribunal took the oaths of fidelity and secrecy provided by the Church for this type of process.
Life and legacy of Father Siqueira
Father Siqueira was born in 1837 and was a 19th-century priest who, after serving as a chaplain during the Paraguayan War, dedicated his life to caring for orphaned and vulnerable girls. Moved by the suffering of those left helpless after the conflict, he founded in Petrópolis the Domestic School Our Lady of Refuge and the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge, works that remain active today.
The priest died on April 10, 1881, “embracing the Cross of Christ,” according to his spiritual biography. In his will, he expressed his final desire: to live and die sustained in faith, taking “as my only motto the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Testimonies of faith and devotion
“The memory of Father Siqueira is still alive among us, especially among the Franciscan sisters… He had a very striking charism, which is that of being a refuge. If we look closely at his story, we see that he cared with such zeal and dedication for vulnerable girls that he left a great model to be followed today,” Sister Irma de Souza, vice-postulator of the cause, highlighted to EWTN News.
Catarina, who was a student at the school founded by the priest, is now a postulant of the congregation and says that her vocation was born from that experience. “The example that Father Siqueira left of being a refuge in the lives of children… was also the way I received that refuge when I was a student, and today as a sister I can bring God’s refuge to others,” she said.
“Father Siqueira inspires me to carry forward the legacy he left us, which is to care for life, to shelter, to educate, and to lead along the path of love,” added Sister Silvia María de Araujo, a religious of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge.
Devotion to the Servant of God also remains alive among the faithful. Luana, who lost her sight, attributes various graces received throughout her life to Father Siqueira. “God shows us the miracle of life in many ways, and through the Servant of God I receive blessings day after day. I am learning that seeing is not only with physical eyes, but also with the eyes of the hands,” she expressed.
The mortal remains of the priest rest in the congregation’s house in Petrópolis, while hope grows among the devotees to see him one day raised to the altars. “I will try with all my heart to paint a picture in homage to Father Siqueira… and, God willing, I will take that image to the Vatican on the day of his beatification,” commented parishioner Fernanda Fonseca.
The opening of the cause, in addition to marking the beginning of the canonical process, has renewed interest in the figure of this priest.
Original source: www.aciprensa.com (published April 17, 2026)
Photo: Tyson Whitney on Unsplash
