Born in 1994, the street kid discovered the Catholic faith in 2006. The servant of God died at 17 from Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, which became his "mission". For the bishop of Cubao, "He was known to be a simple and holy man." The postulator of the cause notes that “his spiritual life was very impressive.”
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The cause of beatification of the Servant of God Darwin Ramos (pictured), a Filipino street kid who died in 2012 from a serious degenerative disease, opened in the Diocese of Cubao (suffragan of Manila).
The official announcement came yesterday, during a solemn Eucharistic function (video 1) in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Before the celebration, the diocese held a press conference (video 2) which was also attended by Darwin’s mother, Erlinda Ramos.
“He was known to be a simple and holy man,” said Mgr Honesto Flores Ongtioco, bishop of Cubao, during the Mass.
“This whole process is not just about his life but also about us. We are all called by God to holiness,” he added.
The postulator of the cause is a French Dominican, Fr Thomas de Gabore, who met Darwin in the last weeks of his life.
Describing him as “a simple teenager”, he explained that “in his heart, his spiritual life was very impressive. He was deeply devoted to Jesus Christ despite suffering.”
The Diocese of Cubao received the green light to begin the beatification process on 31 May. Two months earlier, Card Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, had signed the nihil obstat to start of the cause, which includes the collection of documents and testimonies on the life and holiness of Darwin Santos.
Once completed, the documentation will be sent to the Vatican, where the Congregation will examine the information collected. If it determines that the young man led a heroic life based on Christian virtues, the Church will confer upon him the title of "venerable".
The next steps are beatification and canonisation. Usually, holiness requires two miracles achieved through the candidate's intercession, one for beatification and one for canonisation.