The Cause of Father Theodore Foley C.P. (1913-1974), officially opened Friday in Rome. For 10 years, Father Theodore was the Superior General of the Passionists.
Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Pope Benedict XVI’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, described his life during the inauguration ceremony. He invited the Passionists to walk the way of sanctity, “which Father Theodore followed with such dedication.”
Daniel Foley was born in 1913 in Springfield to a family of Irish immigrants. He entered the Passionist congregation in 1932 and in the following year made his first profession, taking the name Theodore. He was ordained a priest in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland USA.
In 1958, Father Foley became a General Consultor and assistant to the Superior General of the Passionists. He was himself elected Superior General in 1964, a post that he held until his death on 9th October 1974.
Father Giovanni Zubiani C.P., Postulator of the Cause of Beatification, spoke of Father Theodore as a man open to dialogue “but firm on the principles and charism of the Congregation.”