Mexican Archdiocese of Guadalajara opens beatification cause of Ignacio Larrañaga Orbegozo

The Archdiocese of Guadalajara opened the diocesan phase of the beatification cause for Father Ignacio Larrañaga Orbegozo on Oct. 6. Larrañaga was a Capuchin priest and the founder of the Prayer and Life Workshops.

During a ceremony at the archdiocesan curia, officials read the "nihil obstat" from the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and a decree from Cardinal Archbishop Francisco Robles Ortega. The decree authorized the archdiocese to lead the process because Larrañaga died within its territory in 2013.

Auxiliary Bishop Juan Manuel Muñoz Curiel, representing Robles Ortega, described Larrañaga as a mystic who used contemplative experience to teach millions of people how to pray. Muñoz Curiel noted that Larrañaga translated Franciscan mysticism into an accessible method for ordinary people to encounter God.