Bishop Orestes Marengo’s Beatification Process Underway
Tura (CBCI News): The closing session of the diocesan inquiry into the virtues and life of holiness of the Servant of God Orestes Marengo (1906-1998), former Apostolic Administrator of Tura, took place on Saturday 16 February 2013 at the Cathedral Parish Tura, in North-East India.
Bishop Andrew R. Marak of Tura performed this official act. Present at the event were Bishop George Mamalassery, bishop emeritus of Tura, the Postulator General, Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, sdb, the Vice Postulator, Fr Joseph Puthenpurakal, sdb, Fr. Jose Chirackal, the Promoter of Justice, numerous priests, religious and faithful. An Italian delegation of the relatives and friends of Bishop Marengo led by Fr Gino Chiesa, director of the mission office in Alba diocese, and Mrs Pinuccia Aimasso, deputy mayor of Diano Alba, participated in the function..
Servant of God, Bishop Orestes Marengo did his secondary schooling at Valdocco and in 1923 began his novitiate at Foglizzo. In December that year he left as a missionary for Assam, India, and completed his novitiate at Shillong. His field of endeavour as a young priest and later as bishop, was amongst the people of Northeast. He was a tireless, zealous and generous worker, a man of great humanity, with a solid faith and burning apostolic passion for the Gospel. In order to better serve and communicate with his people he learned many of the local languages. In 1951, he was ordained Bishop in Turin for the new diocese of Dibrugarh. From there in 1964 he was transferred to Tezpur, and finally finished his episcopal ministry at Tura, where he was apostolic administrator from 1972 to 1978.
The Inquiry began on 12 April 2007 with Fr. Thomas Macheril as the Episcopal Delegate and Fr. Jose Chirackal as the Promoter of Justice. The Beatification process now moves on to the Roman stage, meaning the study of the acts of the diocesan inquiry and a judgment on the merits of the cause.