MACAU (SE): The Diocese of Macau has formally opened the diocesan phase of the Cause for Beatification and Canonisation of the Servant of God, Father Gaetano Nicosia, a Salesian [SDB] missionary priest renowned for his long years of service among the poor, the sick, and especially those affected by leprosy in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
The diocesan edict, dated July 16, and signed by the Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang of Macau, was issued on the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
It announced that all canonical requirements have been fulfilled, and the Church may now proceed to investigate the heroic virtues and reputation of holiness of Father Nicosia.
Born on 3 April 1915, in San Giovanni la Punta, in the Archdiocese of Catania, Italy, Father Nicosia entered the Salesian Congregation in 1935 and was ordained a priest in 1937. In 1946, he was sent as a missionary to China. He served in Macau and Hong Kong for 71 years, dedicating his life to the education of youth and the care of the marginalised.
From 1963 until his retirement in 2010, he ministered at the leprosarium on Hei Ling Chau Island, later continuing to serve the families of former patients in the Ngau Tau Kok area of Hong Kong.
Father Nicosia passed away on 6 November 2017, in Hong Kong, at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, at the age of 102. His holiness and self-sacrifice earned him deep respect throughout the local Church and beyond.
The process to open his cause began when the Salesian Province of China appointed Father Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, postulator general for the Salesians, to oversee the case. On 24 January 2024, a formal request was submitted to the Diocese of Hong Kong, asking to transfer the jurisdiction of the Cause to the Diocese of Macau, where Father Nicosia had lived and served for many years.
On 11 June 2024, the Holy See gave its consent for the transfer of the competent forum, and on 21 May 2025, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted the Nihil Obstat [nothing hinders], indicating no objection to beginning the diocesan inquiry.
The edict now invites all the faithful who possess any writings, diaries, letters, or documents related to Father Nicosia to submit them to the Diocesan Chancery in Macau [Paço Episcopal, Largo da Sé, C.P. 324, Macau, China] for evaluation. The faithful who have personal knowledge of Father Nicosia’s life, virtues, or reputation for sanctity—either in favour or against—are also encouraged to come forward and provide their testimonies.
In accordance with canon law, these materials will form part of the diocesan investigation into his life and ministry.
The edict will also be published in the dioceses of Hong Kong [under Cardinal Stephen Chow S.J.], Catania [Archbishop Luigi Renna], and Lisbon [Patriarch Rui Manuel Sousa Valério], where the Servant of God lived or is otherwise connected.
The faithful of Hong Kong, especially those who knew Father Nicosia or were touched by his ministry, are now invited to take part in this important moment in the life of the Church by sharing their experiences, materials, or testimonies.
If the diocesan investigation yields positive results, the cause will be brought to the Vatican for further examination, eventually leading to his beatification and, God willing, canonisation.
