The Diocese of Macau has formally opened the diocesan phase of the Cause for Beatification and Canonisation of Father Gaetano Nicosia.
The Salesian missionary priest is remembered for his decades of service to 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 Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang of Macau, was issued on the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to a report by Sunday Examiner.
It announced that “all canonical requirements have been fulfilled,” and that the Church “may now proceed to investigate the heroic virtues and reputation of holiness of Father Nicosia.”
Born on April 3, 1915, in San Giovanni la Punta in the Archdiocese of Catania, Italy, Father Nicosia joined the Salesian Congregation in 1935 and was ordained a priest in 1937.
He was sent to China in 1946 and 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. He later continued to serve families of former patients in the Ngau Tau Kok area of Hong Kong.
Father Nicosia passed away on November 6, 2017, at the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged in Hong Kong at the age of 102.
The Salesian Province of China initiated the cause by appointing Father Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, postulator general for the Salesians, to oversee the process.
On January 24, 2024, a formal request was filed with the Diocese of Hong Kong to transfer jurisdiction to the Diocese of Macau, “where Father Nicosia had lived and served for many years.”
The Holy See approved the transfer on June 11, 2024. On May 21, 2025, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted the Nihil Obstat, declaring that “nothing hinders” the diocesan inquiry from proceeding.
The edict now calls on “all the faithful who possess any writings, diaries, letters, or documents related to Father Nicosia” to submit them to the Diocesan Chancery in Macau.
It also invites anyone “who has personal knowledge of Father Nicosia’s life, virtues, or reputation for sanctity—either in favour or against—to come forward and provide their testimonies.”
The edict will also be published in the dioceses of Hong Kong, Catania, and Lisbon, where Father Nicosia lived or maintained close ties.
The faithful of Hong Kong, particularly those who knew him 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 concludes positively, the cause will advance to the Vatican for further review, leading to his beatification and, “God willing,” canonisation.
