Birth. December 9, 1828, Montefiscone. His baptismal name was Giovanni. Received the sacrament of confirmation, October 12, 1834.
Education. Entered the order of Preachers. Master in theology, (no further schooling information found).
Priesthood. Ordained, September 24, 1853, Viterbo. For thirteen years, lector in various colleges of his order; prior in several convents of his order; vicar general of congregation of the order, S. Marco, Florence.
Episcopate. Elected bishop of Rieti, December 22, 1871. Consecrated, January 14, 1872, Viterbo. Transferred to the see of Osimo e Cingoli, June 1, 1888. Promoted to the archepiscopal see of Ferrara, June 12, 1893.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of May 18, 1894; received red hat and title of S. Bartolomeo all'Isola, May 21, 1893. Opted for title of S. Maria sopra Minerva, December 2, 1895.
Death. March 13, 1896, Ferrara. Exposed in the metropolitan cathedral of Ferrara and buried, temporarily, in the city's cemetery.
Birth. June 17, 1833, Quintana del Pidio, diocese of Osma, Spain. Of a humble and poor family. Son of Ambrosio Sancha, land worker, and Baltasara Hervás, a housewife; she died when Ciriaco María was ten years old. They had seven children, of which four had a very short life; the other three were Justa, Gabriel and Ciriaco María. He was so ill at birth that his parents decided to administer him an emergency batism the same day he was born.
Education. Initial studies in his native town and at the same time, he helped his father working the land. Entered the Seminary of Santo Tomás, Burgo de Osma, in 1852; Pontifical University of Salamanca, Salamanca (licentiate in theology, 1861).
Priesthood. Ordained, June 27, 1858, chapel of the bishopric of Osma, by Vicente Horcos y San Martín, bishop of Osma. Celebrated his first mass on March 4, 1858, in Quintana del Pidio. Lector of philosophy in the Seminary of Osma, 1858-1862. The new archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Primo Calvo Lope, invited Fr. Sancha to accompany him to that city. In the archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba, June 8, 1862-1876, chancellor-secretary, 1862; professor of moral theology in its seminary; founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity, August 5, 1869. While the archdiocese was vacant because of the death of the archbishop (1868), the Republican Spanish government named, without the consent of the Holy See, Fr. Pedro Llorente Miguel as successor in 1873. Both Msgr. José María Orberá Carrión, vicar capitular, and his secretary, Msgr. Sancha, opposed the nomination and were jailed. The schism ended in 1874.
Episcopate. Elected titular bishop of Areopolis and appointed auxiliary of Toledo, with residence in Madrid, January 28, 1876. Consecrated, March 12, 1876, collegiate church of San Isidro, Madrid, by Cardinal Juan de la Cruz Ignacio Moreno y Maisonave, archbishop of Toledo, assisted by Pedro José Sánchez Carrascosa y Carrión, C.O., bishop of Avila, and by José Oliver y Hurtado, bishop of Pamplona. In the same ceremony was consecrated José María Orberá Carrión, bishop of Almería, future cardinal. Transferred to the see of Avila, March 27, 1882. Transferred to the see of Madrid y Alcalá de Henares, June 10, 1886. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, May 4, 1888. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Valencia, July 11, 1892.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of May 18, 1894; received red hat and title of S. Pietro in Montorio, December 2, 1895. Transferred to the primatial and metropolitan see of Toledo and titular patriarchate of the West Indies, March 24, 1898. Participated in the conclave of 1903, which elected Pope Pius X.
Death. February 26, 1909, Toledo. Exposed and buried in the primatial and metropolitan cathedral of Toledo. In his bronze tomb, which receives flowers every day, appears his epitaph: "Con celo de ardiente caridad se hizo todo para todos. Vivió pobre y pobrísimamente murió".
Beatification. During an audience given to Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, C.M.F., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, on April 28, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the congregation to promulgate several decrees of canonization, beatification, and declaration of heroic virtues. Among them, the decree declaring the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Cardinal Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás, archbishop of Toledo, Spain, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Cardinal Sancha. In March 2008, celebrations started in Spain and in America to commemorate the centennial of his death. On January 17, 2009, during an audience given to Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the congregation to promulgate a decree concerning a miracle attributed to the intercession of Cardinal Sancha. The beatification ceremony took place on October 18, 2009, at the metropolitan cathedral of Toledo.
Bibliography. Echeverría, Lamberto de. Episcopologio español contemporáneo, 1868-1985 : datos biográficos y genealogía espiritual de los 585 obispos nacidos o consagrados en España entre el 1 de enero de 1868 y el 31 de diciembre de 1985 . Salamanca : Universidad de Salamanca, 1986. (Acta Salmanticensia; Derecho; 45), p. 45; Pérez, Clara María ; Taveras, Ignacia. "El venerable Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás pastor ejemplar que se hizo todo para todos." L'Osservatore Romano. Edición semanal en lengua española. Año XL, n. 26 (2.061), 27 de junio de 2008, p. 14 (378).
Link. His portrait and biography, in Spanish.
Birth. June 13, 1851, Montegranaro, archdiocese of Fermo. Received the sacrament of confirmation, April 16, 1861.
Education. Seminary of Fermo, Fermo; Pontifical Pio Seminary, Rome; Pontifical Roman Athenaeum "S. Apollinare", Rome (doctorates in theology and utroque iuris, August 8, 1879).
Priesthood. Ordained, April 4, 1874, Rome. Socius of the Academy of S. Tommaso d'Aquino, Rome, August 8, 1879. In archdiocese of Fermo, professor of theology and canon law of its seminary; honorary canon of the cathedral chapter. 1879-1891. Professor of civil law at the Pontifical Roman Atheaneum "S. Apollinare", 1891. Privy chamberlain supernumerary of His Holiness. Spiritual director of the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum of Propaganda Fide, Rome; and of the nun of S. Cuore a Trinità dei Monti.
Episcopate. Elected bishop of Forlì, May 23, 1887. Consecrated, June 29, 1887, Rome, by Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of May 18, 1894; received red hat and title of S. Onofrio, May 21, 1894. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Bologna, May 21, 1894. Participated in the conclave of 1903, which elected Pope Pius X.
Death. August 10, 1907, Bologna. Exposed in the metropolitan cathedral of Bologna and buried in the Carthusian cemetery of Bologna; transferred on October 16, 1912 to the Salesian church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bologna, which he founded (1).
Bibliography. Burchi, Pietro. :Card. Domenico Svampa." La Pontificia Università lateranense : profilo della sua storia, dei suoi maestri, e dei suoi discepoli. Roma : Libreria editrice della Pontificia Università lateranense, 1963, p. 233.
Links. Biography, in Italian; and his memorial monument at the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bologna, on p. 10.
(1) In the south side of the metropolitan cathedral of Bologna, second pillar on the west side thereof over a confessional box; there is a tablet with left profile bust of the cardinal. The text of the inscription was provided by Mr. Mark West, London, England:
Birth. August 13, 1850, Lalatta, Pratopiano, diocese of Parma. Of a family of modest economic means. Son of Giuseppe Ferrari and Maddalena Longarini.
Education. Seminary of Parma, Parma.
Priesthood. Ordained, December 20, 1873, Parma. In the diocese of Parma, 1874-1890, episcopal delegate (office of pastor) of Mariano, February 1874; coadjutor of the archpriest of Fornovo di Taro, July 4, 1874; vicar curate of S.Leonardo, 1875; vice-rector of its seminary and professor of physics and mathematics, 1875; rector, 1877; professor of fundamental theology, ecclesiastical history and moral theology, 1878; published Summula theologiae dogmaticae generalis, 1885; reprinted several times.
Episcopate. Elected bishop of Guastalla, May 29, 1890. Consecrated, June 29, 1890, Rome, by Cardinal Lucido Maria Parocchi, vicar general of Rome. Transferred to the see of Como, May 29, 1891.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of May 18, 1894; received red hat and title of S. Anastasia, May 21, 1894. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Milan, May 21, 1894. Took Carlo as a middle name in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, cardinal archbishop of Milan. Participated in the conclave of 1903, which elected Pope Pius X. Participated in the conclave of 1914, which elected Pope Benedict XV. One of his official acts, already in his deathbed, was to approve the statutes of the Catholic University "Sacro Cuore" of Milan.
Death. February 2, 1921, of throat cancer, in Milan; the first symptom of the disease was a simple hoarseness. Exposed in the metropolitan cathedral of Milan and buried in the chapel Virgo Potens, in that cathedral.
Beatification. Beatified by Pope John Paul II, May 10, 1987. His feast is celebrated on February 2 by the Roman martyrology and on February 1 by the Church of Milan.
Bibliography. Cazzani, Eugenio. Vescovi e arcivescovi di Milano. Nuova ed./ a cura di Angelo Majo, 2. ed. Milano : Massimo : NED, 1996. Note: Originally published 1955, now enlarged and updated, p. 280-284.
Links. Biography, in Italian; another biography, in English; portrait, statue and biography, in Italian; and his photograph and biographical data, in Czech.
Birth. August 31, 1836, Poggio Ginolfo, diocese of Marsi. Of a noble and rich family.
Education. Jesuit school, Tivoli; Roman Seminary, Rome (doctorate in theology); La Sapienza University, Rome (doctorate in law).
Priesthood. Ordained, December 20, 1860. Professor of dogma, Pontifical Roman Athenaeum of S. Apollinare, Rome, 1869. Minutant of the S.C. of Propaganda Fide and later, divisional director of Oriental affairs. Canonist of the Apostolic Penitentiary and canon of the chapter of Santa Maria in Trastevere, 1881. Under-secretary of the S.C. of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, November 19, 1881. Domestic prelate of His Holiness, 1884. Auditor of the nunciature in Spain, 1884; chargé d'affaires, 1887. Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota, February 13, 1888. Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, November 14, 1888. Secretary of the S.C. of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, July 13, 1891. Canon of the chapter of the patriarchal Vatican basilica, 1893. Assessor of the Supreme S.C. of the Holy Office, June 20, 1893.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of May 18, 1894; received red hat and deaconry of S. Maria in Portico Campitelli, May 21, 1894. Archivist of the Apostolic See, July 4, 1896. Deputy of the patriarchal basilica of S. Francis of Assisi, July 9, 1900. Participated in the conclave of 1903, which elected Pope Pius X. Cardinal protodeacon. Prefect of the S.C. of the Index, January 13, 1908.
Death. January 4, 1911, Rome. Buried in Campo Verano cemetery, Rome.
Bibliography. Daniel, Charles; Paul-Marie Baumgarten; Antoine de Waal. Rome; le chef suprême l'organisation et l'administration centrale de l'église. Paris : Plon, 1900, pp. 163-165.
Link. Biography, in English.
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