(ANS – Cuenca) – Saturday, January 31, 2026, was a historic day of faith and gratitude for the city of Cuenca, marked by the blessing of the chapel dedicated to the memory of Venerable Fr. Carlo Crespi Croci, Salesian of Don Bosco, and by the final transfer of his mortal remains. They will now rest permanently in what was his home for many years: the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in the city.

The Eucharistic celebration accompanying the transfer was presided over by Archbishop Marcos Pérez Caicedo, Archbishop of Cuenca, and was attended by members of the Salesian Family, ecclesiastical and civil authorities, and numerous faithful who gathered to accompany the “Apostle of the Poor.”

Celebrated in the context of the Feast of St. John Bosco, the event also held special significance for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Province of Ecuador, thanks to the simultaneous profession of perpetual Salesian vows by Edin Oswaldo Villamar Franco, who thus consecrated himself definitively and for life to God, to the service of the Church, and to the Salesian mission.

After Communion, Fr. Marcelo Farfán, Provincial of the Salesians in Ecuador, together with the Commission for the Beatification, formally presented the mortal remains of Venerable Fr. Crespi to the Archbishop. For more than forty years, the remains had rested in the Patrimonial Cemetery of Cuenca, as a sign of gratitude for a life totally dedicated to God and as a gift offered to the entire Church.

In an atmosphere of profound silence, Archbishop Pérez Caicedo received the remains and, accompanied by the celebrants, led the procession inside the church toward the new chapel. This moment was marked by a powerful expression of popular faith: many of the faithful approached the coffin in tears, placing rosaries, images, and photographs upon it and invoking the intercession of the venerable Salesian, while recalling his goodness and compassion, especially toward those most in need.

Upon reaching the chapel, a solemn blessing was celebrated for this space, conceived as a permanent place of prayer, recollection, and spiritual encounter. The sprinkling of holy water marked the consecration of the chapel, entrusting it to God as a living memory of the Gospel and as a school of charity, in harmony with the charism of Don Bosco.

Subsequently, the Ordinary of Cuenca placed the mortal remains in the columbarium, specially prepared for their dignified custody, emphasizing that holiness has a place within the community and that the witness of Venerable Fr. Crespi will continue to inspire the faith of the believing people.

The ceremony concluded with a communal prayer of thanksgiving, during which the life of Fr. Crespi was remembered—a life entirely devoted to proclaiming the Gospel, serving the poor, and accompanying young people.

Through this event, the Salesian Family of Ecuador reaffirms the deep spiritual bond between Venerable Fr. Carlo Crespi Croci and the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, and offers the Church and the city of Cuenca a permanent place of prayer, inviting the faithful to seek his intercession and to keep alive the hope of seeing him soon raised to the altars.

Angélica Almeida
Secretary of the Commission for the Beatification of Fr. Crespi