The litany of holy Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, Servants of God and others continue on at the end of the 20th century. Holiness has been achieved in our lifetime and these men and women give an example of what you could be if you continue to follow Christ and stay connected to his church.

Please Note: Descriptions are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.

1980’s

Servant of God Dorothy Day – American Catholic History
(November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980)

She was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social activism. She was perhaps the best-known political radical among American Catholics.

Day’s conversion is described in her 1952 autobiography, The Long Loneliness.Day w as also an active journalist, and described her social activism in her writings. In 1917, she was imprisoned as a member of suffragist Alice Paul‘s nonviolent Silent Sentinels. In the 1930s, Day worked closely with fellow activist Peter Maurin to establish the Catholic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement that combines direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. She practiced civil disobedience, which led to additional arrests in 1955 1957,  and in 1973 at age 75.

As part of the Catholic Worker Movement, Day co-founded the Catholic Worker newspaper in 1933, and served as its editor from 1933 until her death in 1980. In this newspaper, Day advocated the Catholic economic theory of distributism, which she considered a third way between capitalism and socialism. Pope Benedict XVI used her conversion story as an example of how to “journey towards faith… in a secularized environment. “In an address before the United States Congress, Pope Francis included her in a list of four exemplary Americans who “built a better future”.

The Catholic Church has opened the cause for Day’s possible canonization, which was accepted by the Holy See. For that reason, the Church refers to her with the title Servant of God

Blessed Cosma Spessotto 
(January 28, 1923 – June 14, 1980)
Next To Be Blessed And Sainted | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

He was an Italian Catholic priest of the Order of Friars Minor. He was sent to serve in the foreign missions in El Salvador in 1950, where he aided the faithful through evangelization and the construction of churches.

Spessotto – like the then-Archbishop of San Salvador Óscar Romero – spoke out against injustices on the part of the junta of El Salvador which caused him to receive a number of death threats. He was killed in 1980 in the church where he served as pastor, just prior to the celebration of Mass, shot at point blank range.

Saint Óscar Romero,
(August 15th, 1917 – 24 March 24th,1980)
Laborers in the Vineyard of the Lord

He was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago de María, and finally as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. As archbishop, Romero spoke out against social injustice and violence amid the escalating conflict between the military government and left-wing insurgents that led to the Salvadoran Civil War.^[4] In 1980, Romero was shot by an assassin while celebrating Mass. Though no one was ever convicted for the crime, investigations by the UN-created Truth Commission for El Salvador concluded that Major Roberto D’Aubuisson, a death squad leader and later founder of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) political party, had ordered the killing.

Blessed José María Gran Cirera & 9 Companions
(April 27, 1945 –  June 4, 1980)
All Blessed Saints Day

He was a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, making his profession on September 8,1969. Blessed José was Ordained a priest in Valladolid, Spain on June 9,1972. Served as parishpriest in Valencia, Spain. In 1975 he was sent to minister in Guatemala where he worked with the poorest people until murdered by the military and became a martyr.-–CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Blessed José María Gran Cirera

Ven. Celestina Bottego
(December 20, 1895 – August 20, 1980)

She was an Italian Roman Catholic nun born in the United States of America. Bottego established the Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary. Her command was for members to act as missionaries for the Roman Catholic church.

Blessed Stanley Francis Rother
(March 27, 1935 – July 28, 1981)

He was an American Catholic priest from Oklahoma who was murdered in Guatemala in 1981. He had worked as a missionary priest there since 1968. He held several parish assignments as a priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City from 1963 to 1968 before being assigned to Guatemala.

Blessed Stefan Wyszyński 
(August 3, 1901 – May 28, 1981)
All Blessed Saints Day

He was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Warsaw and Archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He previously served as Bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948. He was created a cardinal on 12 January 1953 by Pope Pius XII. As Archbishop of Gniezno, Wyszyński possessed the title, “Primate of Poland”.

Blessed James Alfred Miller (Leo William) [Santiago] (September 21, 1944 – February 13, 1982)

He was an American Catholic member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools who served in Guatemala until his murder in 1982.

Miller served as a teacher first in Cretin High School before being sent to teach in Bluefields in Nicaragua where he remained until his superiors ordered him to leave. He was requested to leave his work in Nicaragua due to political tensions that put Miller at risk of being killed, but he was frustrated to be sent back to his native home, where he remained for some time to teach. He was known for his construction and practical abilities to the point where students at Cretin High School referred to him as “Brother Fix-It.” Miller was later sent to Guatemala where he taught, and he remained there until he was murdered. His killer was never identified and brought to justice, despite a long investigation.^[

Servant of God Joseph Muzquiz
(1912-1983)

He was a Spanish Catholic priest who was an early member of Opus Dei. He worked to establish the movement around the world. The cause for his canonization was opened by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2011

Servant of God Terence Cooke
(March 1, 1921 – October 6, 1983)

He was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of New York from 1968 until his death, quietly battling leukemia throughout his tenure. He was named a cardinal in 1969. Cooke previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1965 to 1967.

Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko
(September 14th, 1947–October 19th, 1984)
Laborers in the Vineyard of the Lord SEPTEMBER 07, 2020

He was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who became associated with the opposition Solidarity trade union in communist Poland. He was murdered in 1984 by three agents of Służba Bezpieczeństwa, who were shortly thereafter tried and convicted of the murder.

Servant of God Walter Ciszek 
(November 4, 1904 – December 8, 1984)

He was a Polish-American Jesuit priest of the Russian Greek Catholic Church who clandestinely conducted missionary work in the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1963.

Fifteen of these years were spent in confinement and hard labor in the Gulag, plus five preceding them in Moscow‘s infamous Lubyanka prison. He was released and returned to the United States in 1963, after which he wrote two books, He Leadeth Me and the memoir With God in Russia, and served as a spiritual director.

Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, O.Carm.
(January 21, 1893 –   January 21, 1984)
Giving Her Children Brown Scapulars

She was an Ireland-born immigrant to the United States. She was a Roman Catholic religious sister who worked as an advocate for the impoverished elderly, founding a new religious congregation for this purpose, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. Her cause for canonization has been opened, and her life has been acknowledged by the Holy See as one of heroic virtue.

Blessed Sandra Sabattini
(August 19, 1961 –May 2, 1984) (aged 22)
All Blessed Saints Day

She was an Italian diarist, medical student, and member of the Pope John XXIII Community [it], who was beatified by the Catholic Church on 24 October 2021.

Sabattini was raised in Rimini, living at the rectory of San Girolamo, whose parish priest was her maternal uncle.^[2][3] Aged 10, she began to keep a spiritual diary, which was posthumously published.^[3] As a young adult, Sabattini volunteered at a drug rehabilitation centre run by the Community, and pursued studies at the University of Bologna to become a missionary doctor.

On 29 April 1984, arriving at a Community meeting in Igea Marina with her fiancé, she was hit by an oncoming car, and died of her injuries three days later. Oreste Benzi, the Community’s founder, campaigned for her beatification. On 24 October 2021, Sabattini was beatified at Rimini’s Tempio Malatestiano by Cardinal Marcello Smeraro on behalf of Pope Francis.

Reverend Fr. John M. Corridan
(1911-July 1, 1984)
Catholic Bard Black Friday Special: More Saints | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

He was a Jesuit priest who fought against corruption and organized crime on the New York City waterfront. He was the inspiration for the character of “Father Barry” in the classic film On the Waterfront.

Servant of God Catherine Doherty 
(August 15th, 1896 – December 14th, 1985)
On The Road To Blessed Sainthood | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

She was a Russian-born Catholic activist who founded the Madonna House Apostolate in 1947. She was a pioneer in the struggle for interracial justice, spiritual writer, lecturer, and spiritual mother to priests and laity.

Sister Esther Newport, S.P.
(1901–1986)

She was an American painter, sculptor and art educator who founded the Catholic Art Association  and served as the founding editor of the Christian Social Art Quarterly.

Venerable Daniela Zanetta 
(December 15, 1962 – April 14, 1986)

She was an Italian member of the Focolare Movement in the Roman Catholic Church. From her birth she suffered from a rare skin disease that weakened her over time and which would cause skin tears and blistering. Her condition also forced frequent visits to the hospital and blood transfusions. Zanetta tried to put her illness behind her (offering her sufferings to God) so that she could live a normal adolescent life with her friends and in her free time collaborated with her local parish. Zanetta (since 1973) worked with the Focolare Movement that she joined after being drawn to their charism and that of its founder, Chiara Lubich.

Blessed Giuseppe Ambrosoli
( July 25, 1923 – March 27 ,1987)
Next To Be Blessed And Sainted | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

He was an Italian Catholic priest and professed member from the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus.^[1][2] He served as a doctor and surgeon as well as being a philanthropist and educator in the missions in Uganda. Ambrosoli studied before World War II when he once risked his life to smuggle Jewish people into Switzerland before returning home to finish his studies in medicine prior to commencing his ecclesial studies.^[3] He joined the Comboni missionaries and was sent to Uganda where he became known as the “saint doctor” for his loving and compassionate treatment of all ill people whom he dedicated himself to.

Servant of God Zita of Bourbon-Parma
(May 9, 1892 – 14 March 14, 1989)

She was the wife of Blessed Charles I, the last monarch of Austria-Hungary. As such, she was the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, in addition to other titles.

1990’s

Blessed Benedict Daswa
(June 16, 1946 –   February 2, 1990)

He was a South African school teacher and principal. He was given the name of “Samuel” by his parents when he started to attend school and assumed the name “Benedict” upon his conversion to Catholicism. A local mob murdered him after he refused to pay support for anti–Christian superstition.

Blessed Rosario Angelo Livatino
 (October 3, 1952 – September 21, 1990)
All Blessed Saints Day

He was an Italian magistrate who was murdered by the Stidda, a Sicilian Mafia-type criminal organization

Blessed Chiara Badano 
(October 29, 1971 – October 7, 1990: Aged 18)
Feast Day: October 29.
21 Young Saints and Their Companions  OCTOBER 09, 2020

She was an Italian woman who has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. At age nine she joined the Focolare Movement and received the nickname “Luce” (“light”) by the founder Chiara Lubich. When she was 16, she was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a painful bone cancer. Chiara died from the cancer on October 7, 1990, after a two-year battle with the disease.^[1] She was beatified on September 25, 2010, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love in Rome.

Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman 
(December 29, 1937 – March 30, 1990)

She was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church toward African Americans.

She became an evangelist among her people, assisted in the production of an African-American Catholic hymnal, and was a popular speaker on faith and spirituality in her final years, in addition to recording music. She also helped found the National Black Sisters’ Conference to provide support for African-American women in Catholic religious life. She died of cancer in 1990.

Father Vicente López de Uralde Lazcano
January 22, 1994 – Sept. 15, 1990)

Father Vicente López de Uralde Lazcano was a Spanish priest who was a beloved teacher and a sought-after confessor known for his Marian devotion.

After professing his vows in the Company of Mary, López de Uralde spent 62 years as a teacher and chaplain at the St. Philip Neri College in Cádiz, Spain.

When the school where he taught was occupied by militiamen during the Spanish Civil War, López de Uralde quickly sought to protect his students and to save the Eucharist.

After his retirement from teaching at the age of 70, López de Uralde dedicated more time to hearing confessions. He died at the age of 96 on Sept. 15, 1990. –Meet the six newest venerable servants of God in the Catholic Church – EWTN Vatican

Carlos Rodolfo Yaryez
(March 29, 1966 – Oct. 30, 1990)

Carlos Rodolfo Yaryez was born in Paraná, Argentina, on March 29, 1966, into a Christian family that shaped his future. His life was characterized by a constant search for God, which led him to become involved in Argentine Catholic Action, where he stood out for his apostolic commitment and his leadership.

His testimony of faith became even more evident when, after being diagnosed with leukemia, he accepted his illness with profound trust in God’s will. Throughout his life, he cultivated an intense spirituality based on the Eucharist, adoration, and devotion to the Virgin Mary. He died on Oct. 30, 1990, known for his holiness.

On May 8, 2023, the Archdiocese of Paraná announced the opening of his cause for beatification, recognizing his witness of dedication and Christian love. His memory lives on in places where he spent significant parts of his life, including the headquarters of Catholic Action and St. Martin Hospital, where plaques have been placed in his honor. –Meet 7 ‘Generation X’ Catholics on their way to sainthood | Catholic News Agency

Ven. Alphonse Gallegos, Chaplain of the Low Riders 
(February 20, 1931 – October 6, 1991)

Saint Irmã Dulce
(May 26, 1914 – March 13, 1992)

She was a Brazilian Catholic member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, who belong to the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. She is known worldwide as an advocate for the poor of her country and was the founder of the Obras Sociais Irmã Dulce (“Charitable Works Foundation of Sister Dulce”).

In 1949, Pontes started caring for the poorest of the poor in her convent‘s chicken yard in Salvador, Bahia.^[1] Today, more than 3,000 people arrive every day at this same site (where the Santo Antônio Hospital now stands) to receive free medical treatment. She also established CESA, a school for the poor in Simões Filho, one of the most impoverished cities in the state of Bahia.

At the time of her death in 1992, Pontes had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,^[2][3] she had received two personal audiences with Pope John Paul II, and she had, almost single-handedly, created one of the largest and most respected philanthropic organizations in Brazil. She was named the most admired woman in the history of Brazil by O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper^[4] and the most influential religious person in Brazil during the 20th century, by ISTOÉ magazine.

Venerable Fr. Patrick Peyton  – American Catholic History
(January 9, 1909 – June 3, 1992)

She also known as “the Rosary priest”, was an Irish-born Catholic priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and founder of the Family Rosary Crusade. He popularized the phrases “The family that prays together stays together” and “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

Peyton staged massive Rosary rallies in key cities of the world and extensively utilized mass communication, helped by world-recognized celebrities of Hollywood at that time, promoting his ministry of binding families through prayer under the Family Rosary. Peyton was a popular and charismatic figure in Latin America and the Philippines, where he promoted the rosary and was known for his strong Irish accent.

Venerable Aloysius Schwartz
(September 18, 1930 – March 16, 1992)

He was an American Catholic priest who ran social service programs for thousands of orphans in South Korea, the Philippines and Mexico.

Starting with few financial resources, he founded the Sisters of Mary of Banneux and the Brothers of Christ religious orders in South Korea and established numerous homes and schools for orphaned or neglected children.

Servant of God Niña Ruiz Abad
(October 31, 1979 – August 16, 1993)

She was a Filipino Catholic girl widely known as “the girl who always wore a rosary.

Father Jean Bernard
(August 13, 1907 – September 1, 1994)
Remembering the Holy Men and Women of World War II

He was a Catholic priest from Luxembourg who was imprisoned from May 1941 to August 1942 in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. He was released for nine days in February 1942 and allowed to return to Luxembourg, an episode which he later wrote about in his memoirs of the camp and which was turned into a film.

Gertrud Luckner
(September 26, 1900- August 31, 1995)
Remembering the Holy Men and Women of World War II

She was a Christian social worker involved in the German resistance to Nazism.

A member of the banned German Catholics’ Peace Association, she organized food packages for Jews deported to Poland and travelled in Germany to give assistance to Jewish families. On one such journey, she was arrested, and she spent the remainder of the war in Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was named as righteous among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1966.

Victor Manuel Schiavoni
(Nov. 24, 1977 – Sept. 7, 1995)

Victor Schiavoni was born on Nov. 24, 1977, in the Argentine district of Nogoyá. At the age of 14, he moved to Paraná to complete his studies at the Minor Seminary of Our Lady of the Cenacle.

With a deep religious vocation, he sought the contemplative life and entrusted himself to the Virgin Mary to discern his calling. During a pilgrimage to Luján in 1995, he expressed his desire to offer his life to the Virgin. Shortly after, he began to experience pain in his neck, which led to the diagnosis of leukemia. Despite the suffering, he accepted his illness with serenity, stating: “If the Virgin sends it to me, I accept it. I’m not going to complain.”

During his hospitalization, Victor distinguished himself by his joy, patience, and generosity, always prioritizing the well-being of others. He faced his illness without complaining and maintained a deep life of prayer. On Sept. 7, 1995, at the age of 17, he died, leaving a testimony of faith that impacted those who knew him.

His desire to be buried with the alb of a seminarian reflected his conviction that he had responded to the call of his vocation. His legacy inspired the opening of his cause for beatification, announced on May 8, 2023, by the Archdiocese of Paraná.

Meet 7 ‘Generation X’ Catholics on their way to sainthood | Catholic News Agency

Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin,
(August 18, 1969 – October 22, 1995)
On The Road To Blessed Sainthood | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

Pope Francis advanced the sainthood cause of a young mother who died of cancer after delaying chemotherapy treatment in order to save the life of her unborn child. The pope signed decrees recognizing the heroic virtue of Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin—along with two others—during a meeting on Aug. 30 with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
–A young mother delayed chemotherapy to save her unborn child. Now Pope Francis is advancing her cause for sainthood. | America Magazine

Gabriel Urgebadze 
(August 26, 1929 – November 2, 1995)

He was a Georgian Orthodox monk venerated for his dedicated monastic life and piety. With many miracles ascribed to him, Gabriel’s grave in Mtskheta has attracted an increasing number of pilgrims. The Georgian Orthodox Church officially canonized him as Holy Father Saint Gabriel, Confessor and Fool for Christ (წმ. ღირსი მამა გაბრიელი აღმსარებელი-სალოსი), on  December 20,  2012.

Rebeca Rocamora 
(September 7, 1975 – May 26, 1996)

 She a Spanish woman, who is in the process of canonization by the Catholic Church.

It was in the course of her youth when she fell ill again and was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma that ensured her only a few days to live. Being bedridden at home, from her bed she gave him encouragement and was attentive to family, friends and all those who visited her, being herself the one who gave them peace and a word of faith, offering her illness for all. She finally died on May 26, 1996, Pentecost Sunday, at the age of twenty, saying goodbye with a serene smile on his face.
“Accepting with pleasure the call of the Lord”: the life of the Servant of God Rebeca Rocamora Nadal – Podcast

Venerable Gaetana Tolomeo 
(April 10, 1936 – January 24, 1997)
All Blessed Saints Day

 was an Italian Roman Catholic.^[1][2] Tolomeo went through her entire life either confined to her bed or in a chair due to a progressive paralysis that rendered her disabled (she had suffered from this since her childhood to which no doctor could help alleviate).^[3] Throughout her life she gained a reputation for her piousness and the messages of the Gospel she sought to spread to others while a guest on a local radio station from 1994 until her death. Her time on the radio station marked her interest in reaching out for the conversion of sinners with an emphasis on reaching out to prostitutes or families in need

Saint Mother Theresa 
(August 26, 1910 –September 5, 1997)
Laborers in the Vineyard of the Lord

Saint Mother Theresa is a person whom is widely recognized as the face of Christ. Her supernatural love for Jesus in his distressing disguise of the poor is her trademark. She is often quoted in the homilies of the priest where I go to church. Although she was seen and acted as a widely smiley joyful person, inside she experienced deep darkness. One of her most attractive and imitative qualities is her commitment to act in faith like a committed follower of Christ even though she didn’t experience the consolation of it. She reminds us that it is important to act holy, not feel holy.

Blessed Eduardo Francisco Pironio
(December 3, 1920 – February 5, 1998)

He was an Argentine Catholic prelate who served in numerous departments of the Roman Curia from 1975 to 1996. He was named a cardinal in 1976 and Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina-Poggio in 1995.

 St. María de la Purísima Salvat Romero
(February 20, 1926 – October 31, 1998

She a Spanish religious sister of the sisters of the Company of the Cross. She assumed the religious name María de la Purísima of the Cross.

Romero was the successor of Angela of the Cross of the latter’s congregation and was known for her firmness in the progress of the congregation and in their role as servants of God and his people, also for her strong commitment to uphold the magisterium of the church.