Macau Opens Cause for Canonization of Salesian Missionary Who Served Asia’s Marginalized for Decades

In a significant development for the Church in Asia, the Diocese of Macau has officially opened the Cause for Canonization of Fr. Gaetano Nicosia, SDB, a Sicilian-born Salesian missionary who dedicated nearly five decades of his life to caring for people affected by leprosy and disabilities in Macau, China.

According to Fides, the announcement was made through an edict by Bishop Stephen Lee Bun Sang of Macau, following a request from the Salesian Postulator General, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni. The process also involved the transfer of jurisdiction from the Diocese of Hong Kong to Macau, underscoring the missionary’s lasting impact in the region.

As Fides reports, the edict invites the faithful in Macau, Hong Kong, and beyond to share any information, favorable or otherwise, concerning the holiness and public reputation of Fr. Nicosia.

Born in San Giovanni la Punta, Sicily, in 1915, Fr. Nicosia arrived in China in 1935 to begin his missionary journey. He was ordained a priest in Macau in 1946 and spent the following decades ministering to youth and marginalized communities in Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China.

His mission took a decisive turn in 1963, when the Bishop of Macau asked the Salesians to take charge of the leper colony in Ka Ho, an isolated area on Coloane Island. As documented by Fides, not even government-assigned doctors ventured into the colony. Yet, Fr. Nicosia responded with compassion and courage. Over the next 48 years, he transformed the neglected outpost into a thriving, dignified community, constructing homes, installing a clean water system, building a power generator, and even starting a small farm. Many residents, once stigmatized and forgotten, were healed and reintegrated into society through his holistic ministry.

His deep empathy was rooted in a childhood encounter with a photo of a leper in a missionary magazine. Unable to bear the image at first, he later thought: “She’s someone like me! Jesus, forgive me.” That moment stayed with him for life.

Fr. Nicosia’s charitable reach extended beyond Ka Ho. In Macau, he established a school and hospital for people with disabilities, significantly changing public attitudes toward those living on the margins. Even in his final years, following a serious accident in 2010, he remained a witness to selfless service. In a touching moment captured by Fides, he met Pope Francis, accompanied by Cardinal Joseph Zen, shortly before his death in 2017.

Fr. Nicosia passed away at the age of 102, lovingly cared for by the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Mary’s Home in Hong Kong.

The Diocese of Macau has extended the edict announcing the Cause to the Diocese of Hong Kong, the Diocese of Catania (Italy), and the Patriarchate of Lisbon, inviting collaboration in gathering testimonies and evidence of the missionary’s heroic virtues.

Fr. Nicosia’s story is a powerful testament to the Asian Church’s spirit of compassion, intercultural mission, and solidarity with the poor. As Fides notes, the Church now invites the faithful across Asia and the world to pray for his beatification, honoring a life that crossed continents but was always rooted in love for Asia’s most forgotten.