The diocesan process of the Cause of Canonization of Msgr. Gallegos was opened in Sacramento (California, United States) on the 4th of December 2005 and concluded on the 4th of November 2006. On July 4, 2008 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome granted the decree of validity of the diocesan process.
Now the body will be transferred to a new tomb which is more secured and fitting for a Servant of God. This will allow the faithful to have greater access to the tomb and to ask for his intercession
The Act of transferring to the new tomb will start in the afternoon of March 24 when the body will be brought to the cathedral of Sacramento for an afternoon mass and a whole night vigil. On the following day it will be transferred to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe where it will remain until March 27 when, after the midday mass to be presided by Bishop Jaime Soto, it will be deposited to the new tomb.
Towards the Canonication
The next step for the process of canonization is an intensive documentation, which is now on-going, known as Positio super virtutibus. It is a formal presentation which proves that Bishop Gallegos practiced virtues in a heroic manner. Once proven and approved, a miracle is needed for his beatification and still another miracle that he may be declared a saint.
Fr. Eliseo Gonzalez, an Augustinian Recollect co-postulator of the Cause of Canonization, has recently declared in a north American newspaper that “there are already many favours attributed to the intercession of Bishop Gallegos”.
Fr. Gonzalez has interviewed persons who have prayed for the intercession of the Bishop and, although there are no documented graces received yet, he pointed out the enthusiasm, familiarity and the joy of the faithful who told him related stories about the Bishop.
A Bishop dedicated to the Hispanics and the poor.
Msgr. Alphonse Gallegos was known for his extraordinary dedication to the needs of the Hispanics and the poor. The Augustinian Recollect Bishop exercised his pastoral ministry especially among the migrants, the elderly and the youth. He devoted much time for the formation of the young, especially the “low riders”.
For 7 years after his Episcopal ordination, Bishop Gallegos was a parish priest of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sacramento and resided in that parish during his years as auxiliary bishop of the diocese.
On the 6th of October 1991, after having completed his pastoral duties, Bishop Gallegos met a vehicular accident while trying to help his driver fix their car. With his death, the people lost a holy man, and a bishop dedicated to his ministry.