In his zeal to obey the Lord’s command, Rogate, St. Hannibal Mary wanted to ‘hire’ saints that would support this zeal of his, his rogationist ideals. Thus was born the practice of proclaiming Heavenly Rogationists and Heavenly Daughters of Divine Zeal. In St. Hannibal Mary’s mind, by declaring them as such, they now belong and are aggregated to the Congregations of the Rogationists and the Daughters of Divine Zeal.

Indeed, St. Hannibal Mary, by all means, formed men and women at the service of the Rogate, and called for the help of other religious, priests and faithful through the Sacred Alliance and the Pious Association of the Evangelical Rogation. Also, he was looking for outstanding Rogationists who could be of help not only for his Work but for the entire Church through the Rogate. He thought: “The triumph of the Rogate is not our concern only, indeed, more than for us, it matters first of all to all the Saints in heaven. They can therefore protect our Congregation consecrated to the Rogate, obtain numerous vocations for them, and simultaneously pray so that the Lord himself may send labourers to the Holy Church. They will be, therefore, exactly Heavenly Rogationists and Daughters of Divine Zeal.”

In a draft for a circular letter, around 1911, St. Hannibal Mary dreamt of a Heavenly Alliance of Co-Founders, Supporters and Protectors and reiterated his conviction that as we had been granted adhesions by the earthly Sacred Allied, with greater certainty, this adhesion will come from the heavenly hierarchy if we ask for it… “it would be impossible that we could not obtain this Heavenly Alliance”. Therefore, in 1913 he wrote a set of regulations of the One Heavenly Pilgrim Congregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus: it was a little complicated project, a kind of musing – he wrote to Fr. Vitale-. He resumed these ideas later, but more simply, speaking only of Heavenly Rogationists and Daughters of Divine Zeal, who will be proclaimed with an appropriate prayer formula.

The proclamations were initially made only by the FDZ. In 1916, with the declaration of St. Francis of Sales and then Venerable Don Bosco, this pious practice started also for the Rogationists. In the spirit of faith, certainly, and in the economy of the foundation of Fr. Hannibal, the support of the Saints, first through their enrollment among the Rogationists, and then through their intercessions and prayers, was a guarantee of certainty and development.

This custom is significant because it is spiritually consistent with the life of Saint Hannibal Mary and the institutions he formed.

Lists of the Heavenly Rogationist and Daughters of Divine Zeal

1. St. Vincent Mary Strambi, bishop, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed Jan. 1, 1951)
2. Servant of God Sister Louise of Jesus, foundress, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
3. St. Paul of Thebes, the first hermit, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 15, 1916)
4. Jeanne-Marguerite de Montmorency, hermit, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
5. St. Maurus, abbot, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 16, 1916)
6. St. Anthony Abbot, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 17, 1916)
7. St. Paul, the Apostle, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 29, 1916)
8. St. Apollonia, virgin and martyr, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
9. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, nun, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
10. Seven Holy Founders of the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, heavenly Rogationists (proclaimed on Feb. 11, 1916)
11. St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Feb. 27, 1936)
12. Blessed Henry of Susone, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 21, 1926)
13. St. Frances of Rome, religious, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
14. Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, heavenly Rogationists (proclaimed on March 10, 1916)
15. St. John Baptist de La Salle, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on May 15, 1916)
16. St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest and martyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Apr. 24, 1916)
17. St. Mark, the Evangelist, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Apr. 25, 1916)
18. St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Apr. 28, 1916)
19. Saints Philip and James, apostles, special patrons of the Congregation, and heavenly Rogationists (proclaimed on May 1, 1916),
20. St. Irene virgin and martyr, heavenly Daughter of Divine zeal
21. St. Dominic Savio, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Mar. 9, 1950)/li>
22. St. Matthias, apostle, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Feb. 25, 1916)
23. St. Paschal Baylon, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on May 17, 1916)
24. St. Bernardine of Siena, priest, apostle of the Name of Jesus, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 31, 1919)
25. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
26. St. Philip Neri, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on May 25, 1916)
27. St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on June 21, 1916)
28. St. Joseph Cafasso, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed June 23, 1951)
29. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on June 24, 1916)
30. St. Thomas, apostle, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 21, 1915)
31. St. Benedict, abbot, patron of Europe and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Mar. 21, 1916)
32. St. Camillus De Lellis, priest, heavenly Rogationist, (proclaimed on Aug. 18, 1916)
33. St. Bonaventure, bishop, and doctor of the Church (proclaimed on July 14, 1920),
34. St. Pompilio Maria Pirrotti (proclaimed on July 15, 1938),
35. St. Elijah, the “Prophet of the Divine Zeal”, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on July 20, 1916)
36. St. Mary Magdalene, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
37. St. James the Greater, apostle, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on July 25,1917
38. St. Martha, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
39. St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on July 31, 1916)
40. St. Alphonsus Maria di Liguori, bishop, and doctor of the Church, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 2, 1916),
41. St. Cajetan of Thiene, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 7, 1916)
42. St. Dominic De Guzman, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug 4, 1916)
43. St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 10, 1916)
44. St. Clare of Assisi, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
45. St. Jane Frances de Chantal, religious, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
46. St. John Berchmans, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 13, 1919)
47. St. Bernard, abbot, and doctor of the Church, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 20, 1916),
48. St. Pius X, pope, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 20, 1951)
49. St. Rose of Lima, virgin, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
50. St. Bartholomew, apostle, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on 24/08/1916),
51. St. Joseph Calasanz, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 27, 1916),
52. St. Augustine, bishop, and doctor of the Church heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Aug. 28, 1916)
53. St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Sep. 21, 1920)’
54. St. Vincent de Paul, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on July 19, 1916),
55. St. Jerome, priest, anddoctor of the Church, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Sep. 30, 1920),
56. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
57. St. Teresa of Avila, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
58. St. Gerard Majella, religious, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on 16/10/1915),
59. St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop, and martyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Jan. 02, 1916),
60. St. Luke, the Evangelist, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Oct. 18, 1915),
61. St. Peter of Alcantara, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Oct. 19, 1915);
62. St. Paul of the Cross, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Apr. 28, 1928)
63. St. Anthony Mary Claret, bishop, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Oct. 24, 1950),
64. Saints Simon and Jude, apostles, special patrons of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationists (proclaimed on Oct. 28, 1915),
65. St. Stephen of Messina, martyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Oct. 29, 1915)
66. St. Charles Borromeo, bishop, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 4, 1915)
67. St. Stanislaus Kostka, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 13, 1919),
68. St. Gertrude, virgin, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
69. Sts. Ampelius and Caius, martyrs of Messina, heavenly rogationist
70. St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal
71. St. Clement I, pope, and martyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 23, 1915
72. St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and martyr, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
73. St. Leonard of Port-Maurice, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 26, 1915)
74. St. James of the Marches, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 29, 1915)
75. St. Andrew the apostle, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 30, 1915)
76. St. Francis Xavier, priest, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 03,1915)
77. St. Nicholas of Bari, bishop, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 6, 1915)
78. St. Ambrose, bishop, and doctor of the Church, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 7, 1915
79. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, heavenly Daughter of Divine Zeal,
80. St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Nov. 24, 1915)
81. St. Stephen, protomartyr, heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 26, 1915),
82. St. John, apostle and evangelist, special patron of the Congregation and heavenly Rogationist (proclaimed on Dec. 27, 1915),