Tuesday, October 19, 2010

André should be a model for all, archbishop Turcotte says

“Now Brother André is officially recognized. He is celebrated the world over. And we’re very happy.”

The words, from Jean-Claude Turcotte, archbishop of Montreal, sparked a spontaneous standing ovation Monday for the new St. André Bessette.

More than 2,000 pilgrims from Quebec and around the world packed every nook and cranny of the grand, 17th-century Sant’Andrea della Valle church for a mass of thanksgiving, the crowning touch to a weekend of celebration in the Eternal City.

A day earlier, Brother André, who died in 1937 at age 91 after spending much of his religious life as porter and faith healer, was recognized as a saint by Pope Benedict XVI in a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.

Standing below a massive painting of the crucifixion of St. Andrew the Apostle, Turcotte quoted Brother André, who once said, “Don’t ask God to remove your trials but rather to give you the strength to endure them.”

Brother André “became a saint because of his intimacy with God,” Turcotte said. “He became a saint because he loved God and placed himself entirely at the Lord’s servcie.”

Turcotte urged those assembled to use the humble lay brother André as a model.

“Almost every day for decades and decades, he would go to his office on the mountain and listen to those who came to tell him about their trials, their hopes, their small and big miseries, their disarray and often their despair,” he said.

”He listened, he prayed, he urged them to have confidence in God.”

Though the Vatican declared Brother André to be St. André Bessette, Turcotte referred to him by the name Montrealers are expected to use.

“Saint Brother André is the apostle of welcomeness and charity,” Turcotte said.

“His example invites us to look into ourselves with humility and to recognize how we fall short of these two evangelical attitudes.”

Among those attending the mass were Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay, Quebec International Affairs Minister Monique Ganon-Tremblay and federal Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

After the service, the pilgrims streamed out of the church to music performed by St. Peter’s Basilica’s Venerabile Cappella Giulia choir and the Accademia Musicale San Pietro orchestra: Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

SIC: TMG/CAN