“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