Got Saints? We do!
Posted by Danielle Bean in Faith on Monday, October 18, 2010 10:00 AM
Well, this was an exciting weekend! I feel like everyone should congratulate me. Here’s the news: Our parish’s official name went from Blessed André Bessette to Saint André Bessette.
Yesterday, Pope Benedict celebrated the canonization Mass for André Bessette, along with five other new saints.
I am thrilled to have St. André Bessette as our parish patron because he has local ties to New Hampshire and Quebec (where my mother is from). What a thrill to see Canadian flags waving at the Vatican! What a thrill, too, for our friends “down under” to celebrate the canonization of Mary MacKillop (now St. Mary of the Cross), the first Australian saint.
I find the canonizations of these two saints especially inspiring because they both lived in time periods so close to our own. Publicly recognizing their faithfulness emphasizes the fact that the saints are real people. Real people that we have photographs of, have records of, and have not too distant memories of.
With our Church’s rich history, it can be easy to begin to think that becoming a “saint” is something people only did long ago. I love the “old” saints, but I think there’s something especially inspiring about the “new” ones too.
More modern saints and this weekend’s celebrations are a helpful reminder of the fact that we are all called to be saints. Yes, even you and me, living in this modern time. St. André Bessette and St. Mary of the Cross, pray for us!
St. André Bessette, your devotion to Saint Joseph is an inspiration to us. You gave your life selflessly to bring the message of his life to others. Pray that we may learn from Saint Joseph, and from you, what it is like to care for Jesus and do his work in the world. Amen. (source)
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