David is in town with me this weekend. It’s always fun for twins to be re-united! We’re going to hang out and enjoy our 3 day weekends. One thing we decided to do was to visit the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio, our favorite shrine (and believe me we’ve been to many). We’re going on a pilgrimage there today, so please keep us in your prayers. Of course, we’ll both have photos and comments.
Occasionally, I am very moved by stories I hear about famous people. Today, I had that feeling when I watched a video in class on Blessed Brother Andre Bessette during a guest lecture given by a wonderful brother (who has really become a friend) at the school where I teach. He also passed out information and a relic card that holds a cloth that has touched Andre’s body. Br. Andre was a member of the Brothers of Holy Cross, the order probably most famous for Notre Dame University.
His difficult life started when he was hastily baptized because he was so sickly that his parents feared he would die. At a young age his father and mother both died and, barely literate, he did odd jobs around his native Canada. He took an interest in the Brothers of Holy Cross, but was initially refused membership due to his poor health even though his referring pastor wrote, "I am sending you a saint." At the intervention of a local bishop, however, he was finally allowed to join the order. His job was that of a humble doorkeeper to the local boy’s school. He joked, "At the end of my novitiate, my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for forty years." He was extremely faithful, and in his great faith, he knew that Mount Royal (in Montreal) would be dedicated to St. Joseph. Although the archbishop didn’t allow anyone to go into debt to build it, Andre started building the chapel anyway, adding as much as he could afford as time went on.
Br. Andre was also known for his power of healing and thousands reported miracles at his hands and through his prayers. He would anoint them with the oil from the candles in the chapel. St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal has scores and scores of crutches that are a testimony to Br. Andre’s faith. He, however, was humble to the end, insisting "It is St. Joseph
who cures. I am only his little dog." He also visited with pilgrims for hours each day and received thousands of letters from the Faithful each year.
When he died in 1937, over a million people visited his funeral, a testament to his faith and the working of God through him. He was beatified by John Paul II in 1983 and his cause for canonization is steadily advancing.
Blessed Brother Andre, 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
Blessed Br. Andre, Pray for us
Links:
Catholic Online: Angels and Saints (source of prayer)
Holy Cross Brothers
St. Joseph Oratory (Montreal)
The Pontificator weighs in on evangelical Anglicanism, especially the writings of Dr. Paul Zahl, dean of Trinity School for Ministry (Episcopal). As always, from his points and the comments, I’ve learned a lot.
As a side note, I always wondered where the true Anglican evangelicals were in the USA. England is full of them and so is the rest of the world (you know, the ones who hang up the 10 Commandments in the sanctuary). I used to laugh when liberal Anglicans would refer to the more conservative Anglicans as "fundamentalists." I have never met a truly evangelical Episcopalian in my life, let alone a fundamentalist. Side note ended.
PS- Look at the painting of the cathedral the Pontificator has included that was "Calvinized." Awful, awful.
Yes, to myself. After owning Orthodox convert Jaroslav Pelikan’s wonderful books on the development of doctrine for about 4 years now, I’ve finally finished them. I started re-reading the first in the series about 6 months ago and had steadily progressed until today when I ended this great series. I can’t recommend them highly enough. They are a great overview of Christian doctrine from the beginnings of the Church until the time of Vatican II.
Here are the individual books:
