On Friday October 17, Pope Benedict XVI will pronounce Br. André Bessette a saint in the Consistory Hall of Vatican City in Rome. The celebration of sainthood will take place in Bessette’s hometown of Montreal on October 30. Many Hoban students and faculty will be making the trip to Montreal.
Bessette joined the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1874 and was assigned to be doorkeeper and barber at a school run by Holy Cross in Montreal. There he created his reputation as a healer due to special oil he would rub on wounds that would suddenly heal.
Bessette died on January 6, 1937, at the age of 91, was venerated in 1978 and beatified in 1982. Pope Benedict XVI announced on February 19, 2010, that Bessette would finally be acknowledged as a saint.
“It’s such a big deal because so few people from North America are canonized,” campus minister Scott Kopp said.
Not only are members of the Hoban family excited but also those of the Holy Cross community.
“We are honored and moved beyond words at Brother André’s formal recognition as a saint,” Rev. David Tyson, C.S.C., Provincial Superior of the Indiana Province of Holy Cross said in a written statement. “Not only because this immensely humble man is the Congregation’s first recognized saint, but because he is such an extraordinary example for every Catholic of every age.”
Hoban students making the pilgrimage include seniors Sammi Heil and Taylor Blankenship.
“I hope by making the trip I develop a better relationship with God through Br. André’s canonization,” Heil said.
Blankenship agrees but also hopes to grow in her relationships with her peers.
“I want to go on a religious retreat with my peers… and become closer to my friends,” Blankenship said. “I also hope to learn more about Brother André from this trip.”
Kopp is looking forward to the Montreal trip as well.
“The whole city [Montreal] is going to celebrate so it will be exciting,” Kopp said.
[Source: Hoban Visor]
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