17 October Will Make Official What We Already Know

The only thing I would clarify is that he didn't actually do the healing. God healed through him. & while he is primarily a Canadian saint, we also have a right to claim him because of the time he spent working here in the USA. In fact we already have his feast on our calendar for 6 Jan. This means that the rest of the Church can now share in our celebration of what God & St. Joseph did through him. (Note: usually a blessed can only be celebrated in his home country. However, as I pointed out, Blessed Andre spent some time here in the USA we were allowed to celebrate it as well. The fact that Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha lived in both the USA & Canada & is thus already on both the US & Canadian calendar is another example.)

For me this is an exciting time. I know some people downplay the need for new saints, & esp those who aen't saints. But we need new saints, lay & religious, even more today than ever. We need their example o show us that the Gospel message can be lived out today as it was in past centuries. & without comprimising the Gospel either like so many want to do these days.

Hopefully DBQ will soon see local boy (& Italiano immigrant) Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli OP declared blessed. Sadly, but not surprizing for those who have read my recent posts on Sinsinaa Mound, they are downplaying his evangelistic work to make it sound like he was a PC inclusive person who didn't try to bring Jesus to the natives or convert them. His whole life in the USA was spent declaring Jesus as Lord by word & deed. In 1864, he died of pneumonia, having contracted the illness while visiting the sick on a bitterly cold winter morning. To the end he was more concerned about bringing the Sacraments to those in need that for his own health.

Brother André to become saint
Montreal's beloved Holy Cross brother considered a healer by Catholics

Pope Benedict XVI has approved Brother André, the founding cleric of St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, for sainthood.
The announcement came after Pope Benedict XVI held a consistory, a formal meeting with Roman Catholic cardinals, at the Vatican on Friday morning.

Brother André was one of six candidates being reviewed for sainthood. All six will be formally canonized on Oct. 17 at the Vatican.
Sainthood was also approved for Mother Mary MacKillop, the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Australia's outback; Stanislaw Soltys, a 15th-century Polish priest; Italian nuns Giulia Salzano and Battista Varano, and Spanish nun Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola.
Brother André was tremendously popular among French-Canadians and gained a reputation for miraculous cures that endured after his death.
He will become the 11th saint in Canada, according to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, including eight from the country's earliest days.
For Cardinal Archbishop of Montreal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Friday's announcement by the Vatican has its own modern-day significance.

"This morning, there were two news stories," Turcotte said at a press conference at St. Joseph's Oratory, which is tucked into the slope of Mount Royal, overlooking the city. "The first, obviously, is the Olympics: we won a gold medal.
"This is also a gold medal."
Turcotte went on to praise Brother André as "a humble man" whose "faith could move mountains."
"This is a long-awaited moment of which we are proud," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also welcomed the news of Brother André's canonization.
"His canonization confirms the devotion of the countless people who came to him for help during his life, the million who attended his funeral and the two million who visit St. Joseph’s Oratory every year," Harper said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office.
“Brother André’s life shows us the power of faith and the importance of concern for the sick and others in need."
Montreal Archbishop Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte will comment about the announcement at a St. Joseph Oratory news conference Friday.
Founded Montreal landmark
Brother André was born Alfred Bessette on Aug. 9, 1845, to a large Catholic family in the town of St-Gregoire-d'Iberville, Que.

100 years of St. Joseph's Oratory