Saints and their Modern Day Meaning

Sunday was a big day for the Church, Canadians and Australians. Six new saints and some modern day resonance in Vatican Ceremony that made headlines around the world and introduced the globe to a range of new saints.

For Canadians of course the focus was on the Canonization of Brother Andre, a humble man who faced many difficulties throughout his life with prayer, devotion and a steady stream of good works. His life inspires even the most jaded and the most secular, as did the other men and women canonized today. The Pope in a Homily on Sunday suggested "May we, following his example, search for God with simplicity to discover Him always present in the core of our lives. May the example of Brother Andre inspire Canadian Christian life." While in Quebec, where Brother Andre is a hero and a saint, as well as a true cultural reference point, new immigrants found the occasion one of hope for the future and others reflected on the links with the past. Of course the truly “Quebec Celebration” of the country’s newest saint is set for the end of the month. The Church in Quebec has a great ‘tag line’ for the celebration and the new saint: “Brother André, a Friend, a Brother, a Saint.” For those who missed the ceremonies, there is a wealth of video to absorb.

On the other side of the planet, Australia was celebrating its first saint and did so both in Rome and at home in classic Australian style. Sister Mary MacKillop, a near contemporary of Brother Andre and an equally fervent devotee of Joseph, is known by some as the “Whistle-Blower” saint and has been suggested as the ‘patron saint’ of victims of clerical sexual abuse. Sr. MacKillop’s story is as dramatic as Brother Andre if a tad more controversial. She started her order at the age of 24 and by the time she died the Sisters of Saint Joseph had 750 members. The order worked and works with the poor and the indigent. There are still arguments today about whether she was actually ex-communicated for 5 months for informing on a priest who was suspected of molesting children. While much is made of this arguably brave and bold outing of a priest-abuser, there was no mention of that in the Pope’s references to her in his Homily today. Rather Benedict XVI cited her "saintly example of zeal, perseverance and prayer”. Father James Martin thinks the canonization carries a clear message, “Only recently has the church begun to see whistleblowers as necessary -- and holy.”