Salt + Light Blog

Welcome to the third of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André!

As I mentioned in previous blogs celebrating Br. André Bessette’s canonization, a Salt + Light crew traveled to the United States in July for the documentary on Br. André.  Our last stop was… Manchester, New Hampshire!  We wanted to stop by New England because Br. André spent time working in the mills there, and he frequently visited that area after becoming a Brother.  There we visited with the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Cross.

It was a real pleasure to have interviewed Sr. Carol Descoteaux CSC and Sr. Cecile Charette CSC.  I couldn’t believe how much of an influence Br. André has had and continues to have on the French-speaking communities in New England and beyond.  It was like spending time with his family members – that’s how well-loved he is there.

Sr. Carol and Sr. Cecile weren’t the only ones with personal stories and testimonies about Br. André.  I was so moved by the other Sisters who wanted to share what Br. André has done for them.  They met with me, gave me a hug, and shared their joy of knowing him.

Here are excerpts from their own accounts.

From Sr. Louise Audette CSC:

Sr. Louise Audette shares that her father, who was born in Farnum, PQ, personally knew Brother André Bessette CSC.  He considered Br. André as a brother and a friend.

After my father Ovila Audette and his family moved to North Grosvenor Dale, Connecticut, they received yearly visits from Br. André when he passed through town after visiting relatives in Sterling, Massachusetts, which was close by, right above the Connecticut border from us.  At age two, I developed a serious case of swollen/infected glands, and my parents called for the local physician. The doctor made an incision on each side of my neck and said, ‘I’ve done all I can; if these glands don’t burst and drain, your daughter will surely die’.  I was told that my dad, a man of great faith in God, began rubbing the oil of St. Joseph on my glands daily while, at the same time, pleading with Br. André to intercede before God for my healing. These prayers were answered.  The infected glands did burst and I have been blessed with a long, healthy life. To this day, I offer prayers of gratitude to both Br. Andre and St. Joseph for this miraculous cure…

From Sr. Carol Descoteaux CSC:

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Mary Rose Bacani

Fr. Andrew Gawrych greeted me with a smile, one humid summer’s day in July at Notre Dame University in Indiana.  He had just arrived to take up his new position as Associate Vocations Director for the Indiana Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross — a big job for a newly ordained young American priest!  Our Salt + Light crew filmed him talking about what he believes is Brother André Bessette’s profound approach to suffering.  Stay tuned October of this year for the Salt + Light production on the life, the heart, and the legacy of Brother André Bessette.

This is the second of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André.

AN ORDINARY, BUT GREAT, LOVE
By Fr. Andrew Gawrych, CSC

At the time I met Brother Donald Kuchenmeister, CSC, I had not yet heard of Blessed Brother André.  Brother Donald was the Holy Cross brother who ran the orphanage and foster home in Santiago, Chile, where I lived and worked as an exchange student back in 2000.  The orphanage, named Hogar Santa Cruz, was home to 30 children from as young as 3 or 4 to as old as 18.  Like all children the world over, they were easy to love.  But like all children who had lived through such suffering and pain in their young lives, they struggled to love.

Brother Donald loved each and every one of those children as if they were his own, and he helped them learn, little by little, how to love and be loved.  It was amazing to see how the children were transformed through his love and care.  And it was not as if he had discovered any big secret in terms of reaching out to at-risk children.  Instead, he simply loved them in all the little moments, day in and day out – like making meals for them, cutting their hair, playing bingo with them, or asking how their days at school had gone.  But it was through his fidelity to those little things that the depths of his love shone forth to those children.

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Mary Rose Bacani

Today he is 165 years old.  If he were still alive, that is.

Even before he died in 1937, people all over the world regarded him as a saint.  About two months from now, on October 17th, Brother André Bessette CSC will be the first Canadian-born male to be officially named a saint by the universal Church.

Salt + Light Television has been busy this summer filming a documentary on the life and legacy of Brother André in both English and French.   The filming has taken us to St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, to the Brother André archives of the Cantin family in London, Ontario, and to different parts of the United States.  Brother André had many friends and supporters from the United States and the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States still live out his spirit in their various ministries.

In the weeks leading up to the canonization of Brother André on October 17th, we will be presenting you with a series of blogs from some of the people we’ve met.  These people have much to say and share about Brother André in their lives and in the life of the Church.

One of the places we went to in the United States is Portland, Oregon.  Our crew visited the Downtown Chapel, a Roman Catholic parish located in the heart of Old Town Portland.  Its mission is to provide hope and healing to the most marginalized members of society.  Here we met Associate Pastor Fr. Ronald Raab CSC, who lives out the hospitality of Brother André everyday.

Starting today, you can follow Fr. Ron’s weekly blogs leading up to the canonization of Brother André.  You can read the first one by going HERE.

And stay tuned to our website for more information on the French and English documentaries airing in October!

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Mary Rose Bacani

Are you aware of the persecutions endured by our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters, in the past and at present?

In his May 28th National Catholic Reporter article, John Allen writes of the Greek Catholic Church’s sufferings in the past:

Under the Soviets, the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine was the largest illegal religious body in the world, and the most persecuted…..  During his 2001 visit to Ukraine, John Paul II beatified 27 Greek Catholic martyrs under the Soviets — one of whom had been boiled alive, another crucified in prison, and a third bricked into a wall.

The campus of Lviv's Ukrainian Catholic University

In the same article, he writes of the their sufferings in the present:  “Today, however, Catholicism in Ukraine may once again be at risk, as a new government has come to power which seems bent on reviving Soviet-style authoritarianism.”  On May 18, the Ukrainian secret police visited the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.  This is the only Catholic University in the former Soviet Union.  The Ukrainian secret police tried to get the university’s rector, Father Borys Gudziak, to sign a paper of cooperation in limiting student demonstrations.

In my Catholic Focus episode, The Light of the East Part 2, we met Fr. Roman Rytsar, who taught at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.  Fr. Borys Gudziak is the one who introduced him to the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute, an institute dedicated to spreading knowledge of the Christian East.  I invite you to pray and do what you can for our brothers and sisters in the East.

Read the rest of John Allen’s article HERE.

To view Light of the East, part 1 and 2, go HERE.

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Mary Rose Bacani

Doors Open Toronto, which took place a couple of weekends ago, opened my eyes to the city I live in.

Doors Open Toronto is an annual event in which the City of Toronto opens the doors of at least 150 of its buildings of architectural, social, or historical significance.  These are buildings you usually can’t go into, or can’t afford to go into.  Well, on this weekend of the year, they’re open and they’re free!

Faith Connections, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto, jumped on this initiative with their own initiative:  they invited young adults to participate in Doors Open Toronto with them.  Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt, Assistant Director for Faith Connections, chose a few buildings that the group would go to and reflect.  So, on the day of the “Hike & Prayer”, on Saturday, May 29th, I joined them.

The Adventure Begins

Around 30 of us met up in front of St. Michael’s Cathedral at 1:30 pm.  Faces of all ages and backgrounds, some whom I remember from the Busy Person’s Retreat earlier this year, greeted me warmly.  Some had an “exotic” story.  Three American girls came from Detroit to visit a friend for the Memorial Day weekend.  They searched the internet for what’s going on, and decided to spend the day with  us!

Our “Hike and Prayer” program highlighted six places to visit, including the Ontario Heritage Centre and Regis College.  At each spot, we were to ask ourselves:  “Did this space evoke a sense of the Sacred?  Why or why not?”

The place that really stayed with me was the first location — St. George Greek Orthodox Church.

Faith in colour

Outside, it looks like an ordinary building.  Inside, it is a wonder of colour, history, and art.  This is St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church on 115 Bond Street.  The vividness of the colours inside this Orthodox church is awe-inspiring.  The iconography is the story of faith written in colour, an exposition of theology through art.

When the tour was over, we reflected on what we saw.  We were touched by how this place was so God-centered in every way.  Also, the reverence for Mary in a few Marian icons was so apparent.  Our tour guide told us: “She is considered wider than the heavens because she contained in her womb what even the heavens could not contain.”

Reflecting on our heritage

In his address during the Evening Vigil with Young People at Downview Park for World Youth Day 2002, Pope John Paul II encouraged us to be builders.  We must build a civilization of love, brick by brick, within the city of man.  I learned on Saturday that each of us is a builder on a spiritual level.  And we should also pray for the people who build such wonderful works of art in our city.  May each building they work on embody something of God.

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Mary Rose Bacani

The pile of books on her desk gave it away.

At the end of January, our Salt + Light secret service spotted a pile of books about Catholicism on her desk.  But she’s not Catholic, so it was odd.

Two months later, Salt + Light CEO Fr. Thomas Rosica announced that she would be entering full communion with the Catholic Church.

Two months after that, she was confirmed as a Catholic  — 23-year-old Danielle Jones!  Danielle was already baptized in the United Church when she was a child, so she went straight to Confirmation and First Communion. The actual date was this past Sunday, the feast of the Holy Trinity, and the location our Salt + Light chapel.  Fr. Rosica received Danielle into the Church and celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist with her and a host of friends.

Danielle has been working with us as Junior Editor for the past 2 ½ years.  She came to Salt + Light as a graduate of the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University.  I caught up with her a couple of days after her big day:

Danielle, what was your faith background before becoming a Catholic?

My dad’s side is strictly from the United Church, but my mom’s side has a mix of Anglicans and Evangelicals.  However, there are a few Catholics on my mom’s side.  It was my mom’s side that showed up on Sunday, about 15 to 17 of them.  It’s funny ’cause my great-grandmother is Catholic.  So all my aunts and uncles said, “Granny won!”

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Mary Rose Bacani

In March, I went to the only place in North America where you can obtain a doctoral degree in Eastern Christian Studies – the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute.  So if you’ve ever asked yourself “Do I know enough about the Eastern Catholics who form part of my Catholic family?”, read the rest of this blog.

In my Catholic Focus episode The Light of the East, part 1, I explored the identity of the Eastern Catholic Church.  In part 2 of The Light of the East, I focus on the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute, an educational institute in Ottawa that spreads knowledge of the Christian East.

In this second part, Fr. Peter Galadza, who teaches at the Institute, gives me a tour and introduces me to many interesting students of different faith backgrounds.  I also learned about the faith journeys of three students:  Fr. Roman Rytsar, who brought his family from Ukraine to study at the Sheptytsky Institute; Olenka Galadza, wife of Fr. Peter Galadza, who has had seven generations of married Eastern Catholic priests in her family; and finally, Andrew Bennett.  Andrew Bennett was raised a Roman Catholic but now belongs to the Eastern Catholic Church.  He speaks very highly of both “lungs” of the Catholic Church, the East and the West, and of how his faith discovery led him closer to God.

Tune in tomorrow, May 26th, or Saturday, May 29th, at 7:00pm and 11:00pm ET for the Catholic Focus episode The Light of the East, part 2:  The Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute.

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Mary Rose Bacani

What is euthanasia really about?  Dignity?  Compassion?  Human rights?  Or is it something else altogether?

We need to find the answer because the euthanasia debate is heating up again!  In an interview with the newspaper Le Devoir a few days ago, Bloc-Québécois Member of Parliament Francine Lalonde explained that the Euthanasia bill C-384 will have its second hour of debate today (April 20th) in Ottawa and go to the second reading vote on Wednesday, April 21st.  This means that the vote on euthanasia in Canada is coming sooner than we expect.

Join me for Catholic Focus: Euthanizing Medicine, which explores the issue of euthanasia and the identity of the medical doctor.  Guests include Shannon Joseph, a young engineer and development officer from Ottawa who started a website forum for doctors against euthanasia; young medical students, caregivers, and doctors who share their insights into the issue; and Dr. Margaret Somerville, author/speaker/professor from McGill University in Montreal, who has been speaking and researching about euthanasia for over 30 years.

Tune in to Salt + Light Television, or watch us online, on Wednesday, April 21st and Saturday, April 24th, at 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm ET.

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Mary Rose Bacani

The euthanasia (or the “right to die with dignity”) issue has been rearing its head in Canada for the past 20 years. The issue has already gone, unsuccessfully, before the Supreme Court of Canada. Bill C-384, introduced by Bloc Québécois MP Francine Lalonde to the Parliament of Canada, is the latest attempt. Even the Quebec College of Physicians is calling for the legalization of euthanasia in Canada.

What does the euthanasia bill really state? How does its legalization impact the fields of medicine and law? Close to 150 doctors in Quebec felt strongly enough about the issue to present a brief before the Quebec College of Physicians last fall, stating that they believe euthanasia is not acceptable in any circumstance. Fifteen medical students — from Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, McGill University, Université Laval and the University of Ottawa — all wrote a powerful piece that was published in the National Post on November 18th, 2009. In it, they say:

The end of one’s life implies physical and psychological suffering. Medicine can ease the pain for the most part, but the overwhelming reality of physical deterioration remains. Do we lose ourselves when we lose our health? The human being is marked by a desire to be loved in spite of illness and misery. This need for an affirmation of intrinsic worth, despite vulnerability and dependence, cannot be satisfied by suicide, which is an expression of nihilism; as if at some point our humanity could have no value. We, future physicians, will be watchful never to intentionally kill those patients who will be entrusted to us. Rather we will be witnesses to their beauty.

Shannon Joseph is an engineer and Development Officer who has worked with World Youth Alliance, a group that promotes the dignity of the human person in international policy and in culture. In fact she was just returning to Ottawa from her time with them in New York when she heard about Bill C-384. She started a website called Canadians for Care as a response. (Read the blog on Shannon’s site entitled A message to my Canadian neighbors, written by a doctor from Oregon, where assisted suicide is a legal option – it’s a good one). After looking through her website and after conversations with her, I decided to work on a Catholic Focus episode that touches on the identity of the medical doctor and euthanasia. I met and interviewed some of the brave doctors and medical students mentioned above.

Dr. Margaret Somerville, Director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics & Law at McGill University, shares with me her insights of 30 years of research on the subject of euthanasia. There are so many materials and websites on euthanasia out there, so where to start? If any of you are wondering the same thing, try these three: www.mercatornet.com, www.LifeIssues.net and the chapter on euthanasia in Dr. Somerville’s book The Ethical Canary.

In my Catholic Focus episode, you’ll hear not only from Shannon Joseph and Dr. Margaret Somerville, but also from those working in the field of medicine – medical students, caregivers and doctors. Join me on Wednesday, April 21st and Saturday, April 24th at 7 and 11 pm ET for the Catholic Focus episode “Euthanizing Medicine”.

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Mary Rose Bacani

In 2007, I began working on a project commissioned by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board in Ontario: to create 10 short vignettes that would highlight how 10 virtues (which they had pre-selected) are being put into action in their school communities.  We called this joint venture The World I Know:  Virtues in Action.  It became so much a part of my life from 2007 to 2009 because I saw the great good that could come out of it.

This project was very well-received by the Dufferin-Peel CDSB schools and by other school boards.  Salt + Light then decided to create 10 half-hour episodes of virtues in action.  To these vignettes were added 10 real-life testimonies from high school students about their struggles with living virtuously, as well as 10 stories of how saints have inspired the vocation of young priests and religious in the living out of the virtues.

It’s been a while, but FINALLY, the DVD set that contains the 10 half-hour episodes is out!!!

I very much encourage schools, students, youth groups to check this out, not because I worked on it, but because….  there’s no better way to teach about the virtues than to show virtues LIVED.  In a time when our young people really need role models of authentic Christian living, it is refreshing and inspiring to meet people who admit they struggle with the challenges of living a Christian life, but they do it anyway.

Find out more about The World I Know: Virtues in Action, by going HERE.

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Mary Rose Bacani