The story of a canonization

Transcription

1 N 29 Number 29 December 2014 Centre d animation François-de Laval Newsletter EVENT The story of a canonization By Father Roger Laberge, RSV, postulator We asked Father Roger Laberge, postulator for the cause of François de Laval, to share with us the short story of how our new saint was canonized. Fr. Laberge has been working on this cause since February Saints François de Laval and Marie de l Incarnation were canonized by a special process termed equipollent or equivalent. This should not be viewed as a cut-rate form of canonization a thorough investigation is carried out before the Pope declares sainthood. Equivalent canonization occurs when the Pope, through binding adjudication, extends the cultus of a Servant of God (a person not yet canonized) to the entire Church, by adding his or her feast day and divine office to the calendar of the universal Church. This is the Pope s definitive declaration of the Servant of God s sainthood. An exacting process This is done without any formula of canonization or legal proceedings just the creation of a document that will be presented for verification and approval to the cardinals and bishops appointed by the Pope, without the usual ceremony in the Vatican. According to the teachings of Pope Benedict XIV, three requirements must be fulfilled for this type of canonization: 1) a long-standing cultus, 2) an ongoing, common attestation of the candidate s virtues or martyrdom, made by theologians and credible historians, and 3) an uninterrupted reputation for miracles or favors obtained. If these conditions are confirmed and requests have come in from a number of bishops or episcopal conferences, the Supreme Pontiff can proceed with equivalent canonization. October 2013 This is when our story begins. The Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints came to me knowing, I suppose, that I was the postulator for the Cause of Monsignor de Laval and asked, Are you the postulator for the Cause of Marie de l Incarnation? I replied that the Jesuit fathers had probably taken charge of her Cause. A few days later on October 23 the Monsignor Secretary reentered the picture and ended up advising me that the Holy Father was thinking of granting equivalent canonization to Blessed Joseph de Anchieta, the missionary who founded the Church in Brazil, and our own two missionaries who founded the church in Canada. Upon hearing this news, I reminded him that I had reached the age limit set by the Vatican for working on Causes and the Séminaire de Québec had already been in touch with a successor, at my request. A misunderstanding had to be avoided. The Secretary then decided to confirm me in this position, as a postulator in deferment. The next day, we had to contact the elected postulator to ask him to hold off on taking up his recent appointment. (Continued on page 2)

2 Contents The story of a canonization (Continued from page 1) Event The story of a canonization Event A momentous occasion for the Church in Canada Now available at the Centre...5 Highlights Petitions for intercession to Saint François de Laval...5 Press release François de Laval now a saint of the universal church...6 Photo Album...7 Iconography Update... 8 Saint François de Laval Number 29 December 2014 Contact us Centre d animation François-de Laval 20, rue De Buade Québec (Québec) G1R 4A1 Phone: centre@francoisdelaval.com Visit our website: This newsletter is published twice a year and sent for free by mail. It can also be found in PDF format on our website. Executive Editor: Jean Duval Contributor: Daniel Abel Roger Laberge Jacques Roberge Copyeditor: Benjamin Waterhouse Graphic design: Lecourscommunication.com Print run: 2,500 copies, available in French and English We care about the environment. By voluntarily signing on to our distribution list, you will help us minimize our use of paper. If you write us at centre@francoisdelaval.com, you will receive all forthcoming copies in PDF format. Thank you. Legal deposit: Library and Archives Canada ISSN On October 29, I was summoned along with the postulator for the other two Causes to see the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Amato, and the Secretary, His Excellency Marcello Bertolucci. The postulator s duty was to gather all items required, request a few letters of postulation in addition to those received at beatification, compile some 200 pages of documentation for each Cause, and submit it all by January 21, The entire body of work would be bound into a single volume, called a positio, which represented all of the items required for this step. A research endeavor And so the work began. Research cannot be completed overnight, and writing this type of report is a sensitive task that must reflect the various shades of meaning, to ensure all items will be understood. An additional concern was the short timeline: three months. So there was an urgency to the task We needed to set out arguments demonstrating the timeliness of this canonization and produce a biography of Blessed François de Laval. The perpetuation of the cultus of François de Laval, which continues to grow since his tomb was transferred from the outside chapel at the Séminaire to the cathedral in Quebec City in 1993, also had to be demonstrated. A final aspect was the need to relate the story of the Cause from the time of his beatification in 1980 through to today, and to depict the iconography, not to mention highlighting St. François de Laval s own spirituality, his reputation for miracles, and the continued favors. And of course as if things weren t complicated enough all of this work had to be done in complete secrecy. Getting in touch with people who could provide the information we sought, without the word getting out, was not always an easy task. The Séminaire de Québec superior general and other people in Quebec City, who were no doubt aware of the importance of our work, provided me with valuable help. November On November 8, I met with the Relator, whose function is similar to that of a thesis advisor, to present the recently completed biographical summary. It was rejected. The Relator required a more substantial biography. On November 26, Cardinal Marc Ouellet was also summoned by the Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to update him on the status of this canonization undertaking. He eagerly agreed to write a letter of postulation for both Causes. Better yet, he advised me to base my biography on historian Gilles Bureau s work published in 2011, François de Laval et son époque [François de Laval and his era]. I needed to pull the essential parts out of a tome full of pictures and notes, since we were limited to 200 attributed pages, in order to meet all the other requirements a task that entailed cutting out of fat. Changes along the way Contrary to my fellow postulators recommendations, one of the Relator s requirements was the inclusion of letters from the Blessed. I was faced with two opposing instructions and a higher level of stress. Space would be even more restricted and I would have to make some choices. To ensure an even more rigorous approach in compiling the documents, the Relator insisted I check the new exemplar letters in the Vatican s secret archives and the Propaganda Fide archives. A tripartite meeting with my fellow postulators was required from time to time, so we could share information on how the work was progressing. After some reflection, the leaders of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints agreed that each compilation could be presented in a separate volume, thus exempting us from the 200 page limit for each Cause. Good news well, almost since the Relator now found that certain documents were too brief. And the deadline was approaching (Continued on page 3) 2

3 The story of a canonization (Continued from page 2) Father Roger Laberge, RSV, holds the Positio super canonizatione aequipollenti and is joined by his fellow collaborator, Father Yvon Sabourin, RSV (April 6, 2014). January You ll understand that serving as postulator for a single Cause is generally not a full-time endeavor. What this meant is that I had a number of other Causes to look after, as well as my ministry in a parish in Rome. My nights were disrupted by these various concerns and the highly sensitive nature of this particular file. The secret, which was gradually becoming known, had to be contained as much as possible and people s curiosity diverted. In early January, I had to make a decision: suspend my parish commitments and, on a doctor s advice, take several days of forced rest. Father Yvon Sabourin, a fellow priest in my community, came out to help me. He got down to the task, consulting other people so he could flesh out what had been put together so far and rework some presentations. By late January, the definitive form of the document was thus ready for submission to the Relator, who confirmed he was highly satisfied with it. The job is done The typographer then took charge of printing the work. A volume of 354 pages, bound in a red cover as dictated by official presentation standards, was delivered to each person who would be assigned the task of judging the Cause. A total of 50 copies were printed for delivery to the various jurisdictions and people involved. Those in charge were satisfied with the work done and able to present it to the cardinals and bishops the Pope had appointed to this role. They would in turn study it and advise the Pope if all of the documentation met the requirements in place for canonization. This meeting took place on April 1, 2014 and the response was entirely positive. On April 3, His Eminence the Prefect officially met with the Supreme Pontiff to discuss these canonizations. Following the presentation to the Pope, His Holiness acknowledged that all requirements for this type of canonization had been met and proclaimed the cultus would be extended to the universal Church. François de Laval, Marie de l Incarnation, and Joseph de Anchieta were officially declared saints. Although no special ceremony exists for an equivalent canonization, Pope Francis added a Thanksgiving celebration liturgy in honor of these new saints, which he would say at a suitable time. This celebration was held on Mission Sunday October 12, 2014 as several Canadians were concluding their pilgrimage to the places in France the new saints had been to. Our Archbishop Emeritus, Monsignor Maurice Couture, who had also worked on this undertaking, can now recall the words of the prophet Simeon: Nunc dimittis, my greatest wish has now been fulfilled. Almost there My work isn t quite finished. A proposed text for the apostolic letter setting out the decree for these canonizations was submitted to the Supreme Pontiff, then translated into Latin and corrected. Everything seemed ready, but the person at the Secretariat of State who would be tasked with hand copying the apostolic letters had a heavy workload. Our much valued letter will then be submitted to the Pope for his signature. I will have to get it back and send it to the party in charge of this Cause the Séminaire de Québec. Only then will my work be completed. 3

4 EVENT A momentous occasion for the Church in Canada By Reverend Jacques Roberge, superior general of the Séminaire de Québec Following is the speech delivered by the Séminaire de Québec superior general, Canon Jacques Roberge, at the joint press conference held by the Archbishop of Québec, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, and Sister Louise Gosselin, Mother Superior General of the Ursulines Canadian Union, when the canonizations of Saint Marie de l Incarnation and Saint François de Laval on April 3, 2014 were officially announced. Today s event is a momentous occasion for the Canadian church, and especially for the Church in our diocese and for the Séminaire de Québec. The canonization of François de Laval is an event we have long awaited and hoped to see become a reality. The process that culminated in today s announcement was begun on May 2, 1880 by Monsignor Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Archbishop of Québec (who was made a Cardinal in 1886). Monsignor Taschereau created a diocesan archiepiscopal Court at the time, which was assigned the mandate of studying the life and virtues of Monsignor de Laval, and the miracles attributed to his intercession. This tribunal sat for more than three years, and its findings were then sent to Rome. Ten years later in 1890 Pope Leo XIII completed his study of the file and signed the decree introducing the Cause of François de Laval, at which point he was granted the title of Venerable. On February 28, 1960, Pope John XXIII signed a new decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the first bishop of New France. In 1980, Pope John Paul II beatified François de Laval. He was then referred to as Blessed and could be revered in a more widespread cultus. Today, François de Laval is being canonized by Pope Francis, which means he has been proclaimed an exemplar of evangelical life and a pastor in the universal Church, and his feast day, now part of the calendar of saints, will be celebrated throughout the universal Church. We are therefore witnessing, today, the culmination of a long process involving a number of participants, including the bishops of our diocese, the biographers of François de Laval, the postulators and vice-postulators for the Cause, and closer to home those who run the Centre d animation François-de Laval, who worked to ensure the first bishop of our diocese was more widely known and loved. From among these individuals, I would like to recall the memory of the late Monsignor Georges-Édouard Demers, who devoted a good part of his life to working for the Cause of François de Laval. I would also like to emphasize the work of Canon Jacques Lemieux, Vice-postulator for more than 30 years, who is locally based. While Pope Francis announcement today is, to some extent, the fruit of our predecessors work, it primarily confirms the qualities François de Laval s contemporaries always saw in him. As soon as he arrived in New France, the young bishop was able to touch the hearts of the faithful in his diocese. I would say that he lives the life of a saint and an apostle, wrote Marie de l Incarnation. This is a pious man, she continued, a father to the poor and the public [ ] He gives away everything and lives a life of poverty one could say that he is endowed with the spirit of poverty. He is admired throughout the country. Reverend Jacques Roberge, superior general of the Séminaire de Québec François de Laval also had a great love for the sick. He liked to visit them at the Hôtel-Dieu, console them, be there for them through their suffering, and help them as much as he could. Attempts were made to keep him away from the sick, out of fear that he might contract some deadly disease or other, but nothing could stop him or hamper his tremendous spirit of charity. Following his death in 1708, the intendant wrote the court in France: Immediately after his death, the people canonized him, so to speak, venerating his corpse as is done for saints crowds converged from all over while his body was exposed on his bed of state and in the church, to touch their rosaries to him [ ] They even cut off pieces of his robe, which many had placed in silver and treated as relics. The first bishop of New France, imbued with the grand evangelical virtues, was also a dynamic, ingenious, and audacious pastor. Upon arriving in a country where nothing had yet been built, he followed his inspiration and centered his mission on his seminary, which he founded in The Séminaire served a dual role, as an institute for training the clergy and as the heart of the diocese, a residence for all its priests. François de Laval s diocese encompassed the whole of North America with no parish boundaries. He quickly realized that to start out by setting up parishes, each with its own resident priest, would be pointless. The population was too sparse and the first inhabitants too poor to build churches and rectories for the priests to live in. The first priests in his Séminaire were therefore missionaries. They traveled from one region to another, visiting their flock and administering the sacraments. They returned to the Séminaire their home base, so to speak to recharge, regain their strength, and then leave again. To meet the needs of his Séminaire, François de Laval had the daring and acumen to purchase with his own funds the Seigneurie de Beaupré and Île d Orléans. He (Continued on page 5) 4

5 A momentous occasion for the Church in Canada (Continued from page 4) bequeathed it all to his Séminaire, so his successors could continue his work after his death and support the church he had founded. Today s canonization of François de Laval is the culmination of a long process and, above all, the strongest form of encouragement to the priests at the Séminaire de Québec to continue this great human and spiritual adventure their founder, now a saint, embarked upon in 1659 with the people of this country. We will work to make him more widely known, convinced that his firm adherence to his faith, his determination, and his daring will continue to inspire the women and men of today as they pursue their mission: announcing the Good News and building an even more just society. Many will no doubt find in him the strength and courage they need to take on today s challenges and overcome the difficulties we encounter. In this hope, Saint François de Laval invites us to think big and believe in the future of our Church. We therefore welcome this event the canonizations of François de Laval and Marie de l Incarnation as an extraordinary gift bestowed by Pope Francis. He offers these two founding figures of the Canadian church as role models today, exemplifying faith and perseverance in our mission, as well as love for the poor, the sick, and the little ones; and also as model educators in short, grand examples of Christian life. Now available at the Centre Booklet for the feast of St. François de Laval, May 6 The CCCB has updated the booklet consecrated to St. François de Laval. This publication now contains the Proper of the Mass, texts for the Liturgy of the Word, notes for preparing a homily, monitions, and any new suggestions for prayers of repentance, universal prayers, and chants. Visit our e-store at shopsouvenirs1.html DVD: François, apôtre de l Amérique [François, apostle for America] This documentary presents François de Laval, the first bishop of Quebec. Produced in 2014 by Salt and Light, in French only, 50 minutes. PRICE: $ 9.50 PRICE: $ HIGHLIGHTS Petitions for intercession to Saint François de Laval 23,272 intentions recorded since ,117 intentions, on average, yearly Since 2011, more intentions have been written in English than in French In 2013, 49% were in English, 43% in French, and 8% in Spanish 79% were family-related: for healing, reconciliation, wishing to have a child, meeting one s soul mate, a legal problem, work-related, a conversion, compulsive behaviors, or a deceased member. 21% prayed to him for the Church and its decisionmakers, vocations, peace in the world, money or immigration problems, his protection, or to thank him for various favors obtained. 5

6 PRESS RELEASE Here is the press release put out by the Séminaire de Québec on April 3, 2014, when the canonization of François de Laval was officially announced. APOSTLE FOR AMERICA François de Laval now a saint of the universal church The community of priests at the Séminaire de Québec greets Pope Francis proclamation of canonization for their founder, Monsignor François de Laval, in a spirit of joyful thanksgiving. This news was a happy conclusion to the festivities marking the 350th anniversary of the Séminaire de Québec s inception, a few months ago, and an extraordinary complement to the jubilee of Notre- Dame parish, also created by Monsignor de Laval in This parish church became the cathedral for the diocese of Quebec in 1674, when the Vatican agreed to designate the apostolic vicariate of New France, established in 1658, as a brand-new diocese. We also rejoice with the Ursuline community in Quebec City. Marie de l Incarnation, the founder of their order who was also declared a saint today, was an invaluable supporter of François de Laval s mission. Both of these historic figures showed ingenuity, daring, and determi nation in meeting the needs of this still-quite-fragile nascent country. Over the past three centuries and more, our two communities have worked side by side, witnessing events together that have left their mark on our history. We share our joy with all those who have hoped and prayed for this day for years, and we note with pride that this exceptional pastor and great witness to the faith in Jesus Christ is now presented to the entire Church as a possible role model. For the Séminaire de Québec priests, today s announcement of François de Laval s canonization is not the completion of a process, but a form of encouragement to continue this wonderful human and spiritual adventure that the monsignor embarked on in 1659, for the people of this country. We will work to make him better known, convinced that his determination and perseverance will continue to inspire the women and men of today as they pursue their mission of announcing the Good News and building a better world. Many will certainly draw strength and courage from him to take up our challenges and overcome the difficulties we encounter. In this hope, François de Laval invites us to think big and believe in the future. Believers will learn, from his example, to never despair and to trust in the providence of God, who has always answered our calls. A life of prayer led this man a humble missionary to actions whose effects remain evident today. The man who met with everyone was never reticent in his support for the weakest members of society, putting right injustices, and eliciting respect for the dignity of Natives. We therefore invite everyone from here and elsewhere to participate in the celebrations of joy and thanksgiving that will be held in the next few months. FOR MORE INFORMATION To learn more about the various events marking the canonizations of Marie de l Incarnation and François de Laval: ECDQ.tv portal: Diocese of Quebec website (French only): beta.ecdq.org Séminaire de Québec website: sme/index_eng.html The Centre s website: Photographer Daniel Abel s website: 6

7 EVENT Photo Album 1 2a 2b (Photo: Daniel Abel) 3 4 (Photo: Daniel Abel) (Photo: Daniel Abel) (Photo: Daniel Abel) François de Laval a reformist, reformed bishop? This was the topic explored on May 21 of this year by the Reverend Gilles Routhier, dean of the Faculty of theology and religious studies at Université Laval. While skillfully playing on the ambivalence of these two terms, this Council of Trent specialist presented a new and until then unseen human and spiritual dimension of our recently canonized saint. This event was organized by the Faculty, in conjunction with the Séminaire de Québec and the Monseigneur-de Laval research chair. 2- Pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint François de Laval On January 1 of this year, Monsignor André Gazaille, bishop of Nicolet diocese, officially announced the name of a new parish comprising a number of Princeville communities: Bienheureux-François-de Laval [Blessed François-de Laval]. The canonization and the Holy Door provided the pastoral team with an opportunity to lead a pilgrimage to his tomb not once, but twice: by bus and on foot! A trek of roughly 100 kilometers. 3- From François de Laval to Laval We responded to the invitation from Bienheureux- François-de Laval parish to travel to Laval, so St. François could be presented to the faithful during various celebrations and a conference on October 18 and 19. This picture shows a number of young people surrounding the altar, along with the chairperson and Monsignor de Laval during the family Mass in Saint-Gilles church. Our thanks to Father Jean-Pierre Messier, the parish priest, and Jeannine Custeau for their warm welcome and excellent support. 4- A special May 6 this year The feast day of François de Laval May 6 was imbued with special emotion this year: This was the first Mass said for Saint François de Laval, with Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix presiding, as well as a number of guests in attendance and tremendous public participation. 5- The first Saint-François-de-Laval parish May 6 of this year was also the day Monsignor Gérald C. Lacroix agreed to a request set out in a letter from the parish priest, who sought on behalf of the faithful to have the parish name Bienheureux-François-de Laval, established by Monsignor Maurice Couture, changed to Saint-François-de Laval. In this picture, the decree is signed in the presence of Chancellor Jean Tailleur, parish priest Claude Gagnon, Monsignor Maurice Couture and His Eminence. 6- Thanksgiving Mass in Quebec City The canonizations of François de Laval and Marie de l Incarnation were marked by a grand celebration in Quebec City, at the cathedral, on May 18. The Mass was said by the Archbishop of Quebec in the presence of a papal representative, Monsignor Luigi Bonazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Canada. 7- Thanksgiving Mass in Rome A group of 135 Canadian pilgrims accepted Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix s invitation to join a pilgrimage In the steps of Saint François de Laval and Saint Marie de l Incarnation that took them first to France and then to Rome for the Thanksgiving Mass said by Pope Francis on October 12. 7

8 Update In 2006, Quebec artist Marius Dubois completed this fresco depicting François de Laval s immense diocese and his love for the Natives. This was the culmination of an extensive series of orders intended to embellish the Immaculate Conception chapel in the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica with representations of Marie de l Incar nation (2005), Catherine de Saint-Augustin (2004), Kateri Tekakwita (2003), and Brother André (2000). Only 20 days after the canonization, the artist added a halo. (Photos: Daniel Abel) Funeral chapel of Saint François de Laval ICONOGRAPHY But we should not let this hectic pace defeat us; men have the capacity to destroy, but Our Lord s hand is infinitely more powerful in building. We simply need to be faithful to Him and let His will be done. Centre d animation François-de Laval twitter.com/centrefdl Next issue: May 2015