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The saints seem to be back in fashion!
Imagine, student of mine in a "religion" class of 1954, just sent me, for my 96th birthday, a fine little book, "The Essential Wisdom of the Saints". But then I ran across a remarkable and very different book by Robert Ellsberg: "All Saints". Finally, there is the very popular "My life with the Saints" by James Martin, S.J., who has such a special gift for talking to an American audience about the spiritual life.
... But what has all this to do about the Cause I want to talk· to you about?· Well, it's just· that these books reassure me, in the midst of today's· culture, so dominated· by the media, of the relevance of· holiness· and sainthood for our times. And· this, just when I was asked to be the liaison person among our friends in the· U.S. for Fr. Julio Navarro A.A. who,· in Rome, is the· Postulator of the cause of Beatification of Fr. Emmanuel d'Alzon, founder of the Assumptionists and of our sisters, the Oblates of the Assumption. And, THAT is the Cause I want to talk about.to you. But, first I want· to mention, in case you are not already aware if it,· Fr.· Julio's first issue of the Newsletter, "Signs of God" which will introduce you· more fully to the matter of the cause of Fr. d'Alzon's Beatification. To read it go to the homepage and click " About us", then "d'Alzon." Just a bit further on you should also find· a prayer for· beatification of Fr. d'Alzon, though, in praying alone for that cause you may make your own prayer from the· heart to God through the intercession of· Fr. d'Alzon..· Evidently, it is important to know· Fr. d'Alzon and a bit about his life before praying for his beatification. You may already know there is ample information about our founder on this website and if· you wish books about him· you can find reference to them under the section· Media, then Virtual Library, Look in particular for the· life of Fr. d'Alzon· by Gaetan. Bernoville and· for "Christ is My Life" By Andre Seve, A.A. These books can also be· purchased, I believe. at Amazon.
Hopefully with the first issue of "Signs of God and with my little input that is sufficient· to get our renewed promotion of the cause of Fr. d'Alzon's Beatification off the ground and running. What especially we are asking of you dear readers· and friends· of Assumption is your interest in this cause, your prayers for help, particularly for·· cures through the intercession of our Founder. For our Church, as you know,· requires a miracle obtained through the intercession of Fr. d'Alzon as a sign of his holiness before· she will beatify him. And, please, whenever you do· know of such help received, thanks to the intercession of Fr. D'Alzon let us know and we will forward the· good news· to Fr. Julio. We will also be happy to receive your comments or suggestions.····································· I plan, every now· and then, to be in touch with you and you will also be kept abreast of the progress of the cause· through· the quarterly Newsletter "Signs of God" appearing on this website. With that I close with a word about saints and· about Fr. d'Alzon.· Less and less do we believe in plastic saints but only in flesh and blood ones. Fr. d'Alzon· surely meets that standard. Saints are not perfect· human being.. Fr. James Martin· who considers the saints his friends· emphatically affirms this. I learned from him that the courageous martyr St. Thomas· More believed that it was good· to burn heretics at· the stake!. St. Rose of Lima thought· her beauty might be an obstacle to her· vocation so she disfigured herself, rubbing her face with pepper and lime. Saints are not copies; all are originals. But all saints are focused· on God and· live for the coming of His Kingdom. All saints give themselves unsparingly, out of love, to the service of God· and· in different ways care, with love and· compassion, for their brothers and sisters.
Fr. Andre Seve, a journalist who wrote "as he saw it " tells us in the first pages of his book Christ is MY Life", about the spiritual legacy of our founder,· that· he had a hard· time dealing with· the problem of idiom in· Fr. d'Alzon's writings as well as with his emotional make-up and some of his ideas, and opinions. Yet his final words are these: " It is the hallmark· of those who are magnificently alive· to be able to pass with ease from the broadest· horizons· to tranquil wisdom , and from long prayers to action on all fronts.· For they are the ones who unite depth with what appears only on the surface.· I· have watched Father d'Alzon so long that I can no longer separate him· from the· words of St. Irenaeus: "The glory of God is a man magnificently alive."
Fr. Oliver Blanchette, A.A.
50 Old English Rd
Worcester, MA 01609
blaoliver@yahoo.com
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