The Windows
 
               
 
          
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
 
1568 – 1591       Italy      Feast Day: June 21
 
Aloysius, which is the Latin form of 'Louis', was born into a wealthy and powerful noble family in Castiglione Delle Stiviere, near Mantua in northern Italy.  He was the eldest of 7 children. 
 
He trained as a soldier from the age of 4.  At 8, he was sent to Florence for more education and training at the court of the Grand Duke.  There he became ill with kidney disease.  During his illness, he spent a lot of time in prayer and reading about the saints. 
 
It is said that he took a private vow of chastity when he was 9 years old.  He received his First Holy Communion at 12 years of age.  He decided that he wanted to become a missionary and join a religious order.
 
            In 1581 he went with his family to Spain.  While he was there, he had contact with Jesuits, and when the family returned to Italy, he decided to join the Society of Jesus, rather than the Capuchin monks.  His father was absolutely against this because it would mean that Aloysius was giving up his right to his inheritance.
 
 In the end, Aloysius persevered, his father gave in, and at the age of 17, Aloysius entered into the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Rome in November 1585.  At 19, he took his vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and at 20 he was ordained a deacon.  He never did become a priest. 
 
In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome.  Aloysius cared for the sick in a hospital set up by the Jesuits.  Due to his poor constitution, he found the work difficult and "revolting", but he continued to work with the sick and dying. 
He became ill with the plague and died on June 21, 1591, shortly after his 23rd birthday.
 
He was beatified on 19 October 1605 and canonized on 31 December 1726.
 
Patron Saint of youth, students, Jesuit novices, AIDS patients, AIDS caregivers, and sufferers of pestilence, we chose to depict St. Aloysius as he is the namesake of our Church and St. Aloysius School.  He is an inspiration for the youth of our parish.
 
 
                                          
St. Jerome
 
347 – 420     Dalmatia / Pannonia    Feast Day: September 30
 
Jerome, in Latin 'Hieronymus', was born around 347 in Stridon, Dalmatia.  His parents were well-to-do Roman Christians.
 
He was sent to Rome to study grammar, rhetoric, and philosophy.  Jerome was a good scholar, having an excellent memory and a talent for languages.  He was baptized while he was in Rome.
 
In 367 he made a long trip to Trier in Germany.  There he was drawn to monkhood. He decided that he would serve only Christ as a Christian scholar.
In 370 he travelled to Aquileia, where he met friends who felt that it was best to serve God in learning and contemplation.  They spent their time practicing a lifestyle of self-restraint, discussing various theological problems, Jerome advised many pious women who came to learn how to better practice their faith.
 
From 372 to 374 Jerome made a pilgrimage to visit all the Christian holy places.  He never achieved his goal, though, because he fell ill in Antioch. During this time, Jerome learned Greek. 
 
                Influenced by a vision he had, Jerome decided to enter monastic life.  In the solitude of his cave near Chalcis, he suffered much for Christ, because this hermit's life was very difficult for him.  To divert his thoughts, he read many books, wrote commentaries, notes and letters, and even learned Hebrew!  After two or three years, he gave up this lifestyle and returned to Antioch where he became a priest.  He travelled to Constantinople. Here he began his work as a translator.
 
From 382 to 385 Jerome went back to Rome and became the secretary and trusted advisor of Pope Damasus I.  Pope Damasus entrusted him with the task of revising and translating anew the Latin bible "Vulgata", because of the Greek and Hebrew base texts. This work was to take him decades.
 
                After the death of Pope Damasus, Pope Siricius had no understanding of Jerome's scholarly work, and Jerome's enemies rose against him.  He tried being a hermit again for a short while, before travelling to Palestine and settling in Bethlehem in 386.
In Bethlehem, he continued his translation work.  He helped St. Paula found 2 cloisters and a convent.  He became the abbot of the men's cloister He wrote books, commentaries, translated several works, wrote epistles, and various theological writings.  He corresponded with many important people of the day. In later life, despite a problem with his eyes, which made reading impossible, he continued to dictate and to write.  For 34 years he lived in Bethlehem until he died in 420.
                He is often portrayed wearing the red robes of a cardinal, but he was never a cardinal since that position did not exist at the time he was secretary to the pope. 
He is one of 33 saints named "Doctor of the Church". Patron Saint of translators, librarians, encyclopaedists, archeologists, bible scholars, school children, and ascetics, we chose to honour St. Jerome as he is the namesake of St Jerome’s college chapel, the foundation of St. Aloysius Church and an important part of St. Aloysius parish history. 
                                            
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
 
1873 -1897             France          Feast Day: October 1
 
Thérèse, born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin, was one of nine children, only five of whom lived into adulthood.  She was born on January 2, 1873, in Alençon, France.
 
Her mother died of cancer when Thérèse was only 4, and this had a profound impact on her.  Her sister, Pauline, became like a mother to her.  When, 5 years later, Pauline entered the Carmel to become a Carmelite nun, Thérèse became very ill with a fever.  It was thought that she would die, but she saw the statue of Mary, which was in her room, smile at her, and suddenly she was cured. 
Already at the age of 9, Thérèse wanted to enter the Carmel like her sisters Pauline and Marie but was told that she was too young.  She went on a pilgrimage to Rome with her father when she was 14.  They had an audience with Pope Leo Xlll, and she asked the pope for his permission to enter the convent.  He told her to obey the bishop, who had told her to wait until she was older.  Not too long after their return home, she was allowed to become a novice. 
 
Thérèse became a postulant in the Carmel community of Lisieux in April 1888.  The Carmelite sisters led a very strict and austere life, spending much time in prayer.  On entering the Carmel, she took the name Thérèse, Child of Jesus.
 
She became a novitiate in 1889.  At this time, she requested and was permitted to add to her name "the Holy Face", becoming Thérèse, Child of Jesus and the Holy Face.  She took her vows as a nun in September 1890.
 
She realized that she had many flaws and that to become a saint, she would need God's help to "climb the steep stairway of perfection". She understood that she couldn't do great deeds, so instead, she would "remain little, become still less".
 
Her motto was "Love is repaid by love alone." 
 
She offered her life in prayer and sacrifice for the salvation and sanctification of others, especially priests.   She died at the age of 24.  Thérèse promised to spend her time in heaven doing good on earth.  This was her "shower of roses".
 
She is also famous for her spiritual memoir, The Story of a Soul, which is compiled of three separate manuscripts.  The impact of her writing was profound.  Pope Pius X started the canonization process in 1914.  Pope Benedict XV dispensed with the usual 50-year wait, and based on her "heroic virtues" declared her "venerable".  She was beatified in April 1923, and she was canonized by Pope Pius Xl in May 1925.
 
She is one of 33 saints named "Doctor of the Church". Patron Saint of aviators, missionaries, florists, gardeners, sufferers of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and those who have lost their parents, we chose to honour St. Thérèse the little flower, as an example for our youth, we don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.   We also chose to depict her as she is one of our more modern saints.
 
                                             
 
St. John Paul ll (the Great)
 
1920 – 2005        Poland        Feast Day: October 22
 
Saint John Paul ll was born Karol Józef Wojtyła on May 18, 1920, in the town of Wadowice, Poland.  By the time he was 22, he was the only remaining member of his immediate family.
In 1938, he and his father moved to Kraków so he could study at the Jagiellonian University.  He studied philology and as many as 12 different languages.  He was athletic, played sports, participated in theatrical groups, and did his compulsory military training, but he refused to fire a gun.
In 1939 invading Nazi forces closed the university.  Wojtyla did a variety of jobs to avoid deportation to Germany. His father died of a heart attack in 1941.  Wojtyla then started to think about entering the priesthood.
In 1942 he asked the bishop for permission to study to become a priest.  He attended classes at a secret seminary run by the Archbishop of Kraków. He was ordained a priest in November 1946.  He went to Rome and continued to study and in 1947 earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology. 
In 1948 he was assigned to a parish in Niegowić, Poland. A year later saw him transferred to a parish in Kraków.  As well as being a parish priest, he taught at 2 universities and continued his studies.  In 1954 he earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology. 
He rose in the ranks of the Catholic Church, being named auxiliary Bishop of Kraków in 1958, then Bishop of Kraków in 1959, Archbishop of Kraków in1962 and in 1967 he was named a Cardinal -Priest.
He took an active role in many Church events and discussions including the Second Vatican Council, various synods, formulating the encyclical Humanae Vitae etc.
In 1978, Pope John Paul l died after only 33 days in office, and Wojtyla was chosen as his successor.  He chose the name John Paul ll.  At only 58 years old, he was the youngest pope since Pope Pious lX in 1846.  He was also the first non-Italian pope in 455 years! 
During his pontificate, he travelled to over 129 different countries.  He continued to write and to expound upon the teachings of the Church, he met with representatives of other religions, he tried to reconcile people to the church and did many other papal tasks.
 
He died on April 2, 2005, aged 84 years.  He was canonized on April 27, 2014, by Pope Francis.
 
Patron Saint of Poland, World Youth Day, young Catholics, we chose to honour St. John Paul II by depicting him in our windows.  St. Aloysius Parish participated in World Youth Day in Toronto where many of our parishioners were able to be in attendance. The window will give an everlasting personal connection to an influential and empowering symbol of the Catholic faith.



                                              
St. Don Bosco
 
1815 – 1888     Italy     Feast Day: January 31 
 
Don Bosco (John Bosco - in Italy the surname of a priest is preceded by 'Don') was born on August 15, 1815, in Becchi, Piedmont (Italy).  He was the third son of a poor farmer.  His father died when he was two, and his mother, Margherita, struggled to support her family.  She was very pious, and influenced John greatly, setting him on the path to becoming a saint.                                                                                                                                              
At the age of 9, he had a dream which strongly influenced his life. From that time on he wanted to become a priest.  He learned tricks from travelling acrobats, jugglers, and magicians.  He had a talent for storytelling.  He would gather the boys of the neighbourhood around him and show off some of the tricks he had learned.  The price to see this show would be saying the rosary or listening to a re-telling of Sunday’s sermon.
When he was 16, John was finally able to get more than basic schooling.  He excelled so well, that he was able to enter the seminary in Chieri, and in June of 1841, he was ordained a priest.  He had his pick of good assignments but chose instead to dedicate his life to the education of youth.  John was aware that many of the boys in the slums of Turin were illiterate, both in letters and in spiritual knowledge.
Don Bosco met the first of 'his boys' in December of 1841.  He spoke to the boy, fed him and encouraged him to come back with his friends the next Sunday.  The following Sunday he returned bringing 6 friends.  After three months there were 50 boys who trusted in Don Bosco.  He played with them, instructed them, and celebrated mass with them.  He called this his 'Oratory".
The numbers of boys under his care continued to grow.  Some of the boys whom he had helped decided to follow in his footsteps.  So, in 1859, Don formed the "Society of St. Francis de Sales."  This was the start of the Salesian Order.  He also allowed lay ministers in his order, whom he called "coadjutors".  In 1871, with Mary Mazarello, he founded the 'Daughters of Mary Help of Christians” to work with girls as the Salesians were working with boys. In 1874 he founded the "Salesian Co-operators" for those who wished to work with youth but did not wish to join a religious order.  The Salesian order spread throughout the world, first in Europe, later in South America, India, etc.
 
Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888.  He was canonized on Easter Sunday (April 1) 1934 by Pope Pius Xl.  He was given the title, "Father and Teacher of Youth".
 
Patron Saint of apprentices, stage magicians, boys, school children, students, labourers, we chose to depict St. Don Bosco for his work with the youth.  We also hope that he will continue to encourage lay parishioners to participate in the education of youth by his presence in our Church.

 
                                             
St. Faustina Kowalska
 
1905 – 1938     Poland      Feast Day: October 5
 
Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in Glogowiec, Leczyca County, Poland on August 25, 1905.  She was the third of ten children.  Helena wanted to become a nun from an early age.  When she was 16 she took work as a housekeeper to support herself and to help her parents. 
When she was 19 she had a vision that impelled her to join a convent as soon as possible.  She travelled to Warsaw and approached several convents which all turned her away.  After a few weeks of looking, she was accepted by the Congregation of the sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, provided she could pay for her religious habit. 
In April 1926, at 20 years old, she entered the convent and took the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.  She took her first vows in April 1928. 
She was sent to a convent in Wilno in 1929, and then to Plock in 1930 where she stayed for 2 years.  The first signs of her illness began to show while she was in Plock.
            On February 22, 1931, Faustina had a vision.  Jesus appeared to her, wearing a white garment, with red and pale rays streaming out from his heart.  In her diary she wrote that Jesus told her "Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature, 'Jesus, I trust in you'.  I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world.  I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish."  In this vision, Jesus also told her that he wanted the Divine Mercy image to be blessed on the first Sunday after Easter and that that Sunday would be the Feast of Mercy. Faustina did not know how to paint.  It took her three years to find an artist, Eugene Kazimierowski, to paint the image according to her instructions.  It was first displayed and honoured at a Mass on the Sunday after Easter in 1935.  Later that same year, Faustina wrote of a vision about the Divine Mercy chaplet.
Faustina was blessed to have Jesus appear to her and speak to her many times throughout her life.  Her spiritual director asked her to keep a journal of all these events.  These were published posthumously as The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in my Soul.
She died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938, at the age of 33.
Saint Faustina was canonized by Pope John Paul ll on April 30 (Divine Mercy Sunday) 2000
We chose to depict St. Faustina as she is the Apostle of the Divine Mercy.  Illness and age did not stop her faith and belief in Jesus.  Even though her work was denounced for some time, her faith and Jesus’ mercy restored the importance of her writing and experiences.  We hope that her presence empowers all of our faith in the Divine Mercy.
  

   
  St. Timothy
Born:                modern-day Turkey, 1797
Venerated;        January 26
 
St. Timothy followed the example of his virtuous grandmother and mother.   From an early age, he read and meditated on the holy scripture.  Timothy left his country, his house, and his parents, to travel extensively throughout Asia with Saint Paul the Apostle and to share in his poverty and sufferings. St. Paul, by the imposition of hands, ordained Timothy as Bishop, in fulfillment of a prophecy, and a particular order of the Holy Spirit.   He received by this imposition of hands, not only the grace of the sacrament, and the authority to govern the church, but also the power of miracles. St. Paul regarded him not only as his disciple and most dear son but as his brother and the companion of his labours.
 
Timothy practiced and preached self-examination, reading, meditation and private devotion.  For a long period, Timothy consumed only water, leaving him weak and subject to frequent illnesses.  St. Paul encouraged Timothy, ‘’Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”  St. Timothy is invoked to heal stomach and intestinal disorders.   
 
The Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97, the 80-year-old bishop tried to halt a procession in honour of the goddess Diana by preaching the gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.  Many of the miracles that are attributed to St Timothy happened after his death, in the presence of his relics.  St Timothy’s remains were moved to Constantinople in the year 356. His relics were moved to Italy and buried with St Luke and St. Andrew after they were rediscovered in 1945 during the restoration of Italy after World War II.
 
Patron Saint of the stomach and intestinal disorders, we chose St. Timothy for our windows as he is the namesake of one of the Catholic schools within our parish boundaries
 
 
 
 
                                          
 
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
 
Born: modern-day New York State,1656   Feast day:  July 14 in the USA
        April 17 in Canada
 
St. Kateri was given the name Tekakwitha, meaning she who bumps into things, at birth by her Algonquin mother and Mohawk father.  Her mother had been baptized Catholic before her capture by the Mohawks.  At the age of 4, the village was ravaged with smallpox.  Kateri as she was later known, was the only one in her family that survived.  She was taken in by extended family, however, she remained somewhat of an outsider, partially due to the facial scars, and sight impairment as a result of smallpox.  She was a very modest person, avoiding social contact, often seen with a blanket over her head and face.    Tekakwitha firmly believed in offered suffering.  She was known for her self-sacrifice and deprivation; most noted, adding things to her food to make it unpleasant to eat, and putting thorns in her bedding.
 
While her mother was baptized and educated by Jesuits in the Montreal-Quebec area, Tekakwitha was only baptized Catherine (after St. Catherine of Siena) at the age of 19, on Easter Sunday 1676.  Catherine, or Kateri in Mohican, had assisted Jesuits at the age of 11 and 13 while caring for injured Natives during tribal wars.  At the age of 17, her adoptive mother and aunts were concerned that Tekakwitha was not interested in marriage and introduced her to suitors.  When she refused, she was punished with extra work.  She remained quiet and diligent. After she was baptized, she took the vow of chastity, and continued with her offered suffering, to the point where the Jesuits had to encourage her to be more moderate in her actions.  She returned to a Jesuit longhouse near Montreal and continued to learn more about Christianity. She learned about nuns and wanted to start a Native American order.  Unfortunately, she was considered too young and died at age 24 before she could accomplish this dream.  Kateri died at 3 pm Holy Wednesday 1680.  Within minutes of her death, the smallpox scars disappeared and her internal beauty transformed her physical beauty.  She appeared to three people after her death, where she “shone like the sun”, 
A chapel was built near her gravesite and by 1684, pilgrimages began to honour her there.  It was not until June 22, 1980 that she was Beautified by Pope John Paul II and Canonized October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XIV.   She is the patroness of the environment, piety, Native Americans, exile and of loss of parents. 
 
We chose to depict St. Kateri for several reasons.  She is the namesake of one of our parish schools; she spent her final years converting natives to Catholicism in Canada, and she was canonized while we were constructing our windows, a modern saint. 
  St. Maximilian Kolbe
 
Born:  Poland January 8, 1894, named Raymund Kolbe   Feast day: August 14
 
Kolbe's life was strongly influenced in 1906 by a vision he had of the Virgin Mary.   She indicated that he would be a Martyr.  In 1907 he entered a Franciscan minor seminary along with his brother.  In 1910 he entered the noviciate and was given the name Maximilian. In 1911 he took his first vows and in 1914 took his final vows.  He was sent to Rome in 1912, earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1915.  In 1918 he was ordained a priest, and in 1919 returned to the newly independent Poland and earned a doctorate in theology.  From an early age, he promoted the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and organized the Militia Immaculatae (Army of the Immaculate One) to work for the conversion of sinners and enemies of the Catholic Church, through the intervention of the Virgin Mary. He taught in the seminary from 1919-22 but had to take a lengthily leave as he suffered from tuberculous. From 1922-26 he operated a religious publication, and in 1927 founded a Franciscan monastery that became a major religious publishing center.  From 1930-36 he travelled to China, Japan and India where he founded additional seminaries.  The monastery in Japan was built on the side of a mountain, and according to Shinto beliefs, was not in balance with nature.  When the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan, his monastery survived, as the other side of the mountain sustained most of the impact. Maximilian returned to Poland in 1936, due to declining health.  In 1938 he started a radio station.
With the outbreak of WWII Kolbe was one of the few left in the friary, where they organized a temporary hospital. He was imprisoned for a short period in 1939.  When released he continued his work at the friary where he provided shelter to refugees, including 2,000 Jews.  In Feb.1941 Kolbe and four others were arrested by the Gestapo.  In May he was transferred to Auschwitz. Never abandoning his priesthood, Kolbe was the victim of severe violence and harassment. Toward the end of his second month in Auschwitz, men were chosen to face death by starvation to warn against escapes. Kolbe was not chosen but volunteered to take the place of a man with a family. He led the group in prayer to Our Lady.  After two weeks, he was the only one still alive, so he was given a lethal injection. He died on Aug 14 and was cremated on Aug 15th, the same day as the feast of the Assumption of Mary.  His childhood vision had been fulfilled.  Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of imprisoned people, the pro-life movement, addicts and family.  He was Beautified Oct 17, 1971, by Pope Paul VI, and Canonized Oct. 10, 1982, by Pope John Paul II. 
 
St. Maximilian Kolbe was chosen as he is a saint that lived during some of our lifetimes, and as a Patron Saint of families and the pro-life movement, his place in our Church compliments our Prayer Garden.
                                            
St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
 
Born:      Macedonia, Aug 26, 1910 - Anjezë Gonxhe    Feast day:           Sept. 5
 
Anjezë was fascinated at an early age by stories of missionaries and their service in Bengal (India). By the age of 12, she was convinced that she would commit herself to religious life. At age 18 she moved to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto to learn English and study to become a missionary. In 1929 she moved to India and entered the noviciate. She took her first religious vows in 1931 and chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She chose the Spanish spelling of Teresa since another nun in the convent had already chosen that name. She took her solemn vows in 1937 while a teacher at the Loreto convent. She taught for 20 years She was noted for her unselfishness, charity, hard work and organization.
Although she loved teaching, she became increasingly disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. While on a train on the way to an annual retreat in 1946, Teresa received a “call within a call”. Christ revealed his pain in the neglect of the poor. He asked her to establish a religious community, the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the poorest of the poor. This is when Teresa became Mother Teresa. It took 2 years to get all the permissions necessary, but on August 17, 1948, she put on the white sari trimmed with blue and entered the world of the poor. One by one she tended to the sick and the poor, and one by one her former students joined her cause.  The Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, continued to grow, even after her death.  In 2012 it had over 450,000 sisters in 133 countries.  The congregation manages homes for people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, dispensaries and mobile clinics, children’s and family counselling programmes, orphanages, and schools.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, the Contemplative Sisters in 1976, the Contemplative Brothers in 1979, and the Missionaries of Charity Fathers in 1984.  She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa, and the Sick and Suffering co-workers, and the lay Missionaries of Charity, for persons of many faiths and nationalities who shared her vision of sacrifice, the spirit of prayer and humble works of love. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress.  Funds normally reserved for a banquet to honour the recipient were given to the poor instead. She was honoured by civilian organizations and governments all over the world.  She was granted honorary degrees and citizenship from around the world.  Not all attention was positive, she was widely criticized but bore that cross humbly.  Mother Teresa was Beautified Oct. 19, 2003, by Pope John Paul II, and Canonized Sept. 4, 2016, by Pope Francis. She is the Patron Saint of World Youth Day, Missionaries of Charity and Archdiocese of Calcutta.
 
We chose to depict St. Teresa of Calcutta to show that saints live among us even today.  We are inspired by her simple acts of kindness and love.  St. Teresa was canonized while we were constructing our windows.
 
“Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do little things with great love.”
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
                                           
 
St. Jean Brébeuf
 
Born:    Normandy France, March 25, 1593, Feast day: Oct 19
 
Jean Brébeuf entered the Society of Jesus in 1617 and was ordained a priest in 1622. Brébeuf did not stand out among his classmates but did show an aptitude for languages.  It is this aptitude that led to his appointment to embark on his missionary work in New France (Canada).   He arrived in Quebec in 1625.  He believed that it was necessary to learn the native languages before trying to convert them to Christianity.  Brébeuf learned Algonquian and an Iroquoian language spoken by the Huron Indians that he spent much of his time with.  He learned their language and taught it to other missionaries and colonists.  He easily adapted to their way of life, and it has been said that his study of their culture, customs, beliefs is the longest and most ambitious study in all the Jesuit Relations.  His study of native linguistics and their compound words was a breakthrough, later becoming the foundation of all subsequent Jesuit linguistic work. He translated Ledesma’s catechism from French to Huron and is credited with publishing the first printed text in that language.  He is credited with composing the “Huron Carol” Canada’s oldest Christmas song. (written in about 1642)
By about 1640, nearly half the Huron had died of smallpox, a disease introduced to the new world by Europeans.  They had no immunity to these diseases.  With many of their loved ones dying before their eyes, especially the children and elders, the Hurons began to listen to the words of the Jesuit missionaries who appeared to be men of power as they were unaffected by the disease.  Brébeuf worked for 15 years in primitive surroundings, a veteran of 18 missions.  In 1647 the French and Iroquois (rivals of the Hurons in the fur trade and bitter enemies) made peace.  But the Iroquois were determined to destroy the Hurons.  A fierce war raged 1648-1650.  Brébeuf and his fellow missionaries were tortured before they were killed.  Throughout the torture, Brébeuf reportedly was more concerned for the fate of the captive Native converts and other Jesuits, than for himself.  He showed no signs of pain through his many tortures.  They mocked Baptism, by pouring boiling water over his head, and he endured stoning and a collar of red-hot tomahawks. He suffered silently, remained stoic and with courage and acceptance.    The Iroquois drank his blood and ate his heart to absorb Brébeuf’s courage. 
Jean Brébeuf was Beatified in 1925, and Canonized June 29,1930 by Pope Pius XI.  He is the patron saint of Canada. 
 
We chose to depict St. Jean Brébeuf for his work in laying the groundwork for Catholicism in the new world, Canada.   
 
 
                                         
St. André Bessette
 
Born:                Quebec, Canada, August 9, 1845, Feast day:   January 7
 
André Bessette was born Alfred Bessette in a small town southeast of Montreal.   He was a lay brother of the Congregation of the Holy Cross.  He was a significant figure of the Catholic Church among French Canadians.  He is credited with thousands of reported miraculous healings.   Alfred was so frail when he was born that he was conditionally baptized the next day.  His father died when he was 9, and his mother died when he was 12 leaving him an orphan.  His parish pastor presented Alfred to the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal after observing Alfred’s generosity and devotion.  At first, he was rejected due to his frail health, in 1872 he was accepted to the novitiate receiving the religious name of Brother André. 
He had a great devotion to St. Joseph.  Brother André would take oil from the lamp burning in the college chapel and would lightly rub the sick and suffering with it and recommend that they pray to St. Joseph.  People claimed that they had been cured through the prayers of St. Joseph and Brother André. An epidemic broke out at a nearby college and André volunteered to tend to the ill.  Not one person died.  Soon hundreds of people came to his door.  He continued to disclaim credit for the healings, “I do not cure, Saint Joseph cures.”   In 1904 he asked the Archbishop of Montreal for permission to build a chapel to St. Joseph on the mountain near the college.  The Archbishop refused to go into debt, but he did permit Brother André to build what he had the money for.  Brother André was poor and uneducated.  When he came to the novitiate, he could not read, and his health was fragile.  He was given the duty of porter, answering the door, welcoming guests and delivering mail.  The only money he had was from the nickels and dimes he got from cutting students' hair.  He took the few hundred dollars he had and built a small wood shelter.  He continued to ask for donations, and the Archbishop continued to give his permission to add to the shelter, again, as long as he did not go into debt.  Next came a roof, so worshipers would not have to stand in the rain.  Then came walls, heating and a road up the mountain.  Then a shelter for pilgrims, and finally a place where André and others could live and take care of the shrine.  Brother André continued to care for the sick, and many experienced healing and renewal.
Brother André never lost devotion or faith.  He started to build a basilica on the mountain in 1924, but the Depression hit.  At age ninety, he told his co-workers to place a statue of St. Joseph in the unroofed, basilica.  He was carried up the mountain to see the statue in its new home.  Brother André died before the Basilica was completed.   A million people filed past his coffin.  He was beatified by Pope John Paul II and canonized Oct 17, 2010.
 
We chose to honour St. André Bessette as he was the first Canadian born male saint.  He was a small man who did great things. 
                                             
The Holy Spirit
 
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is usually depicted as a winged dove or tongues of fire. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, The Holy Spirit is said to have descended in the form of a dove as the voice of God the Father as St. John baptized Jesus.  The Holy Spirit descends on all of us in the sacrament of Baptism and is strengthened with the sacrament of Confirmation.
We are given the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:

• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Counsel
• Fortitude
• Knowledge
• Piety
• Fear of the Lord (“is no servile fear, but rather a joyful awareness of God’s grandeur and a grateful realization that only in Him do our hearts find true peace” – Pope Francis, general audience, June 2014)

The Intercession of the Spirit is the belief that the Holy Spirit helps and guides believers who search for God in their hearts.
In the Epistle to the Romans (8:26-27), Saint Paul states:
‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.’
When we struggle, feel alone, unworthy or just lost, we turn to the Holy Spirit for help: “Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders.”
At the beginning of each gathering of the glass guild, we prayed especially to the Holy Spirit for guidance, patience and faith. There were many obstacles to overcome, and we were not experienced or trained.  We prayed for His assistance and He answered our prayers, not always in the way that we expected, but we were given “fortitude” to keep going until “knowledge, wisdom and understanding” were revealed.  It was through the Holy Spirit’s intervention that we were given what we needed to complete the windows.  It is fitting that we dedicated two windows to the Holy Spirit. One in humble thanksgiving for the gifts that He has bestowed on us, and one to ask for understanding, fortitude and wisdom as we pray for peace in our families, our Church, our country and our world.
 
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
 
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
 
 
               
 
Done for the Glory of God