A Jesuit from the Canary Islands who wrote poetry, founded Brazilian cities and defended the indigenous populations; a widowed French woman who became a nun and went to Canada to help educate young Indian girls; the French missionary and bishop who went around Canada excommunicating Christians who sold alcohol to the natives. These are the three individuals Pope Francis proclaimed as saints at today’s audience with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, Francis signed the decrees for the equivalent canonisations of José de Anchieta (1534-1597), Marie de l’Incarnation Guyart (1599-1672) and François de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708).
Word spread in Brazil that José de Anchieta had been proclaimed a saint yesterday, so celebrations in local churches and neighbourhoods were held a day in advance. In fact Brazil’s bishops had to issue a communiqué pointing out the correct date.
José de Anchieta, known as “abarebebe” (which in the indigenous Tupi language means “the flying priest”), is a Jesuit, like Francis. He was born in San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife, on 19 March 1534 and died on 9 June 1957. Italian blog Il Sismografo, which has published a brief biography of the three new saints, recalls that Anchieta is remembered as a defender of Brazil’s indigenous people and is called “the Apostle of Brazil”. São Paulo and Ro de Janeiro consider him one of their founding fathers. He is considered by many to be the father of Brazilian literature (he wrote poems in Tupi and compiled the first grammar of the Tupi language.
In 1551, he and his brother joined the Company of Jesus in Portugal, where he had gone to study. Anchietra arrived in Brazil on 13 June 1553, when he was not yet 20 and launched a number of activities, not just religious ones. In 1577 he was nominated Provincial of the Company of Jesus in Brazil. His beatification process began at the Bahia harbourmaster’s office in 1617.
He used to do the Reritiba-Vitória trail twice a month every year. Now, numerous tourists and pilgrims walk this 105 kilometre trail every year. He was beatified by John Paul II in 1980.
Marie de l'Incarnation Guyart was born in Tours on 28 October 1599 and died in Quebec on 30 April 1672. A baker’s daughter, she married a silk manufacturer with whom she had a child. When her husband died she refused to remarry and entered the Carmelite convent, after which, she joined the Ursuline Sisters of Tours (1631).
In 1639, with financial help from a wealthy French lady and some missionaries who were working in Canada, she moved here and founded a school for young Indian girls. Soon she was joined by nuns from different congregations. This diversity in rules and charisms meant she had to create one common rule for all the nuns. She received the approval of François de Montmorency-Laval (1662), the first ordained man in Canada. Marie de l'Incarnation Guyartwas also beatified by John Paul II in 1980.
François de Montmorency-Laval was born in Montigny-sur-Avre on 30 April 1623 and died in Quebec on 6 May 1708. After moving to Canada to work as a missionary, he was first appointed Apostolic Vicar of New France and later became Quebec’s first bishop. In Canada, François founded the Seminary of Quebec. In 1852 the Seminary managed to obtain a royal deed from Queen Victoria, recognising its status as a university. Over time the university set up other campuses in Montréal, which became the nucleus out of which the University of Montréal eventually grew. François de Montmorency-Laval was a keen traveller and there are many testimonies documenting his journeys along the San Lorenzo River, which lasted for weeks. One thing which set him apart was his great battle against the alcoholism plight which had hit the male indigenous population. One of his most controversial decisions involved the excommunication of Christians who sold alcohol to the natives.
In 1679, Laval managed to get Louis XIV to sign a decree banning the sale of alcohol to natives. Mgr. Laval was also twice Governor of New France. John Paul II beatified him in 1980.
During today’s audience the Pope authorised the Vatican Congregation to promulgate a number of other decrees, including a decree on the “heroic virtues” of Adolfo Barberis, who was described as an apostle who assisted immigrant women.
Pope Francis chose “equivalent canonization” because these are “historical causes that have a large and continuous cult,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists when he announced that the Pope had signed the decrees. Cardinal Angelo Amato explained this special procedure, which basically involves extending the cult of a beatified person to the universal Church, in an interview with Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano last year: “According to Benedict XVI’s doctrine, three elements are required for this type of canonization: First, the possession of ancient worship; second, the constant and common certification of historians worthy of faith on the virtues of the blessed and third, an uninterrupted reputation for miracles.” Benedict XVI opted for “equivalent canonization” in the case of Hildegard of Bingen who was proclaimed a saint on 10 May 2012. Pope Francis chose it for Angela Da Foligno (1248-1309), who was proclaimed a saint on 9 October 2013 and for another Jesuit, Pierre Favre (1506-1546), who was proclaimed a saint on 17 December. It is likely, although the news is not yet official, that the Argentinean Pope will celebrate a thanksgiving Eucharist this coming 24 April at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Rome in honour of the new Jesuit saint.
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