Camping Alouette, Quebec, Canada (Montreal)
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in. ~ Proverbs 3:12
We set out to visit a National Park named for Saint Bruno. I tried to find information about why, but below is the best information I could find about him, and nothing about why this park is named for him.
On October 6, we celebrate the feast of St. St. Bruno, the founder of the Carthusian order. He was born at Cologne, Germany around 1030. He studied at the school of the Cathedral of Rheims (France) at an early age. He became Canon of the Cathedral and was made the Rector of the University in 1056. Bruno was one of the most remarkable scholars and teacher of his time: “…a prudent man whose word was rich in meaning.”
Following an attempt at a solitary life of short duration, he entered the region of Grenoble, where the Bishop, the future Saint Hugues, offered him a solitary site in the mountains of his diocese. In June 1084, the Bishop himself led Bruno and six of his companions to the primitive valley of Chartreuse on a wild mountain range on the edge of the French Alps. There they built a hermitage, consisting of a few log cabins opening towards a gallery which allowed them access to the communal areas of the community — church, refectory, and chapter room — without having to suffer too much from intemperate conditions.
After six years of a pleasant solitary life, Bruno was called by Pope Urban II to the service of the Holy See. As a personal adviser to the Pope (a former student), Bruno felt uncomfortable in the Pontifical Court. He lived in Rome for only a short time. With the Pope’s blessing, he founded a new hermitage in the forests of Calabria, in the south of Italy. There he died on October 6, 1101. Commentaries on the Psalms and the Epistles of Paul are attributed to him.
St. Bruno was never formally beatified or canonized. However, he became both when Pope Clement X extended his feast to the universal Church in 1674.
The Order founded by Bruno — the Carthusians — is one of the strictest in the Church. Carthusians follow the Rule of St. Benedict, but accord it a most austere interpretation; there is perpetual silence and complete abstinence from flesh meat (only bread, legumes, and water are taken for nourishment). Bruno sought to revive the ancient eremitical way of life. His Order enjoys the distinction of never becoming unfaithful to the spirit of its founder, never needing a reform.
He had a great reputation as a protector against diabolic possession and is the patron against possession. He was known for his great devotion to prayer, mortification, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. ~ catholicismpure.wordpress.com
We were under the impression that in order to become a saint in the Catholic church, you must perform at least one documented miracle.
So unfortunately for me (because I really don’t have the time for this, but can’t seem to help myself) and for you (who can at least scroll through it), I looked up the requirements for sainthood. Here’s the official report from bbc.com:
Step one: Wait five years – or don’t
The process to make someone a saint cannot normally start until at least five years after their death.
This is to allow time for emotions following the death to calm down, and to ensure that the individual’s case can be evaluated objectively.
Some have to wait a long time before they reach Catholic sainthood. Saint Bede, the theologian, died in 735 but had to wait 1,164 years before he was declared a saint.
The waiting period can, however, be waived by the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI set aside the waiting period for his predecessor, John Paul II, in 2005. This was thought to reflect the overwhelming hierarchical support John Paul II enjoyed, and the popular grassroots conviction that he was a holy man.
John Paul II had also dispensed with the five-year period for Mother Teresa, beginning the process in 1999, less than two years after her death.
Step two: Become a ‘servant of God’
Once the five years are up, or a waiver is granted, the bishop of the diocese where the person died can open an investigation into the life of the individual, to see whether they lived their lives with sufficient holiness and virtue to be considered for sainthood.
Other religious groups in the diocese can also ask the bishop to open the investigation.
Evidence is gathered on the persons’ life and deeds, including witness testimonies.
If there is sufficient evidence, the bishop asks the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the department that makes recommendations to the Pope on saints, for permission to open the case.
Once the case is accepted for consideration, the individual can be called a “servant of God”.
Step three: Show proof of a life of ‘heroic virtue’
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints scrutinises the evidence of the candidate’s holiness, work and signs that people have been drawn to prayer through their example.
If the Congregation approves the case, it is passed to the Pope.
If the Pope decides that the person lived a life of “heroic virtue”, they can then be called “venerable”.
Popes who have been bestowed the title of “venerable” include Paul VI and Pius XII.
Other venerable individuals include Irish nun Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy congregation, and Scottish nun Margaret Sinclair.
Step four: Verified miracles
To reach the next stage, beatification, a miracle needs to be attributed to prayers made to the individual after their death.
The prayers being granted are seen as proof that the individual is already in heaven, and hence able to intercede with God on others’ behalf.
Incidents need to be “verified” by evidence before they are accepted as miracles.
In the case of John Paul II, Vatican experts examined the medical evidence for an allegedly miraculous cure from Parkinson’s Disease of a 49-year-old French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand. Sister Marie said that she and her fellow nuns prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II after his death. Her sudden cure had no logical medical explanation, the Vatican says.
After beatification, the candidate is given the title “blessed”.
There is one exception to the miracle requirement – a martyr, someone who died for their faith, can be beatified without a verified miracle.
Step five: Canonisation
Canonisation is the final step in declaring a deceased person a saint. To reach this stage, a second miracle normally needs to be attributed to prayers made to the candidate after they have been beatified.
Martyrs, however, only need one verified miracle to become a saint.
The second miracle in John Paul’s case was the reported “inexplicable recovery” of Costa Rican woman Floribeth Mora from a serious brain illness, which was attributed to John Paul II’s intercession.
Pope Francis took the unusual step of waiving the requirement of a second miracle in the case of John XXIII. This was said to be because of the widespread support for John XXIII’s canonisation, and the large number of miracles attributed to him.
During the canonisation ceremony, the Pope conducts a special Mass, reading aloud the individual’s life history and then chanting a prayer in Latin that declares the person a saint.
Modern canonisation ceremonies can attract huge audiences. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to attend Sunday’s canonisation. The Vatican says more than 2,500 volunteers will be on hand to distribute four million free water bottles and 150,000 service booklets. ~ BBC.com article (April 27, 2014)
Well, it all makes sense now. 😊 No record of miracles, but I’d say he’s probably considered a martyr based on his lifestyle . . . . Maybe?
We weren’t there to see or pray to, Saint Bruno. We were there to hike. And we did. Up hill and down vale, and around lakes. And we saw some interesting things today.
Shortly thereafter, we came upon this . . . shrine?? Blaine’s got this really cool app. I think I told you about it? Anyway, it translates French and English. But the really cool thing about it is that you can take a picture of words, swipe your finger across it (essentially highlighting with your finger), and it’ll give you the English translation! We didn’t take the time to do that with all the signs, just part of these.
It was a good day, and good conditioning workout for tomorrow’s excursion.