MONTREAL - The humble holy man who will become modern Canada's first saint had his canonization compared Friday to a less heavenly reward: a gold-medal win at the Olympics.
A beaming Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, standing amid the towering columns and vaulted ceiling of St. Joseph's Oratory, greeted the canonization of Brother Andre with a wink at the Winter Games.
"It's like a gold medal in the Olympics," he said, not far from a giant portrait of a beatific Brother Andre ministering to a group of children.
"It's very important for Catholics and also for all the simple people who believe in God."
Brother Andre follows in the footsteps of Marguerite d'Youville, who was born in 1701 and was the first saint born on the Canadian territory, almost two centuries before Confederation. Canada's other saints are Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was born in France in 1620 and is considered the co-founder of Montreal, and eight French-born Jesuit martyrs who were killed during wars in the 1640s.
Tributes for Brother Andre were quick from several quarters, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"His canonization confirms the devotion of the countless people who came to him for help during his life, the million who attended his funeral and the two million who visit St. Joseph's Oratory every year," Harper said.
"Brother Andre's life shows us the power of faith and the importance of concern for the sick and others in need."
Brother Andre, who founded St. Joseph's Oratory, was credited with miracle healings before his death in 1937.
Turcotte elaborated on his comparison between the celestial podium and the Olympic one by explaining the arduous process to sainthood.
The drive for Brother Andre's canonization goes back to 1940, when it was started by the Archdiocese of Montreal and the Congregation of Holy Cross and St. Joseph's Oratory. A 4,000-page document was submitted to the Vatican in 1948 to petition for his sainthood
He was declared "venerable" by Pope Paul VI in 1978, which the cardinal compared to a bronze medal, and "blessed" by Pope John Paul II in 1982, which he compared to a silver.
And on Friday: "Finally, a gold medal," Turcotte said.
Pope Benedict made the announcement after recognizing a second miracle attributed to Brother Andre, which paves the way to his canonization in St. Peter's Square in Rome on Oct. 17.
Turcotte would not give many details on the miracle, citing the privacy of the people affected.
"It was the healing of a person, extraordinary," he said. "It was recognized by doctors to have no scientific explanation." The first miracle also involved a healing.
Brother Andre was born Alfred Bessette on Aug. 9, 1845, in St-Gregoire d'Iberville, and orphaned when he was 12 years old.
Before joining the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870, he worked in the textile mills of the northeastern United States.
Once he took his vows, he gave comfort to people who came to him at College Notre-Dame for solace, and many credited him with curing their illnesses.
He founded St. Joseph's Oratory in 1904, although it was a modest chapel and far from the grand landmark that looms over Montreal today.
He was named the Oratory's guardian in 1909.
Brother Andre died at age 91 on Jan. 6, 1937. During the six days and nights before his funeral, more than one million people filed past his coffin.
His heart still rests in a small shrine in the Oratory, where he was ultimately laid to rest.
The heart, which is on public view as an object of contemplation for pilgrims, is protected by security systems after it was stolen in 1973. Police recovered it almost two years later from the basement of a home near Montreal.
Henriette Laliberte, a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, was five years old when Brother Andre died. She remembers the outpouring of affection.
"I remember the family standing around the kitchen table with La Presse spread out and we were looking at all the pictures and all the people that came up - one million people came up - to the Oratory at that time."
Laliberte rejoiced at Friday's news from the Vatican.
"It's something I've been waiting for for a long time," she said. "It's good news. As the Cardinal said, he's finally got his gold medal."
Laliberte said she admired Brother Andre because of his strong faith and sense of hope.
"People can learn from him to be genuine, first of all, and stop running for things that are not important."
Harper echoed that in his statement.
"In this solemn act, the Roman Catholic Church is honouring a Canadian who achieved greatness through humility, determination and service to others."
Harper noted that his devotion to St. Joseph led him to build a "magnificent" oratory and that Friday's news "heightens the inspiration we feel on seeing that religious landmark."
Turcotte said Brother Andre, who was an unassuming man and small in stature, would be "amazed" at his ascension to sainthood.
"He was not a big personality. He didn't have an ego. He was a humble man," Turcotte said.
"But he had enough faith to move a mountain."
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