September 15th, 2007 – The Beatification of Venerable Fr. Basil Moreau

The excitement had been growing for weeks, and really for years for some of the members of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Finally, the day had come for our Venerable Fr. Basil Moreau to become Blessed.

I was not sure how to prepare myself in the days prior to the celebration. When I woke that morning I knew exactly how to feel. Wonderful! Today I would celebrate with all my heart the life of the man who changed my life. Fr. Basil Moreau founded the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1837 and the institutions that sprouted from the Congregation continue to change lives while following the teachings of the founder.

It was not until I transferred to Holy Cross College that I was able to pull my life together after a couple years of doubt, apathy, and lack of meaning. The themes of my education at Holy Cross College were the competency to see and the courage to act, borrowed directly from the Constitution of the Congregation. It was not until I came to a Holy Cross institution that I found meaning in my life.

So the way I look at the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross is like this: it is because of him and the wondrous works that the Lord did through him that I was able to become the person that I am today. With all of this in mind I was more than ready to celebrate with my professed brothers and sisters.

It was a big day. I spent my morning packing my things together for I would be leaving with Fr. Bob Gilmour that evening for Sekondi (Butumegeybu). Little did I know that what was awaiting me in the coming hours would be the best transition I could have hoped for.

Shortly after lunch everyone started to arrive. Cars carrying Brothers and Sisters from Cape Coast, Sekondi, Takoradi, and Kasoa all came. All of the Brothers were wearing their bright white habits and looking very pious in the late afternoon sun when we began the celebration.

The chapel was decorated nicely with gold ribbons and after a short while almost all of the seat were filled save the seats reserved for the Cathedral choir which would be arriving shortly. We began the celebration with an hour of adoration, prayers and singing. It was solemn but joyous.

During the whole time that I prayed I kept thanking God for the life of Fr. Moreau. I uttered many prayers of thanksgiving for the work of the Congregation and for the actual Beatification of the founder who has had a hand in the transformation of the lives of so many. During the hour of prayer I became quite emotional once I began to grasp the magnitude of what Fr. Moreau has done during and after his life. It is truly wonderful! His teachings are brought to the world through the wonderful men and women of God year after year, generation after generation. By providing the world with the competence to see and the courage to act they are preparing its transformation to the kingdom of God.

My heart was in my throat almost the whole mass. I sat towards the back of the large group of Brothers on the left and the choir took up most of the spaces on the right hand side. Fr. Bob Gilmour was giving the mass and many of the other Brothers participated as well.

It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my young life. My heart swelled with joy as the mass moved closer and closer to the time of Holy Communion and the time when the Beatification of Fr. Moreau would be made official.

When the time came for the official proclamation of the Beatification and the bestowal of the title Blessed to Fr. Moreau, the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong in that small chapel no one could contain their joy. It burst out of us all in song and dance, in great smiles and clapping of hands, in warm embraces and outstretched hands reaching for the heavens. There are few other times in my life where I have been so full of the Spirit.

When you see the Brothers dressed in their habits you see them almost as magnificent statues, solemn and still; but on this occasion they were very much alive and full of Spirit! Seeing Brothers Augustus, Vincent, Paul, Robert, Tony, and Kenneth, the Brothers whom have become so dear to my heart over the past year, in the back of the chapel dancing nearly pushed me over the edge.

The climax of all this was when the official proclamation was made. The beautiful portrait of Blessed Fr. Basil Moreau, painted by our own Br. David, was unveiled and carried around the chapel as we sang the Holy Cross Anthem!

After each time we finished the anthem the singing grew louder as the portrait, carried by two of the novices, made its way slowly around the chapel. O Holy Cross, Spes Unica! Work for all! Proclaim to all! Crux Ave, Spes Unica! I could hardly hold back tears of joy and I threw my hands up to the sky and danced. I don’t think anything on this Earth could’ve removed the smile from my face at that point. I felt such unity with the global Holy Cross Community. It felt as if all the people in the world who consider themselves a part of the Holy Cross family put all of their joy into one heart that we all shared at that moment! Oh, the Spirit was present!

The joy spilled out into the feast following the Mass. Everyone was happy and there was much rejoicing. I don’t think I have felt closer to the Brothers and the community of Holy Cross than that night, except for how it grows each passing day of course. The laughter never ceased and the smiles never faded even when it came time for me to say my goodbyes.

I didn’t expect it to be hard to say goodbye to the Brothers in Cape Coast. I seemed to have overlooked the fact that this was yet another of life’s transitions. It had come time for me to continue my work here in Ghana at another place. It was hardest of all to say good-bye to Br. Augustus and Collins. I do miss their company very much and I pray for them often.

As we drove out of the Center, out of Brafoyaw, and eventually out of Cape Coast I realized with quiet confidence that there was a reason for me leaving on this day. On the day when the Spirit had reached me so deeply, on the day when our founder became Blessed Fr. Moreau, on the day when I felt closest to the Brothers in Ghana. I had been made ready to continue my time here. I was renewed in Spirit and strength.

In the days following the Beatification I have felt a sense of peace, brought on by consistent prayer and steady awareness of the presence of God, that I have never known. It is not an overwhelming feeling, but calm and consistent.

I believe that something special happened to me on September 15^th.