Carmelites celebrate Canonisation of St Titus Brandsma

Image by Br Guy Martial de Saint Benoît, O.Carm.

Carmelites from around the world gathered in Rome for a week of celebrations to mark the canonisation of the Dutch journalist friar Titus Brandsma, killed in Dachau in 1942.

A small group of friars, lay Carmelites and friends from the UK met up with a larger Irish contingent on the first day at CISA - the International College of St Albert, close to the Vatican. Following Mass they viewed a special exhibition about Titus who stayed at the College from 1906 - 09 whilst studying for his doctorate in philosophy at the Gregorian University and a sociology course at the Leonine Institute. The archivist gave them a guided tour of the artefacts associated with the saint's time at the College.

One of the great treasures of the archive, is the request sent in 1955 to the Pope for his beatification, by survivors of Dachau. Clergy of other faiths as well as Catholic priests were among the signatories to that letter and recorded their Dachau inmate number next to their signature. Later they gave moving testimony of the effect Titus had on them as his cause progressed. This ecumenical dimension is very important as Titus was a pioneer of ecumenism. He was an active supporter of the Apostolate of Reunification of the Eastern Churches during the 1930s and also established close links with Protestant pastors. In 1963, Cardinal Montini (later Paul VI), and Archbishop Josyp Slipyj of the Ukrainian Greek Church, later made a Cardinal by Paul V1, added their names to those petitioning the introduction of Titus' cause.

A fine watercolour painted by present student Br Guy Martial de Saint Benoît, O.Carm. from Cameroon impressed everyone. It depicts Titus in profile with concentration camp guard towers looming in the background. His wooden rosary forms part of the barbed wire enclosure with the Carmelite crest hanging downwards at the end of the beads. Bro Guy said that Titus' canonisation was "a moment of artistic creation for me." He made the painting in a single day. "I wanted to express suffering and prayer," he said, "that is to say how mysticism opens up new spaces even in the heart of despair."

A series of talks and Masses before the canonisation took place at various churches around Rome. American Carmelite Fr Michael Driscoll from Florida was among the speakers and gave testimony to his healing of final stage skin cancer by prayer to Titus Brandsma and applying a relic of the saints clothing to his melanoma.

The canonisation was a time of great joy for all Carmelites present. Carmelite sisters, friars and lay Carmelites from Holland, Germany, Peru,Trinidad, the Caribbean, USA, Spain, East Timor, the Philippines, Nigeria as well as various parts of Italy were present. In the evening a celebration was held at CISA for a selection of guests including members of the saint's family. A commemorative medal was presented to Fr Michael Driscoll's cancer specialist. Fr Míceál O'Neill O.Carm, Prior General, unveiled and blessed a special plaque to mark Titus Brandsma's canonisation.

The following day a Mass of Thanksgiving was held in St Peter's Basilica at the Chair of St Peter. The chief concelebrant was Cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht. On 17th May a farewell thanksgiving Mass in English was held at St Mary Transportina, the beautiful Carmelite Church in Via della Conciliazone. Commemorative Medals were given afterwards by the Vice General, Fr Benny Phang to the two Dutch Provincials of the Carmelite friars and nuns.

Two informative new books about Titus Brandsma were profiled during the week: one by Fernando Millán Romeral, O. Carm - a concise and inspiring perspective- in Truth in Love ; the other, The Price of Truth, a personal study by Miguel Arribas, a Peruvian secular priest who is also a lay Carmelite.

A final Mass of Thanksgiving was held in Dublin on Monday 23 May at Whitefriars Church where there is a shrine to Titus Brandsma built to commemorate the time he spent in Ireland before going on a lecture tour of America. He had indicated in correspondence his intention to visit England to see where St Boniface had lived in Crediton, before taking Christianity to Friesland, where he was murdered in 731. Titus re-established the medieval shrine to Boniface in his Friesland homeland and it became a popular ecumenical pilgrimage centre.

The main celebrant was Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin. Both Irish Provincials of the Order of Carmelites and the Discalced were among concelebrants of Irish friars. The Ambassador to the Netherlands was present as was the Dean of St Patricks' Church of Ireland Cathedral. Fr Fernando Millán Romeral, former Prior General and Vice Postulator preached. He said that Titus Brandsma's witness is very important today as a man of peace, reconciliation and ecumenism, urging us to be other Marys in bringing Christ to others.

The livestreamed Mass was recorded and can be viewed at: www.whitefriarstreetchurch.ie/

There will be Masses celebrated on his feast day, 27 July by the Carmelites at Aylesford and Faversham, where there is a mural of the saint together with Edith Stein, both Carmelite saints of the Holocaust, by iconographer Sr Petra Clare

LINKS

National Shrine of St Jude, Faversham - www.stjudeshrine.org.uk

The Bishops Conference website has an interesting podcast about St Titus - https://bit.ly/titus-brandsma-podcast

Carmelite media books - www.carmelites.info/publications