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Archives A People on the Move:
Foundation Day at St. Andre Bessette Parish

July 30, 2014

By Suzanne Pietropaoli
Staff writer

Malone - The threatened thunder storms did not materialize, but the very air was electric.

The historic day began and ended with people on the move as Malone’s Catholics celebrated the establishment of the new St. Andre Bessette Parish July 1. 

From the 7 a.m. pilgrim walk from Chasm Falls to Malone, to the solemn Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Malone 12 hours later, it was a day to rejoice and be glad.

It was also a day, as Bishop Terry LaValley reminded the congregation at Mass that evening, to remember that “We are all pilgrims on a journey on this earth.  Our faith urges us to follow Jesus…This is a parish that is both literally and figuratively on the move!”

The bishop’s words resonated with the several hundred people gathered for the 5:30 p.m. Mass of Thanksgiving at Notre Dame Church. Homilist and principal celebrant, Bishop LaValley was joined by two deacons and more than a dozen priests, including St. Andre Bessette pastor Father Joseph W. Giroux and parochial vicars Father Thomas J. Higman and Father Justin Thomas.

A special guest for the occasion was Holy Cross Brother Jean-Paul Pearson, representing St. Joseph’s Oratory, who addressed the gathering and announced the gift to the new parish of a relic of their patron saint.

Later in the ceremony, Bishop LaValley blessed new statues and images of St. Andre which will grace the church buildings of the new parish.

As Mass ended, many participants joined the solemn Eucharistic Procession led by Bishop LaValley, the priests of the parish, and other priests who were present.

Along a 1.5 mile route through downtown Malone and environs, Bishop LaValley carried aloft, beneath a traditional canopy, the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. 

Those walking in procession joined in the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary enroute to St. John Bosco Church, and then in a chanted Litany of the Saints enroute from there to St. Joseph’s Church.  There, Bishop LaValley celebrated solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  A reception followed the ceremony.

‘The day was wonderful’
Enthusiasm ran high among parishioners, who were quick to appreciate the beauty and the significance of the Foundation Day events.

Jim Coughlin, a trustee of the new parish, saw the day as the culmination of many long months of planning.  “Preparation for this change was excellent,” he noted, “and I salute the pastor and the parish council for their wisdom and hard work in moving us forward.  The day was just wonderful! 

“The walk from St. Helen’s (in Chasm Falls) to Malone was a rich opportunity to see people you see in church but don’t really know,” Coughlin said. “Ambling along together, we really got to talk and know each other better.  The Mass and procession with the Bishop made it a very special and beautiful day; it really touched the heart.”

Father Thomas, recently arrived from his native India to serve as parochial vicar in the new parish, described Foundation Day as “very good, very amazing.  Everything here is new to me, and I am still learning, though already I am at home.”  

Three years ordained, Father Thomas remarked that, “This is the proper time for me to come to Malone, this time of new beginnings, and I thank God that I am a part of it.” 

The priest had never heard of St. Andre Bessette before being assigned to this parish, but he is learning quickly and hopes to visit the Oratory “before winter!”  

“I have read the book of all his miraculous deeds, and watched the story of his life,” he said. “How bold he was! What deep faith he had!  How beautiful that he said so often: It is St. Joseph’s project, not my project. That is good for all of us to remember—to have a deep faith and to remember that this is God’s project, not our own.”

‘Historic time in our parish’
“This was a historic time in our parish,” noted Brittany Duso, who walked the 9.5 miles from Chasm Falls to Malone in the morning with her four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, and herself returned in the evening for the Mass and procession.

“I wanted the children to be part of this big change—and even though they won’t remember it,” she said. “I will be able to tell them that they were there for an amazing event.

“I thought the whole day was beautiful,” Mrs. Duso said. “ I especially loved the Mass and the Eucharistic Procession.  What an experience that was, to walk through Malone following the Blessed Sacrament. What a wonderful way to bring all the parishes together!”

Pam LeDuc, trustee of the new parish, likewise found the Eucharistic Procession “very impressive, very beautiful! 

“Our four-year-old, Naomi, walked the whole distance—right after sitting through the whole Mass,” she said.

“That Mass was so moving!  The Holy Spirit was there with us from the moment everyone first responded to the Bishop at the beginning of the ceremony; it was very heartwarming. 

“There was an amazing feeling in the church that night that continued into the procession,” she said. “How awesome: people in the community looking and watching, kids coming out of their houses to get a better look—and commenting that,  ‘We didn’t know people did church walking through the neighborhood this way.’  Our new parish is off to a great start, and I am excited to see how everything unfolds.”

“There was deep symbolism in what we did on Foundation Day,” Kathleen Marceau explained.  “The pilgrim walk from Chasm Falls to Malone not only mirrored our faith journey—it was a faith journey all its own! For nearly 10 miles, we prayed, walked, rested, talked, and ate together, all the while learning about each other.

“We helped each other (with wheelchair and baby stroller), pushed on and sweated together when the ‘way’ got long, and received help (food and water) from others not on pilgrimage,” she said. “We did all these things together, and together accomplished what we didn’t really know we could do!”

“If the pilgrim walk was a symbol of our earthly journey, then the evening Eucharistic Procession was a faint reflection of our heavenly destination,” Mrs. Marceau said. “The silence (mostly!), incense, candles, chant, and rosary, the beautiful vestments and canopy all reminded me of the beatific vision—the goal of our earthly pilgrimage.  Even our clothes were changed from those we wore earlier in the day.  That change from sweaty shorts and Tee-shirts to clean formal clothes reflected also our change of heart.”

Bishop LaValley St Andre Parish St Andre ParishPhotos by Pat Hendrick
The July 1 Foundation Day celebration at St. Andre Bessette Parish in Malone opened with a 9.5 mile pilgrim walk from St. Helen’s in Chasm Falls to Malone. Father Joseph Giroux is shown at right during the walk. The day closed with a Eucharistic procession through the streets of Malone. Bishop LaValley,left, led the parishioners from Notre Dame Church where the Foundation Day Mass had been celebrated ,to St. John Bosco Church and then to St. Joseph’s for benediction and a reception.

St Andre Parish

photo by Pat Hendrick
During the Foundation Day Mass, Bishop LaValley blessed new images of Saint André Bessette to be placed in the four worship sites of the new parish.

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