"For him, everything spoke of God and His presence," the Pope said. Thanks to this simplicity, St. Bessette led many people to God, he added.

St. Bessette "lived the beatitude of the pure of heart," the Pope said. "May the example of Brother André inspire Canadian Christian life!"

Canadians in the square spoke warmly of St. Bessette; some of the pilgrims even had personal connections to him.

Diane Guillemette of Montreal said that when her mother was 16 years old "she had a problem with her ear and she went to Brother André and he healed her." Guillemette called St. Bessette "an example of patience, humility and love of work."

One of 12 children, St. Bessette suffered from a chronic stomach ailment that kept him out of school. His father and mother died when he was young. When he entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870, his childhood parish priest, Fr. Andre Provencal, sent a letter to the novice master saying, "I am sending a saint to your congregation."

St. Bessette served as the doorman of Notre Dame College, the community's school in Montreal, for 40 years. His devotion to St. Joseph and his reputation for healing attracted thousands of people, and he began to be known as a miracle worker. When he died at the age of 91, a million people came to pay homage to him, and many remain dedicated to his memory today. His feast day is Jan. 6.

Thousands of pilgrims from Australia applauded and waved their national flags after the Pope pronounced the formula of canonization Oct. 17 in St. Peter's Square for Blessed Mother Mary MacKillop, who educated poor children in the Australian outback in the late 19th century. She became the country's first saint.

Relics of the six saints were brought to the altar during the two-hour liturgy. Tapestry portraits of the newly canonized hung from the facade of St. Peter's Basilica behind the papal altar, and many pilgrims carried their own personal pictures of the saints.

The others canonized were:

• St. Camilla Battista Varano, 1458-1524, the illegitimate daughter of an Italian nobleman, had to overcome her father's initial objections to enter the convent of the Poor Clares. Known for her mystical experiences during prayer, she died in an outbreak of the plague.
• St. Stanislaw Soltys, 1433-1489, who devoted his life to caring for the poor in his native Krakow, Poland. Famed as a preacher and confessor, he was known as the "Apostle of the Eucharist" for his taking Communion to the sick and lonely.
• St. Giulia Salzano, 1846-1929, taught catechism to schoolchildren near Naples, Italy, and later founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to continue her work, which offered religious education to children of all ages, to their mothers and to regular laborers.
• St. Juana Cipitria Barriola, 1845-1912, was a champion of education for girls and young women in her native Spain. Known in some countries as Mother Candida Maria de Jesus, she founded the Daughters of Jesus with five other young women. She ran a special school on Sundays for girls who were employed as domestics, because Sunday was their only day off.

In his homily, the Pope said the new saints exemplified the effectiveness of prayer as an expression of faith.

"Sometimes we get tired of praying, we have the impression that prayer is not very useful in life, that it is not terribly effective. So we are tempted to dedicate ourselves to activity, to using all human means to achieve our aims, and without turning to God," he said.

 

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