Bishop Welcomes 112 Into The Bruté Society

Bishop Charles C. Thompson welcomed 112 men and women from across the Diocese of Evansville as new members of The Bruté Society during the Oct. 30 Mass and Induction Ceremony at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. Twenty priests of the diocese concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Thompson.

“The bestowing of the Bruté Award certainly does not make anyone a saint, but it is an indication that those we honor seem to be headed in the right direction,” Bishop Thompson said during his homily.  “Let us receive with joy the salvation which comes to us in Jesus Christ our Savior.”

The bishop also reflected on the day’s readings – for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. They included readings from the Book of Wisdom, the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, and the passage from Luke’s Gospel that recounts Jesus’ encounter with the wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus.

“The Book of Wisdom recounts how all life is created out of love,” Bishop Thompson said.  “Nothing created by God is beyond the scope of God’s mercy, no matter how small or insignificant something or someone may seem.  In the second reading, St. Paul prays that God will bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith.  Then, in the Gospel of Luke, an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ leads to the conversion of Zacchaeus.

“At the heart of evangelization, as several popes have pointed out, is the experience of personal encounter with the Lord,” he continued.  “It is in such an encounter that our lives, like that of Zacchaeus, are transformed.  … Do we readily recognize such opportunities when they occur?  Should Bishop Bruté be declared a saint someday, we might ponder whether the people with whom he lived and served ever realized the saint among them.

“Like Zacchaeus, we are all called to ongoing conversion,” Bishop Thompson added. “Like Saint Theodore Guerin, and possibly Bishop Simon Bruté, we are called to strive for holiness to be saints.  To do so, we must not rely so much on our own merit as on divine grace.”

At the end of Mass, Bishop Thompson led the inductees in praying a prayer of intercession for the canonization of Bishop Bruté. His Cause for Canonization was opened several years ago by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and he has been named a Servant of God.

St. Benedict Cathedral hosted a reception for Bruté Society inductees, their families and friends immediately following Mass.