The necessary people traveled from Brabant to Rome to attend the canonization of Father and journalist Titus Brandsma by the Pope. Such as Guus Hoedeman and Paul Schaffels from Oss. Two 18-year-old students from the lyceum in Oss named after the father. The students have a camera set with them to make a documentary of it. “I thought it was very impressive and unforgettable to be there,” says Guus.
The school in Oss where the students come from was founded by Titus Brandsma. The students from Oss therefore know more about Brandsma than the average student. They are impressed by what he has done for Oss and by his resistance against the Nazis, which ultimately cost him his life in Dachau concentration camp.
Historic day
Not only the students from Oss are impressed by the canonization. Bishop Gerard de Korte of the Diocese of s’Hertogenbosch, who is also in Rome, calls it a historic day that we had to wait for a long time. “What fascinates me so much about Titus is that he combines an intense piety with a great commitment to the world,” says the Bishop. He calls it standing up for the free press, his struggle against the Nazi dictatorship, in other words for freedom and against oppression. According to De Korte, Brandsma will therefore be highly valued as a saint both within and outside the Catholic Church.
Guidance for others
Mayor Wobine Buijs van Oss also finds it very special to have attended the canonization. “Such a canonization is one of the highest honors you can receive. And what I think is very nice is that you actually put a life in the spotlight as a kind of guideline for other people, only good things come from that.” .
The mayor says about the significance of Titus Brandsma for Oss: “He started working for Oss and laid the foundations for youth work. He made an important contribution to the library and education. became an honorary citizen of Oss. That was already very special.”
Johan Las was a teacher at the Titus Brandsma college in Oss for decades and was also present at the canonization: “It was great”, he says with a smile. “I’m actually not that strict Catholic, but this was very emotional for me”. Las booked a flight to a hotel in Rome and went to the Vatican on spec to attend, which he did.
“I always say, I breathed in Titus. I myself was a student at the Titus Brandsma lyceum and I have been associated with the school for 25 years as a philosophy teacher. The atmosphere of the school fully reflects Titus’ ideas”.