A French nun who recently beat COVID and is believed to be the second-oldest person alive celebrated her 117th birthday Thursday with a feast fit for a record-breaking queen, and of course, wine.

Sister André, born Lucile Randon on Feb. 11, 1904, finished off foie gras, capon with fragrant mushrooms, and her favorite treat, baked Alaska, with red wine, dubbed “one of her secrets of longevity,” David Tavella, the communications manager for her care home in Toulon, told the Associated Press.

Tavella, who was simultaneously ringing in his 43rd birthday, added that the remarkable nun had some champagne to mark the occasion, “because 117 years have to be toasted.”

A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person has survived COVID-19. French media reported that Sister André tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-January in France’s southern city of Toulon. (David Tavella/)

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sister André managed to ring in her big day with her family, remotely of course, and a Mass in her honor, which left her feeling “very proud,” said Tavella.

The celebration follows Sister André’s January diagnosis with COVID-19, which she didn’t even realize she’d contracted because she miraculously exhibited so few symptoms.

“When the whole world suddenly started talking about this story, I understood that Sister André was a bit like an Olympic flame on a ‘round the world tour that people want to grab hold of,” said Tavella, noting, “We all need a bit of hope at the moment.”

Sister André though is more than just her many years, according to Tavella.

“She is so easy to talk to, regardless of age. It is only when she talks about World War I as though she lived through it that I realize, ‘Yes, she did live through it!’” he remarked.

With News Wire Services

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