Saint André Bessette

Brother André Bessette, C.S.C (Congregation of Holy Cross), a doorkeeper whose ministry to the sick led him to be called the “Miracle Man of Montreal” became the first saint of this congregation when Pope Benedict XVI canonized him (and five others) in St. Peter’s Square today.

Born Alfred Bessette to Isaac and Clothilde Besette on 9 August 1845, in Montreal, Brother André entered Holy Cross in 1870. He worked as a porter at a Montreal school run by the congregation and began to earn a reputation as a healer and miracle worker. Bessette’s biographers recount tales of crippled rheumatics healed and fever-stricken schoolboys made suddenly well, often aided by “Saint Joseph's oil,” which Brother André rubbed on wounds and sick limbs after burning it before a statue of the patron saint of his religious order.

More than seventy years after Brother André's death in 1937, millions of pilgrims travel each year to Saint Joseph's Oratory, which he founded in Montreal in 1904. Brother André was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church in 1978 (the first of three steps toward sainthood), and Blessed in 1982 (the second step). Pope John Paul II said of him, “We venerate in Blessed Brother André Bessette a man of prayer and a friend of the poor, a truly astonishing man. . . . In each age the Holy Spirit raises up such humble witnesses of the Gospel, who turn things topsy-turvy.”

The Providence Journal article listed below refers to some relatives of Saint André. One of the relatives mentioned is Louise Barba, with whom I used to teach at Saint Patrick School in Providence. Louise taught the 4th grade. For several years before the school made the transition from a K-8 school to a high school (Saint Patrick Academy), she made an annual pilgrimage to Saint Joseph's Oratory with a group of 8th grade students. This pilgrimage, on the last weekend of September, usually deeply touched the hearts of the participants.

Recent Articles/Comments about Saint André:

Providence Journal: Saintly man (14 OCT 10)

Fr. Andrew Gawrych, CSC: The Seven Crosses of Br. André’s Life

Fr. Austin Fleming: A saint who opened doors... (17 OCT 10)

Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB: Upcoming Canonization

Background Information:

Congregation of Holy Cross

Oratory of Saint Joseph, Montreal