St. André Bessette
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
A humble Holy Cross brother, André Bessette welcomed the suffering, fostered trust in St. Joseph, and inspired the building of Montreal's great oratory.
The story
Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, in Saint-Grégoire-d'Iberville, Quebec. He was the eighth of twelve children in a poor working family. His father died in a logging accident, and his mother died when Alfred was twelve. Frail health limited his schooling and made steady employment difficult. He worked at several manual trades in Canada and spent some years working in New England before returning to Quebec.
In 1870 Alfred entered the novitiate of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal and received the religious name Brother André. His weak health caused uncertainty about whether he could remain. Father André Provençal, his pastor, had recommended him with the words that he was sending a saint. Brother André was finally admitted to vows in 1874. For decades he served chiefly as doorkeeper, porter, messenger, and infirmary attendant at Notre Dame College in Côte-des-Neiges.
People began coming to Brother André for prayer and consolation. He listened patiently, encouraged confession and the sacraments, and urged confidence in St. Joseph. He sometimes gave the sick oil that had burned before a statue of St. Joseph or suggested that they use it prayerfully. Reports of healings spread widely. Brother André firmly denied that he possessed healing power and credited every favor to God through St. Joseph's intercession. His ministry sometimes drew suspicion, but his superiors allowed it to continue under appropriate oversight.
Brother André hoped for a shrine honoring St. Joseph on Mount Royal. A small chapel opened in 1904 and was repeatedly enlarged as pilgrims multiplied. Work later began on the immense church now known as Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. Brother André did not live to see its completion. He died on January 6, 1937, at the age of ninety one. Vast crowds came to pay their respects, and his heart was preserved at the Oratory according to a common custom of that period. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1982. Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 17, 2010. His memorial is January 6 in the United States and January 7 in Canada.
What André teaches
St. André shows that hidden work can become a powerful ministry when it is offered with humility and love. His devotion to St. Joseph always directed suffering people toward God, prayer, and the sacraments. The communion of saints supports the Church's prayer without replacing Christ, the one mediator (CCC 956 and 970).
Patronage
the sick, family caregivers, doorkeepers, devotees of St. Joseph.
Prayer
God our Father, you made St. André a compassionate friend to the sick and discouraged. Through his intercession, grant healing according to your will and teach us to serve faithfully in humble tasks. Amen.