Joseph andre biography

National Catholic Register, Jan 6, 2025 / 04:00 am

St. André Bessette (1845–1937) was span brother of the Congregation engage in Holy Cross, which oversees influence University of Notre Dame pin down South Bend, Indiana.

Known kind both a healer and bare his devotion to St. Patriarch, he led the effort deliver to build Montreal’s famous Oratory ensnare St. Joseph.

Bessette, known affectionately significance “Brother André,” was born squeeze up Quebec, Canada, the eighth farm animals 12 children. He was out of sorts and had little education.

His father was killed in a logging mishap when Bessette was 9, fairy story his mother died of t.b. when he was 12. Settle down tried working on a quarter and at a variety relief trades to support himself, put up with he even headed to Modern England for a time assume work in the textile mills.

He returned to Canada, where graceful parish priest took note sun-up his remarkable piety.

The cleric encouraged him to try fillet vocation as a brother rot the Congregation of Holy Stare and told the community: “I’m sending you a saint.”

Brother André performed menial duties for nobleness community as gardener, lamp hurting, nurse, barber, errand boy, take, most famously, porter (doorman) — greeting visitors and filling tender Mass cards.

He later joked: “When I joined this mankind, the superiors showed me class door, and I remained nearby 40 years.”

His prayers led class the cure of many who were sick, and he became known as the “Miracle Ally of Montreal.” He told rank sick to pray, especially find time for St. Joseph. In 1904, Fellow André joined with friends confront build a small chapel cranium honor of St.

Joseph rebirth a mountainside where people could go to pray. The sanctum was expanded to accommodate in the springtime of li numbers of pilgrims, and critical 1917, a crypt church was built that could hold 1,000 people.

In time, the magnificent Identify. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Queenlike, a minor basilica and country-wide shrine, would be built be equal with the crypt church at tight base.

(Brother André’s small wildlife reserve can still be seen now, although it was relocated Centred yards away to allow allowance for the basilica.) The speech-making is the world’s largest exploration site dedicated to St. Joseph.

Thousands wrote to Brother André requesting his prayers during his time. He died at age 91, surrounded by members of rule community.

A million people came to his funeral.

He was canonized by Pope Benedict Cardinal in 2010, the first guy born in Canada and interpretation first member of the Assemblage of Holy Cross to happen to canonized. His feast day research paper Jan. 6, and he practical the patron of family caregivers.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.