BLESSED ANDRE BESSETTE, Religious

Blessed Andre Bessette, Religious

FEAST DAY: January 6th

CANONIZED A SAINT: Not yet canonized

DECLARED BLESSED (Beatified): In 1982 by Pope John Paul II

PATRONAGE: Those who are sick and devotion to Saint Joseph

PRAYER Lord our God, friend of the lowly, you gave your servant, Brother Andre a great devotion to Saint Joseph and a special commitment to the poor and afflicted. Through his intercession help us to follow his example of prayer and love and so come to share with him in your glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

SCRIPTURE READING A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew After the Magi left, the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph with the command: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. Herod is searching for he child to destroy him. Joseph got up and took the child and his mother and left that night for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” ~Matthew 2: 13 – 15

OUTLINE OF TEACHING Born in 1845, near Montreal, Canada, Alfred Bessette suffered greatly by the untimely death of his parents, which left him an orphan by the time he was 14 years old. Early on, Alfred Bessette had a deep devotion to Saint Joseph and after trying his hand at various trades, he entered the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers, taking the religious name of Brother Andre. For over 40 years he served as the porter of a small Catholic college in Montreal. Numerous healings took place at the college due to the intervention of Brother Andre and his devotion to Saint Joseph. Nearly

1 illiterate, Brother Andre was single handedly responsible for the building of the largest church on the North American Continent, Saint Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal, near Montreal. Brother Andre died on January 6, 1937 at the age of 91. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

BLESSED ANDRE BESSETTE, Religious

Introduction On Christmas Eve of 1936, countless prayers and Masses were being offered for Pope Pius XI, who was ill and was thought to be dying. The 91 year old Brother Andre, assisting at his third Mass, himself was overcome with fatigue and dizziness and asked to be taken back to his room. When he left the crypt chapel of Saint Joseph’s Oratory (church) in Montreal, it was said that Brother Andre’s face was radiant. When asked why he had such a glorious look on his face, Brother Andre stated how happy he was that within a few years Christmas Mass would be celebrated in the upper church of Saint Joseph’s Oratory. He was encouraged by a young priest that he would live to see that most blessed event. Brother Andre responded that he would not live to see it, that in fact, this would be his last Christmas. He also informed the young priest assisting him that Pope Pius XI would not die, but in fact would recover. Brother Andre was right on both accounts. Pope Pius XI did recover and would live until February 10, 1939. Brother Andre fell asleep in the Lord on January 6, 1937. Together, let us prayerfully examine the life of this holy and humble and hopefully, soon to be canonized saint.

Heavy crosses to bear at an early age Brother Andre was born on August 9, 1845 at Saint Gregoire, near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was the eighth of twelve children. His family was very poor, yet happy and very devout. At his baptism, which took place in a stone house, he was given the name Alfred. His mother instilled within her own children a great love and devotion for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. From the very beginning of his life, Alfred was a sickly boy, suffering from a stomach ailment that would plague him for the rest of his life. Well into his adult life, Alfred would live, primarily on saltine crackers and milk. Although he may have been physically hampered, he was spiritually strong and devout. His father, a carpenter would occasionally work as a lumberjack to help provide for his large family. When Alfred was but ten years old, his father was killed in the forest as a tree that he cut, fell the wrong way and crushed him. Within two years, Alfred would once again experience more excruciating pain through the death of his mother, who suffered from tuberculosis. Prior to his mother’s death, as her health worsened, Alfred and his siblings were divided up amongst other families as there was no other way to care for such a large family. Alfred was sent to an uncle who had a farm, where he had to work hard to earn his keep. Although his uncle and aunt were practicing Catholics, there was little devotion outside of attending Sunday Mass. Alfred found great peace and comfort in stealing away to the barn on his uncle’s farm, where he

2 hung a crucifix on one of the walls. It was before the crucifix in this make shift chapel that Alfred would pray, sometimes for hours on end, in the night or on rainy days.

Preparation for First Holy Communion Due to the life changing events that took place in Alfred’s life, his education, precious little as it was, came to a screeching halt in order to work and help provide for the financial needs of not only himself, but for his younger siblings as well. Alfred was allowed the opportunity to prepare for his First Holy Communion and took instructions from the parish priest of Saint Cesaire, Father Andre Provencal, who felt a deep compassion for young Alfred and took him under his wings. Father Provencal, in an attempt to console young Alfred would relate to him the love of the Holy Family. Father Provencal was especially devoted to Saint Joseph and shared this deep devotion with Alfred, reminding him that Saint Joseph, like his own father, was a carpenter. This revelation certainly caught Alfred’s attention and thus a lifelong relationship between Saint Joseph and Alfred was forged. It was in his make shift chapel in the barn, kneeling before his crucifix, that Alfred asked Saint Joseph to be his foster father, just as he was for the child Jesus. The two would remain inseparable for the rest of Alfred’s life. Alfred, who received a blue suit to wear at his First Communion would receive the Eucharist at every opportunity, which was not as often as he would have liked, living on a farm, so far out of town. Through his instruction from Father Provencal, Alfred became very devoted to the Blessed Mother and her rosary, claiming that he never missed a day and began the penance of sleeping on the floor, even in his weakened physical condition.

Failure in the eyes of the world After two years of living on the farm with his uncle and aunt, they decided to strike out for California to make their fortune. They considered Alfred’s constitution to be too weak to withstand the long trek across the country and left him behind to fend for himself at the age of 14. Alfred continued to work as a farmhand and later tried his luck as a shoemaker, baker and a blacksmith. Due to his persistent illness due to his stomach problems, Alfred was not able to stay very long at any one task, for lack of strength. While he worked in a factory in New England, he was able to pick up a bit of English as French was his first language. Through these many hardships, Alfred continued to cultivate his spiritual life through long hours of prayer. His relationship with the Holy Family and in particular, with Saint Joseph was strengthened with each passing day.

“ I am sending you a saint” Alfred was only 15 years of age when he first sought entrance into the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers in Montreal. Initially, there were those who admitted that Alfred may have sought entrance into religious life more out of desperation than a true vocational calling, even though he lived a very deep spiritual life. The truth be told, given his weak health, stomach ailments and his illiteracy, Alfred really had no where else to turn. After a short period of time, Alfred was asked to leave the

3 novitiate, as the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers were a teaching order. Alfred remained, however, steadfast in his desire to serve God in some capacity as a religious. On December 27, 1870, Alfred Bessett, was admitted into the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers through the intervention of the bishop of Montreal, who stated that the prayers of the young brother would be helpful to the order. His pastor and friend, Father Provencal sent a letter with Alfred addressed to the superior of the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers in Montreal. The note read, “I am sending you a saint.” It is interesting to note that on December 8, 1870, Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph “Patron of the Universal Church.”

Humble servant of God Upon his entrance into the order, he was given the religious name, Andre. Brother Andre would spend the next 67 years serving in the most menial tasks the order had to offer. He fulfilled his duties as a gardener, baker of altar bread, sacristan, laundry worker, messenger and janitor at Notre Dame College in Montreal (a school for young boys, ages 7 – 12) with devotion and humility. There was, however, one task that Brother Andre was given in which he would excel beyond anyone’s wildest imaginings, including his own.

Porter at Notre Dame College In the great tradition of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez and much later, Venerable Solanus Casey (both featured on the DTS website), Brother Andre would also serve as the Porter or doorman at Notre Dame College. This task involved meeting those who came to the college seeking to see one of the priests as well as supervising the boys who attended the school. It was to this task that Brother Andre would become especially well known to the public at large. Brother Andre in good humor would say of his assignment as porter “at the end of my novitiate, my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for forty years.”

“ I am Saint Joseph’s little dog” As porter of Notre Dame College, Brother Andre would come in contact with countless numbers of people in need of healing, both of a physical as well as a spiritual nature. No matter who came to the door, Brother Andre was in the business of promoting the life and devotion of Saint Joseph. For those who came with physical needs, Brother Andre would either rub oil or give oil for the person to apply on themselves. This was no ordinary oil, as the humble brother would explain; this was “Saint Joseph’s oil,” which Brother Andre would secure from the oil lamp (olive oil) burning before the tabernacle in the college chapel. Brother Andre would also hand out medals of Saint Joseph or rub the medal on a person in need of physical healing. The numbers of those who experienced physical, emotional or spiritual healing are countless; certainly into the thousands. It is believed that there was at least one miraculous healing per day. Word spread quickly of this Holy Cross brother and his unusual, yet highly effective practice of rubbing Saint Joseph’s oil and medals on those in need. The numbers of sick people seeking help grew into the hundreds. The large crowds of pilgrims soon began to disrupt the everyday goings-on of the small college. For all the good that was taking

4 place, Brother Andre certainly had his critics. His superiors as well as diocesan officials were not only nervous and uneasy about what was taking place, some were downright suspicious. Brother Andre was called a quack by area doctors, who may have truly been concerned or upset at the prospect of their patients going elsewhere for treatment. When confronted, Brother Andre would simply state; “I do not cure, it is Saint Joseph who cures. I am only his little dog.”

A brother to all Brother Andre’s reputation for healing as well as his piety and humility endeared him to those around the college. Even the local fire fighters of station number 27 made Brother Andre their chaplain. There developed such a following and need of Brother Andre that it was found necessary that he be given the aid of a secretary from within the order as the humble brother received nearly 80,000 letters a year, to which he wanted to respond, yet was unable to due to his near illiteracy. Brother Andre was able to use the goodwill of the people for his ultimate dream, a chapel in honor of Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph’s Chapel(s) It had become a lifelong passion of Brother Andre to build a chapel in honor of Saint Joseph on top of Mount Royal, which was not far from the college where he served as porter. For many years, the Holy Cross Fathers had wanted to acquire land on Mount Royal, yet to no avail. Brother Andre and some of his devotees climbed the steep hill side and placed Saint Joseph Medals in strategic locations. Soon, the owners of the land on Mount Royal relented and sold the desired land to the Holy Cross order. Brother Andre was eventually given permission to build a chapel in honor of Saint Joseph on the property, so long as he provided the necessary funds himself. Brother Andre would succeed in building three different chapels. The first chapel, built in 1904, was a modest wooden building only fifteen feet by eighteen feet. By 1912, a larger, more beautiful chapel had been built. Brother Andre collected money through donations as well as charging each of the boys at the college five cents per hair cut. Brother Andre vigorously promoted not only nightly devotions to Saint Joseph but Eucharistic Adoration and confessions as well. At first, the priest assigned to this little chapel was against putting himself out every evening for these pious practices, fearing that there would be few if any people who would come to church. The faithful did not disappoint, as they started to come in such numbers that a larger church soon had to be built.

Saint Joseph’s Oratory By 1916 it was decided by the Holy Cross order, through the inspiration and direction of Brother Andre to go all out and build a one of a kind basilica style structure. This time, Brother Andre had not only the faithful around Mount Royal, he also had his brother fire fighters, many Protestant Christians and even Jewish neighbors lending a hand through much needed funds. The corporation for the new Saint Joseph’s Oratory was in full swing and the first stage of the building project was well under way. An underground crypt was first built and would be used for several years as the main church, while the basilica was being built above the crypt.

5 The dimensions of this massive church are mind boggling. Buildings such as Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris as well as the United States Capital building can all fit inside the structure that took nearly 50 years to build. The basilica was finally dedicated in 1955 and named a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII. Sadly, however, Brother Andre would not live to see the completion of this monumental edifice in honor of his beloved foster father, Saint Joseph.

Brother Andre departs this life When asked by the local media about his success in getting the basilica built, Brother Andre responded by stating; “Personally, I am nothing. God chose the most ignorant one. If there is anyone more ignorant that I am, the good God would have chosen him.” At the age of 91, Brother Andre, who was sickly his entire life, living on soda crackers and milk as well as being virtually illiterate fell asleep in the Lord on January 6, 1937. It was estimated that nearly a million people climbed the steep steps to Saint Joseph’s Oratory to attend the funeral of this beloved, humble porter and spiritual son of Saint Joseph. Lining the walls surrounding Brother Andre’s coffin were thousands of crutches of those who had been healed through “the little dog of Saint Joseph.”

Post-script In the above section entitled Porter at Notre Dame College, reference was made to Venerable Solanus Casey, who was the famous Porter at Saint Bonaventure’s Friary in Detroit, Michigan. Venerable Solanus was also well known as an instrument of God’s healing power and miraculous intervention. It is worth noting that in 1935, the two future saints, Venerable Solanus and Blessed Andre actually met while in Detroit. The 90 year old, Brother Andre and the young 65 year old, Father Solanus had never met before, yet it would be safe to say that they certainly had heard of each other. The similarities are amazing in putting their lives side by side. Both men had various struggles in their earlier days, which greatly effected their educations. They both worked at various trades in hopes of finding their vocation in life. They were both limited in how far they could go in religious life due to their educational struggles. Certainly, both were used by God in a miraculous ways. When they met in Detroit, Brother Andre, who spoke a little English, asked Father Solanus for his blessing. The blessing given, Father Solanus in turn asked Brother Andre for his blessing, which he also gave. It was unheard of in that day and age for a priest to ask the blessing of a brother; thus the humility of both men. It also worth noting that Father Solanus was baptized on December 18, 1870 (just 9 days before Brother Andre entered the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers and 10 days after Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church). It is also worth noting that Father Solanus was baptized in Saint Joseph’s Church in Prescott, Wisconsin.

6 Reading A reading on the life of Blessed Andre Bessette by Father Henri-Paul Bergeron, C.S.C.

In the midst of agitations and disturbances, Brother Andre invariably kept close to God by his burning desire, which was an unspoken prayer. The remark of one of his friends: “He seems to be attracted toward God as toward a magnet,” is expressive of his whole life. The vigor of God’s action in his soul was manifested by his zeal for the sanctification of others. He neglected no opportunity of turning the conversation to religious subjects. His friends often said: “He used to begin with some trite remark and then, in his own inimitable way, turn the talk to God.” He strove to imitate Christ, not only by a life of continual prayer, but also by an unceasing abnegation of self, for he was convinced of the necessity of renouncing every attachment in order to live closely united to God. “Remember,” he insisted, “that if we wish to be good Christians, we must not be attached to the world.” He himself was ready for any sacrifice. A few months before his death, thinking that his superiors wanted to send him away from the Oratory, he confided the following to a friend, “I am not much use now at the Oratory; perhaps I am only doing harm here, for I am becoming very old. If my superiors decide to give me another occupation at the next appointments, I shall be satisfied, so long as I am of some use to the Congregation. Perhaps God wants that sacrifice of me before I die. After a little rest I shall feel strong enough to do some other work.” Truly was great renunciation required, thus to look seriously upon the possibility of a sudden change of obedience and to be ready to suffer an injustice which would mean a public disavowal of all his glorious past!