Prayer to Saint Andre Bessette

Saint Andre, you instinctively understood how the love of God is expressed by loving others. Help us to receive those who are suffering with the same sensitivity you did.
Teach us to act compassionately in the face of their pain and affliction. Teach us to listen to them with undivided attention and to speak to them a word which lifts them up. Teach us to be examples of how to move forward confidently in the company of Saint Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and God our heavenly Father.
Your intense love for God can be seen in your resolve to establish a space for prayer on top of a mountain. You yourself spent hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and you continually urged those coming to you seeking favours to pray in the Eucharistic Presence. At the side of Saint Joseph, greet all who come seeking healing.
Plant within them faith in God who loves them so much and who wishes wholeness for every human being.
Open their hearts to recognize the graces God has poured upon them, confident of the future that God opens before them. Help them to realize the importance of prayer in their life and to be a loyal friend to those who count on them.
Good Brother Andre, now in glory with the Saints, your prayer is powerful with God. Continue those works which you accomplished when you were still on earth. Heal both body and soul.
To adults, give the dignity of employment. To the elderly, hope in their future. To youth, give the grace of living out their lives as solid Christians; in marriage, in religious life, as ordained pastors. Above all, teach us all to live our human life the way Jesus did. Amen.

"Here is the grain"

Saint Brother André: Who is this man?
Saint Joseph's Oratory at Mount Royal

The Road to heaven

For Brother André, heaven is living in God’s house. His views on death as life’s ultimate fulfilment were often expressed thus: "You know, it is permitted to desire death if one’s unique goal is to go forward God… When I die, I will go to heaven, I will be much closer to God than I am now, I will have more power to help you."

A few moments before his death, those around him heard him cry out, "I am suffering so much, my God! My God." And then, in a very weak voice, "Here is the grain," referring to the Gospel of John 12:24, "unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies. It remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit."

"He spent his whole life speaking of others to God, and of God to others." In giving this testimony, a friend presented a valid assessment of Brother André’s life imbued with faith, and love. In fact, it is difficult to say at what point in his life work ended and prayer began as the two seemed to flow so naturally one into the other.

"I am a man just like you."

His name was Alfred Bessette. He was born on August 9, in 1845, and was baptized on condition the very next day, for he was so weak at his birth his parents feared for his life.

In 1849, with employment scarce and his family living in poverty, Alfred’s father decided to move to Farnham (in Quebec) where he hoped to earn a living as a lumberman. Unfortunately, he lost his life in an accident when he was crushed by a falling tree when Alfred was only nine years old.

His mother found herself widowed at the age of forty with ten children in her care. She died of tuberculosis three years later. Much later, Brother André would say of her, "I rarely prayed for my mother, but I often prayed to her."

The family was dispersed, and at the age of twelve Alfred found himself having to face the hardship of life. He was forced to find work. Alfred embarked on a thirteen year path of wandering from job to job without much baggage and very little learning, for he was barely able to write his name and to read his prayer book.

The Labourer
In spite of his physical weakness, Alfred tried to make a living. He travelled from job to job as an apprentice and was easily exploited by those stronger than himself. For a time, he worked on construction projects, later as a farm boy, a tinsmith, a blacksmith, a baker, a shoemaker and a coachman.

Following the flow of French-Canadian emigrants, he went to the United States and worked four years in the textile mills. Even if his health was poor, he put his whole heart into his work: "Despite my weak condition," he would say, "I did not let anyone get ahead of me as far as work was concerned." In 1867, he came back to Canada.

In 1870, Alfred presented himself as a candidate in the novitiate of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montréal. Because of his weak health, his superiors had doubts concerning his religious vocation. However, these reservations were soon put aside as he was finally accepted and given the name of Brother André with the responsibility of porter at Notre-Dame College. While talking about his early duties at the college, brother André was found to say: "When I entered the community, my superiors showed me the door, and I remained there for 40 years without leaving." On top of his porter duties, his daily tasks consisted of washing floors and windows, cleaning lamps, carrying firewood and working as a messenger.

The Friendly Brother
Soon, Brother André started to welcome the sick and broken-hearted. He invited them to pray to Saint Joseph to obtain favours. It was not long before many people were reporting that their prayers were being answered. For twenty-five years, he spent six to eight hours a day receiving those who came to him, first in his small office, then in the tramway station across the street from the college. He built the first chapel with the help of friends and with the money he earned giving haircuts to the students of the college, he had the certitude that Saint Joseph wanted to have a place on the mountain: thus, he spent his whole life preparing a beautiful shrine worthy of his friend.

Bother André began visiting the sick in the area and travelled as far as the United States where he had made friends. He earned the reputation of miracle-worker, but he vehemently protested such a title: "I am nothing… only a tool in the hands of Providence, a lowly instrument at the service of Saint Joseph." He went even further by affirming: "People are silly to think that I can accomplish miracles! It is God and Saint Joseph who can heal you, not I. I will pray Saint Joseph for you."

His aloofness in the presence of strangers contrasted sharply with the carefree and humorous attitude he adopted among friends. He loved to tease and would often say: "You must not be sad: it is good to laugh a little." He made good use of his humour to share his joy and to subtly slip some good advice into a conversation, or to change the subject when a conversation was developing into nasty gossip at someone’s expense.

He was a man of determination and uncompromising principles. Kindness and slightly impish wisdom were reflected in his eyes. His great respect for others was largely responsible for the respect others had for him. He was a very sensitive man. At times, he could be seen crying with the sick, or being moved to tears after hearing a particularly sad experience shared by one of his visitors.

A Man of Great Undertaking
During all these years, an immense project was underway and larger crowds were swarming to the Oratory. The first small chapel had been erected in 1904, but it soon became too small to receive all the people who were coming to the mountain. As a result, the chapel was extended in 1908, and then again in 1910. Still, this was not enough: a larger church in honour of Saint Joseph was needed.

In 1917, a new Crypt-Church was inaugurated. This crypt was able to hold at least a thousand people: but, this was only the starting point of an even greater endeavour. Brother André devoted his efforts to building the Oratory, which was to become the world’s greater sanctuary dedicated to Saint Joseph.

The economic crisis of 1929 forced the construction of the Basilica to come to a standstill. In 1936, the authorities of the Congregation of Holy Cross called a special meeting to decide if the project should continue or not. The Provincial summoned Brother André to ask for his opinion on the matter. The ageing Brother André had only a few words for the Assembly: "This is not my work, it is the work of Saint Joseph. Put one of his statues in the middle of the building. If he wants a roof over his head, he’ll take care of it." Two months later, the Congregation had amassed the necessary funds to continue working on the construction.

A Kind-Hearted, Devoted Man
Brother André took great care in meeting and greeting people. He spent long hours in his office where thousands of people came to see him and, in the evenings, he visited homes or hospitals accompanied by one of his friends.

His kindness and compassion were matched by a remarkable sharpness of mind. He would make the following comment concerning the numerous requests for healings he received: "It is surprising that I am frequently asked for cures, but rarely for humility and the spirit of faith. Yet, they are so important," adding, "If the soul is sick, one must begin by treating the soul." Consequently, he would often ask the people consulting him questions such as, "Do you have faith?" "Do you believe that God can do something for you?" Then, before doing anything else, he would tell them, "Go confess yourself to the priest, go to Holy Communion and then come back to see me." Indeed, Brother André had a true understanding of the sense and the value of suffering, and he spoke with wisdom when addressing this subject: "People who suffer have something to offer to God. When they succeed in enduring their suffering that is a daily miracle!”

A Man of God
Brother André always denied that he had any gift of healing, saying "I have no gift and I cannot give any." His exhortations were always the same: to make a novena to Saint Joseph and to rub with oil or a medal of the saint. For him, these were truly "acts of love and faith, of confidence and humility."

He encouraged people to see a doctor for treatment. As to the doctors themselves, he would tell them, "Yours is a great work. Your science was given to you by God; therefore, you must thank Him and pray to Him." Brother André had such a way of speaking about God that he succeeded in sowing seeds of hope in the people he met. One of his friends related this fact: "I never brought a sick person to Brother André without that person returning home enriched. Some were cured. Others died some time later, but Brother André had brought them peace of mind."

* * *

On January 6, 1937 at 91 years of age, Brother André died at Hôpital Notre-Dame de l'Espérance in Saint-Laurent, a suburb of Montréal. [His last words were, "Mary, Sweet mother, mother of my sweet Savior, be merciful to me and help me . . . Saint Joseph.”] Newspapers reported that well over a million people attended his wake and burial. His body lies today in a simple tomb in the beautiful Oratory that rises so gracefully on Mount Royal. To this day, thousands of visitors come to Saint Joseph’s Oratory to receive physical and spiritual healing.

Even today, Brother André remains for us a living symbol of Christian renewal to which we are all invited. Whatever Brother André was able to achieve through God’s grace, we are also able to achieve through that same grace offered to us so generously and consistently.

See more information at the Saint Joseph's Oratory at Mount Royal website.

Remembering Brother André

Host Mary Rose Bacani discovers the heart-warming stories of pilgrims who travel to Saint Joseph's Oratory from all over the world in search of peace, holiness and healing. She also visits the Cantins, a family from Southwestern Ontario that has one of the most impressive archives of Br. André in North America. Other featured segments include ordained and lay collaborators at Holy Cross-run institutes as well as touching interviews with men and women who share how Br. André continues to touch the hearts of all today.

Brother André Bessette on EWTN

I am sending you a saint

Saint André Bessette: Montreal’s Miracle Worker
by Brother André Marie
October 25, 2004

In the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada, on a rise of earth known as Mount Royal, there stands a religious edifice of staggering proportions. It is three hundred and sixty-one feet high, taller than either Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York or the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. . . .

It is the Oratory of Saint Joseph, a worthy tribute to him who is the head of the Holy Family and the Patron of the Universal Church.

If one were to ask any Canadian for the name of the person who built this magnificent House of God, he would be told, “Brother André.” Yet, this little lay brother’s name does not appear on any of the official records of the building of the Oratory. He was only a porter — a doorman — at a college owned and operated by his religious congregation. He was a little man, both in size and, if one were to judge by appearance, in importance. He was not a priest; therefore he could neither offer Mass nor preach. Because of poor education, he did not know how to read or write until he reached the age of twenty-five.

How is it, then, that this little brother is known and venerated all over the world as the little saint who built the Oratory of Saint Joseph in Montreal?

The Early Years

On August 9, 1845, Alfred Bessette was born to Isaac and Clothilde Bessette, the eighth in what would become a family of twelve children. The Bessettes were a poor French Canadian family who lived in the farming village of St. Gregoire, thirty miles from Montreal. . . . Alfred was born a very sick baby; so sick, in fact, that his father baptized him shortly after birth, fearing he would not survive. This lack of physical health and strength stayed with him throughout his entire life, yet he lived to the incredible age of ninety-one.

Recalling what he could of those early years, Brother André later told of how happy they were for him, of how great was his love for his parents, especially his mother, who had special affection for her frail child. But that happiness was soon tempered by tragedy. When he was six years old, his father was killed in a lumbering accident near the town of Farnham. Four years later, his mother, trying to raise twelve children single-handedly, contracted tuberculosis and was forced to put the children up for adoption. Keeping with her only the feeblest one, Alfred, she went to live with her sister, Mrs. Timothée Nadeau, in St. Cesaire. Two years later, in 1857, she died. Brother André later recalled, with great love and affection, her last days. . . .

Alfred was but twelve years old when his mother died. He was now an orphan, separated from his brothers and sisters. But the next ten years of his life would see the accelerated formation of a saint.

After the death of his mother, he remained with the Nadeau family. Timothée put him to work on the family farm, but, try as he may, little Alfred could not cope with strenuous farm labor. He simply did not have the physical stamina required to perform the chores asked of him. Then his uncle sent him to a cobbler to learn the shoemaking trade, but this didn’t work either. The poor lad was so clumsy that he was constantly pricking his fingers with the sharp cobbler’s awl. This scenario was repeated over and over again: He would take a job and work at it as hard as he could, but always his poor health made it impossible for him to continue. . . .

Father André Provençal

It was during this time that he came into contact with the priest who proved to be the worthy spiritual tutor of a saint, Father André Provençal, the Curé of Saint Césaire. It was Father Provençal who instructed little Alfred for his first Holy Communion. It was Father Provençal who inspired devotion to Saint Joseph. And it was also this holy parish priest who put Brother André on that road which, for him, would end in perfection — the road to a religious vocation. . . .

Across the street from Father Provençal’s parish Church was a new building that had been built during the time Alfred was away from Saint Césaire. The building was a school where some eighty pupils were taught by six brothers, members of a fledgling religious congregation known as the Congregation of the Holy Cross. . . .

Congregation of the Holy Cross - Acceptance and Profession

Alfred’s meeting with these brothers was an event of singular importance. He was impressed by them; their black habit with Roman collar, cincture and medal of Saint Joseph, their manly bearing and devotion all attracted him. Nevertheless, he was nervous. These men were educated; they ran a school — just the six of them — with eighty children. Alfred was still an illiterate. But Father Provençal soon relieved him of that worry, assuring his young friend there was a need in the order for janitors and manual laborers. . . . Then, in 1870, he made up his mind that, if they would have him, he would join the Congregation. They accepted him into the novitiate in Côte-des-Neiges, and he took the habit of the order. The novice master, Father Gastineau, gave him a great welcome. Perhaps he was expecting much of the new arrival, because before Brother André got to the novitiate, the novice master received a letter from Father Provençal which said, “I am sending a saint to your Congregation.” . . .

Our Lady’s Porter and Miracles

His first assignment was as porter of the College of Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur in Côte-des-Neiges, the same college where he spent much of his novitiate. This was the position he held for nearly forty years. . . .

God, knowing that men do not think often enough of their final end, nor of Him, nor of the truths of religion, gives human nature external signs of His presence and the truth of His religion. . . . As is plain from Church History and the lives of the saints, the divine foundation of the Church was proved by miracles in every age. . . .

As for Brother André, the public nature and frequency of the miracles he worked make them impossible to dispute. He cured many of the students at the college, so many that he developed a reputation as a great miracle worker.

One day, as the pious porter was scrubbing the floor in the parlor of the college, a lady came to see him, having heard of his reputation. She was so afflicted with rheumatism that she could only walk with the assistance of two men supporting her by holding each arm. Her request to Brother André was simple enough: “I am suffering from rheumatism. I want you to heal me.” Not looking up from the floor he was still busily scrubbing, Brother André said to the men assisting her, “Let her walk.” The woman walked out unassisted. . . .

Father Henri-Paul Bergeron, a Holy Cross Priest who knew Frère André, gives an account in his book, The Wonder Man of Mount Royal, of an event that recalls some of those recorded in the Gospels:

“One day as he was going along Bienville Street in Montreal, a sick woman was brought to him. Immediately all of the sick of the neighborhood, children, men and women, were brought out until the whole street was filled with the sick and the infirm. Brother André attended to all with kindness, and his chauffeur. . . making his way through the crowd, remarked:

‘How wonderful; it is like a scene from the life of Our Lord: everyone rushed forth to beg for favors and cures.’

‘Perhaps so’ replied the Brother, ‘but God is surely making use of a very vile instrument.’”

On another occasion, when the porter was in the infirmary, he saw a student sick in bed. He told the boy, who had been ordered to rest by the school doctor, to get up. “You’re not sick, you lazy bones! Go and play with the others.” This the boy did, in perfect health and good cheer. The story of the incident soon spread around the college. Teachers, the doctor, students and parents alike marveled at the miracles wrought by the confident prayer of the young brother.

We say that the miracles were wrought by the prayers of the brother. Perhaps, if he were here, he would rebuke us for saying this. He never claimed that he worked a single miracle. In his humility he gave all the credit to Saint Joseph, in whose power Brother André had infinite confidence. In fact, any attempt to credit him with miracles brought a stern reprimand from the normally kind religious. One day a visitor said to him, “You are better than Saint Joseph. We pray to him and nothing happens, but when we come to see you we are cured.” The brother was so incensed at the slander of the Holy Patriarch that he screamed, “Get out of here. It is Saint Joseph who cured you, not I. Get out! Throw him out!” The incident shook the frail constitution of the holy man so much that he spent three days sick in bed. . . .

The Oratory of Saint Joseph

In the midst of all of the excitement, the brother’s heart became fixed on one holy ambition: the erection in Montreal of a shrine to Saint Joseph. . . . The shrine was in the thoughts and prayers of the porter for quite some time before he dared ask permission to build such a thing. He let only a handful of privileged friends know of his holy aspiration. Every once in a while he would let out a stray remark impressing on the hearer the need for a chapel to Saint Joseph. Some of these occasions came with certain signs of the divine origin of the brother’s dream. One of his confreres told him of a strange phenomenon in his cell: It seemed that every time this religious put his statue of Saint Joseph facing his bed, he came back to find the statue turned around, facing the Mount Royal. Laughing, Frère André told his confrere, “It is not strange at all; it simply means that Saint Joseph wants to be honored on the mountain.”

Certainly Brother André wanted Saint Joseph honored on the mountain. In 1890, he took a young student with him on one of his regular Thursday meditation walks. Taking the student up to the mountainside across the street from the school, he told him, “I have hidden a medal of Saint Joseph here. We will pray that he will arrange the purchase of this land for us.” For six years he persevered in prayer for that intention, and in 1896, his prayers were rewarded. The Holy Cross Congregation purchased the land, fearing that such a prime piece of real estate would attract a club or resort which would be an unwholesome distraction so near the students. After the land was purchased, Brother André put a statue of Saint Joseph in a little cave on his chosen site. Placing a bowl in front of the statue, he planned on collecting alms from Saint Joseph’s petitioners, alms which would be used to build a chapel.

To put it simply, what started out as a fifteen-by eighteen foot chapel in 1904 became a minor basilica in 1955, and was completed — interior and all — in 1966. In his lifetime, the shrine became big enough to warrant having a full-time guardian, a job to which Brother André was appointed in 1909. For the present, however, we would rather discuss the life of the holy builder than the building itself.

From the moment that he conceived the idea to the day he died, the Oratory of Saint Joseph was a sacred task which Blessed André pursued with burning zeal. Everything that he could do in the confines of religious obedience to make the shrine a reality, he did immediately. . . .

Zeal for Souls

Many of the people who sought cures from Frère André were good Catholics; but others were heretics and unbelievers of all kinds. One of the witnesses at his cause for beatification said, “As to heretics, schismatics and also unbelievers, Brother André treated them with more kindness and sympathy than the Catholics. He wanted to gain the confidence of such people. When the right time came he talked to them of the goodness of God and of religion. . . He profited by the visits of Protestants and unbelievers to slide in a good word to them, an evangelical word.”

It was by this kind of work that the guardian of the Oratory wrought thousands of conversions, many among lapsed and lukewarm Catholics, but also among Protestants, Freemasons and Jews. Brother André looked upon the humility of the non-Catholic, in coming to a Catholic brother for a cure, as the beginning of faith. In this he was imitating Our Lord Himself. . . . About this, the Blessed said, “Those who are cured quickly often are people who have no faith or little faith. On the other hand, those who have solid faith are not cured so quickly, for the good God prefers to allow them to suffer that they will be sanctified even more.” . . .

Read the entire article here.

Brother André: Montreal’s Porter and Heaven’s Gatekeeper – A Reflection on St. André of Montreal

Coming Soon - Brother André

On March 1, 2012, Cinema Catechism will be pleased to present Brother André, with discussion on the theme of the Beatitudes.

On January 6, 1937, the death of this humble doorkeeper for a boys' college drew over a million people to Montreal for his funeral. For 40 years, Brother André Bessette of the Congregation of Holy Cross welcomed people at the door and became known as a miraculous healer. Brother André was a man of prayer, of hospitality, and of compassion; a man who drew people in so to experience a God who is love. On October 17, 2010, Brother André became the first male Canadian-born saint and the first saint for the Congregation of Holy Cross. He is living proof that "it is with the smallest brushes that the divine artist paints the most beautiful pictures."

Ignatius Press Movie Review

This is a beautiful feature film on the newly canonized St. André of Montreal, the humble doorkeeper brother, written by Jean Claude LeBrecque that re-creates the story of St. André Bessette's life as he speaks with his niece who is discerning her vocation. It tells of Brother André's struggles and the perseverance it took to remain faithful to God's call and fulfill His will. Stars Marc Legault and Sylvie Ferlatte.

Although tens of thousands asked for his prayers during his lifetime, and over one million people came for his funeral, many if not most people in the United States know nothing about Brother André. Here is some information on him from EWTN --

This Holy Cross Brother, known as "Frère André," has been credited with thousands of cures. He was the founder of St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, Canada, perhaps the world's principal shrine in honor of St. Joseph. When he died at the age of 91, it was estimated that close to a million people came to the Oratory to pay their last respects. He was beatified in 1982.

André was the eighth child in a family of 12 and at baptism he was given the name Alfred. Orphaned at the age of 12, he tried his hand at various trades but was not successful in any of them. He could barely read and write and was sickly most of his life. At the age of 15 he became a Brother of Holy Cross but was rejected at the end of the novitiate. At the insistence of the bishop of Montreal, however, Brother André was allowed to make religious profession. For forty years he worked as porter at the College of Notre Dame, until he was needed full time at the shrine of St. Joseph. People from all over Canada came to him for cures or for spiritual direction. The Oratory that he built in honor of St. Joseph was solemnly dedicated in 1955 and raised to the rank of a minor basilica.

The Opening Prayer of the Mass for his feast day describes two characteristics of the spirituality of Brother André: his deep devotion to St. Joseph and his "commitment to the poor and afflicted." For many years he gathered funds to replace the primitive chapel with a suitable church, even cutting the hair of the students at five cents each. His concern for those who needed spiritual healing and support led him to spend 8 to 10 hours a day receiving clients. He became so well known that secretaries had to be assigned to answer the 80,000 letters he received annually.

If one were to seek the outstanding virtue of Brother André one would have to say that it was his humility. He once said: "I am ignorant. If there were anyone more ignorant, the good God would choose him in my place." And when the power of healing was attributed to him, he responded: "It is St. Joseph who cures. I am only his little dog."

The significance of the life and works of Brother André for today's Christian is the fact that this humble Brother, who could scarcely read or write, was chosen by God as an instrument for good. As we read in the Preface for Martyrs, God reveals his power shining through our human weakness.

Lord our God, friend of the lowly, you gave your servant, Brother André, a great devotion to St. 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.