Today is the Feast of St. Andre Bessette, "The Miracle Man of Montreal"

On this, the 75th anniversary of his passing into eternal life, be sure to ask him to help you make your life a miracle.

St. Andre' Bessette

"I, Joseph Alfred Bessette, Brother Andre, unworthy though I am, rely nevertheless on the Divine Mercy and, earnestly desiring to devote myself to the service of the Adorable Trinity, make to Almighty God the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, according to the sense of the rules and constitutions of this Congregation, in the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived without sin, of her worthy spouse St. Joseph, and of all the Heavenly Court, promising to accept whatever employments it may please my superiors to entrust to me." 1

~Read by St. Andre, kneeling before his community, 
on the day he made his first temporary vows.  

Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845 near Montreal Canada, in Mont St. Gregoire. He was expected to die right after he was born and was quickly baptized, but God still had many other things for this baby to accomplish in his lifetime. Alfred was the 8th child, and was born at a time when many children received little formal education because of the necessity of having to work to survive. His family had a deep faith in God and a special devotion to the Holy Family. Alfred suffered from poor health and chronic stomach problems, and was given special attention by his loving mother.

When Alfred was ten, his father died after being struck by a falling tree. The boy then turned to St. Joseph, who became his very special collaborator. Three years after the death of Alfred's father, his mother died. He said later, "I prayed very little for my mother after her death, but I prayed to her a lot."

The boy then went to live with his aunt. He experienced little success working as a tinsmith, baker, farmhand, apprentice shoemaker, and blacksmith, for this future saint was meant to do other things for God.

As a result of his chronic illness, Alfred was a person of small stature and at times, others made fun of him. At the time, his size was quite a disadvantage in the eyes of the world, because physical strength was important for survival. But God knew of the immeasurable, eternal value of this humble, kind man.

Alfred ended up traveling to the United States in search of work in factories, and sought the intercession of St. Joseph when in need of a job. He worked in New Hampshire, Vermont, and also Connecticut, where he worked at a mill.

In 1867, 22 year-old Alfred returned to Canada and was reunited with Fr. Andre Provencal, his former catechism teacher. Fr. Andre brought Alfred to the Fathers of Holy Cross and pronounced, "I bring you a saint." Alfred later remarked, "When I entered Holy Cross they showed me the door, and I stayed there all my life. "

In 1870, Alfred entered the Congregation of Holy Cross. He was 25 years old. That same year, St. Joseph was proclaimed the Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX. Religious life was rigorous, and Alfred excelled at praying. He changed his name to Brother Andre, in honor of his mentor, and spent forty years as porter of Notre Dame. Brother Andre was well known for his great faith and kindness to people.

He is not remembered for intellectual accomplishments that are so often prized in the eyes of men. Rather, St. Andre is remembered as someone who welcomed people and shared Jesus' unconditional love with them. As a result, they left feeling valued, loved, understood, consoled, and hopeful. Brother Andre truly lived in imitation of Christ by dedicating his life to serving humanity through personal encounters and through prayer. He was able to accomplish much for the greater glory of the Blessed Trinity and for eternal souls because he was willing and because he believed that with God, all things are possible.

Word spread about Brother Andre following the miraculous healing of a man, and he became known as the "Miracle Man of Montreal." Wednesday was the day of the sick in Montreal, and Brother Andre would walk among the sick treating them with kindness and concern. For those who sought physical healing, Alfred encouraged people to use oil that had been burned in front of a statue of St. Joseph, or medals of St. Joseph, and encouraged people to pray novenas.

Brother Andre gave credit for all things to God, through St. Joseph's intercession. Many people were converted through his cooperation with God's will. Not every person who sought his help received physical healing, but no one seeking eternal salvation was denied it. He would say to those who were not granted physical healing, "Accept sickness. God will have an eternity to console you."

People came to see Brother Andre by the hundreds. Sometimes he saw 40 to 50 people an hour. A sign on his door said, "Be Brief."

In addition to ministering to so many people each day while in poor health, Brother Andre faced other challenges as well. The parents of students complained because he received sick people at the school their children attended. The Congregation of Holy Cross also had to deal with the dynamics of having so many people come to see Brother Andre.

Brother Andre also was persecuted, and shared his sorrows in confidence with a trusted friend. There was one man in particular, a physician in Montreal, who persecuted him most severely. The doctor ridiculed Andre's practice of rubbing the sick with St. Joseph's oil or of touching them with medals of St. Joseph. He publicly called Brother Andre "a quack" and "an old fool." He also suggested that the holy man broke his vow of chastity by the way he touched the women who visited him seeking his aid.

Then by order of Divine Providence, the physician's wife suffered a severe nosebleed. Neither her husband nor other doctors could stop the bleeding. The woman instructed her husband, the very man who persecuted the future saint so terribly, to go get him! The doctor's lack of humility led to his refusal, for what would that say about him if he were to summon the man he had worked so hard to discredit. "I love you very much, " he said to her, "but what you ask of me is impossible." His wife insisted, saying, "Do you wish me, whom you say you love very much, to bleed to death? Get Brother Andre."

The doctor set off to summon Brother Andre, who met the doctor at the shrine with a smile on his face. "Doctor, return home; your wife's nosebleed has stopped." The humble and holy Brother Andre had not only interceded to God on the woman's behalf. He had also made it a point to not humiliate the doctor publicly, even after all the abuse he unjustly had to endure from the unhappy, angry man who God loved so much.

When Brother Andre was 60 years old, he accepted the task of overseeing the construction of the world's largest shrine to St. Joseph right there on the hill in front of Notre Dame.  St. Joseph had requested that a place be built in Montreal where people could go to worship God. The Congregation of Holy Cross bought land on the hill, and allowed Brother Andre to build a small chapel on it. He saved money cutting students' hair, and in 1904 the first chapel was built on the site. The chapel was expanded to accommodate 100 people and the following week, seven thousand people came.

There was no money for a larger structure, but people who had come to see Brother Andre and became his friends donated, and a larger chapel was built. He moved into the oratory and would see people for most of the day, or he visited the sick. He slept only 1-2 hours a night, if at all, and remarked that when thinking of the people who came to visit him during the day, he felt compelled to pray for them during the night.

At the onset of World War I, construction on the larger church as we know it today stopped. The war was followed by the Great Depression, but Brother Andre was not worried. He called for a procession that included a statue of St. Joseph, and then suggested the statue be placed between the four walls of the partially build structure. He said that if St. Joseph wanted to cover himself, then St. Joesph would provide.

He visited the construction site before Mass, and knew that he would not live to see it completed during his lifetime. This did not bother him and as he explained to people, the church was St. Joseph's project, not his. He referred to himself as "St. Joseph's puppy."

The many hardships and difficulties Brother Andre experienced helped him relate to people. He knew their trials and suffering, and understood that suffering has eternal value and can draw us into closer union with God. He was known to weep when recounting the Passion of Christ. He died on January 6, 1937, at the age of 91. More than one million people attended the funeral of this humble servant of God. He was beatified in Rome 45 years later, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010.

St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal

His body lies in a simple tomb in St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, which thousands of people continue to visit to worship God and seek physical and spiritual healing.  The basilica is one of the largest ecclesiastical buildings in the world and is the largest shrine dedicated to St. Joseph.  It is open 365 days a year.   

St. Andre is the first male Canadian-born saint and the first saint of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He is a kind and loving intercessor for us all, so be sure to befriend "The Miracle Man of Montreal" and ask for his help living in imitation of Christ.

Live as he did, and make your life a miracle.

Prayer to Obtain a Favor

O God, 

You who are most admirable in your saints, 

we petition you to grant us, 

through the intercession of St. Andre, 

the apostle of Saint Joseph, 

the favor we ask..., 

so that we may be led to imitate his virtues.  

Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.  

Amen. 

Perhaps he would like to be your newest friend in heaven, too:

My Two Andres:

http://godisatworkinyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-two-andres.html

God is at work in you!

Be sure to see God's Doorkeeper: St. Andre' of Montreal
http://www.ignatius.com/Products/GDO-M/gods-doorkeeper.aspx

From the film:

On January 6, 1937, the death of a 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. God's Doorkeeper looks at the heart and legacy of Brother André -as a man of prayer, of hospitality, and of compassion; a man who draws people in 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." The film features interviews from Montreal, Rome, and the United States-with people who knew him and others who continue Brother André's work today. It also includes footage of the Beatification and Canonization ceremonies in Rome and the celebrations in Canada, with footage of the unforgettable events of Brother André's road to sainthood.
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Sources:
1.  Boniface Hanley, O.F.M., Brother Andre': All He Could Do Was Pray (Reprinted from The Anthonian, Volume 53, 3rd Quarter, St. Anthony's Guild, 1979).
Salt and Light Television, God's Doorkeeper: St. Andre' of Montreal.