Saint Andre Bessette 20th C. French Canadian

Saint André Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, and died on January 6, 1937. He was commonly known as Brother André, and since his canonization as Saint André of Montreal, Saint André Bessette was a lay brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross and a significant figure of the Catholic Church among French Canadians.

He is credited with thousands of reported healings associated with his pious devotion to Saint Joseph. He has the honor of being the first French Canadian to be canonized. Saint André Bessette was canonized in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. Have you heard of this recent Saint?

Saint André Bessette Biography

Saint Andre Bessette was born near Quebec. He was the eighth of twelve children, four of whom died as infants. He was frail as a child, and the thought he might die, so he was baptised the day after he was born. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was ten years old. Following his mother’s death, Bessette was placed under the care of Timothée and Rosalie Nadeau in Quebec.

Saint Andre Bessette had a series of occupations, working as a farmer, tinsmith, blacksmith, wheelwright, cobbler, and baker. Searching for work, Bessette moved to Connecticut when he was 18, where he joined several of his relatives in work at textile mills across Connecticut and Rhode Island. Saint André Bessette returned to Canada in 1867 following the Canadian Confederation.

The pastor of his parish, André Provençal, noticed the devotion and generosity of the young man. He decided to present Bessette to the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal, writing a note to the superior, “I’m sending you a saint.” He must have known something.  He made his final vows on February 2, 1874, at the age of 28. After, Bessette became a porter at Collège Notre-Dame in Côte-des-Neiges, Quebec, and also served as sacristan, laundry worker, and messenger.

While working at the college, Saint Andre Bessette began to minister to the sick. His biographer Leonard Foley wrote that “his great confidence in Saint Joseph inspired him to recommend the saint’s devotion to all those who were afflicted.” Bessette’s desire to see Saint Joseph honored made him establish a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph.

He was so effective that tensions increased at the college, with so many of the sick coming to see the porter, the school officials decided that Saint Andre Bessette could no longer continue with his ministry. As his reputation spread, Bessette became quite a controversial figure, with some believing he was the real deal and others believing he was a fraud. In 1924, construction of a basilica named Saint Joseph’s Oratory began on the side of the mountain, near Bessette’s chapel. So, he was noteworthy.

When Saint Andre Bessette died on January 6, 1937, at the age of 91, one million people filed past his coffin! The remains of Bessette lie in the church he helped build. His body lies in a tomb built below the Oratory’s Main Chapel, except for his heart, which is preserved in a reliquary in the same Oratory. The heart was stolen in March 1973, but was recovered in December 1974.

One of Saint Andre Bessette’s miracles cited in support of his cause for beatification was the healing in 1958 of Giuseppe Carlo Audino, who suffered from cancer. Bessette was the first saint of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the same religious order that founded the University of Notre Dame.

Many educational buildings were later named for Bessette, including: Andre Hall at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, Brother André Catholic High School in Markham, Ontario, École élémentaire catholique Frère André in London, Ontario, Saint Andre Bessette Secondary School in London, Ontario, Saint André Catholic Elementary School in Brampton, Ontario, St. André Bessette Catholic High School in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, St. André French Immersion Catholic Elementary School in Tecumseh, Ontario.

Conclusion

The case of Saint Andre Bessette shows that even simple men and achieve great things. He cured the sick and built a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph. As a result of his fame, there are several academic buildings dedicated to his memory. It is also useful to know that he was the first person who lived his entire life in North America to be canonized. There are statues dedicated to him at the College of the Holy Cross and the University of Notre Dame.