André Bessette

André Bessette, C.S.C. (born Alfred Bessette; August 9, 1845 – January 6, 1937), commonly known as Brother André, and since his canonization as Saint André of Montreal, was a lay brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Life and Historical Context

Born in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Canada East (Québec), Bessette experienced early hardship. His father, Isaac Bessette, died in a lumbering accident when André was nine, and his mother, Clothilde Foisy Bessette, died of tuberculosis three years later, leaving him orphaned at twelve. He was raised by the Nadeau family, where he developed lifelong devotions to Saint Joseph and the Passion of Christ.

Bessette's early life involved a series of occupations, including farming, blacksmithing, and cobbling, but he was too physically weak to sustain them. At eighteen, he moved to Moosup, Connecticut, to work in textile mills, returning to Canada in 1867.

Ministry and Devotion

Recognizing Bessette's piety, his parish pastor, André Provençal, recommended him to the Congregation of Holy Cross. Despite initial rejection due to frail health, Archbishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal intervened, and Bessette was accepted into the novitiate in 1872, taking the name Brother André. He made his final vows in 1874 and became a porter at Collège Notre-Dame in Côte-des-Neiges, Québec.

While serving as a porter, Bessette began ministering to the sick, recommending devotion to Saint Joseph and anointing them with oil from a college lamp. Thousands reported healings through his prayers and devotion to Saint Joseph. His growing reputation led some within the college to oppose him, viewing him as a charlatan or a risk to the school's reputation and the health of its students.

Legacy and Canonization

Brother André's profound faith and credited miracles inspired the construction of a chapel for Saint Joseph, which eventually led to the development of Saint Joseph's Oratory. He died on January 6, 1937, at the age of 91, with one million people filing past his coffin.

The process for his beatification began in 1950, and he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982. Pope Benedict XVI approved the decree of sainthood on February 19, 2010, with formal canonization on October 17, 2010. He holds the distinction of being the first Canadian living after Confederation to be canonized and the first saint of the Congregation of Holy Cross.