+ Today the Church on the North American continent rejoices on the 10th anniversary celebration of Brother Andre Bessette – the Miracle Man of Montreal – as a saint! Canonized on October 17, 2010, St. Andre Bessette is an outstanding example of a poor, humble, servant of the Church as doorkeeper of Notre Dame College, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross- for forty years. Not even expected to live at birth, always sickly in life, only 4’2” tall – this giant of a compassionate soul touched millions of lives, without even himself trying.
To Brother Andre it was all the work of St. Joseph to
whom he had a fierce devotion and loyalty. He found early on that St. Joseph
was curing people of all kinds of ailments and diseases simply by his
encouraging them to pray to him and rubbing oil from the St. Joseph Altar lamp
in the college chapel, or a medal of St. Joseph. When the thousands of “miracles”
were attributed to Brother Andre he was very quick to disclaim any credit: it is all St. Joseph: it is not me at
all: I am only his little “puppy dog!”
It was Andre’s dream to build
a worthy shrine to St. Joseph nearby – but with the interference first of his
own community, and then World War I, the completion of what is now known as St.
Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal was a long time in coming, and the result of
many temporary stages of development.
At the age of 92, Andre died
on January 6, 1937 before seeing the completion of his dream. But he knew it
would be completed and he continued to
give St. Joseph all the credit to his very last breath! Over a million
people came to the oratory to pay their last respects. It almost seems like
there is now a fourth member of the Holy Family, for it is almost impossible to
even say the words St. Joseph, without now thinking immediately of St. Andre
Bessette – his devoted friend in life and his dear companion in death!
And it seems equally
impossible to say: St. Andre Bessette without also calling to mind St.
Joseph! And for us, Joyful Servants of the Cross, we cannot think of Joseph and
Andre Bessette, without thinking of our own beloved Br. Paul Andre (aka Richard
William Steinberg, JSC RN) who died on February 5, 2018, and who had a fierce
and admirable devotion to them both. With
such a trio praying on our behalf – we cannot go wrong!
St.
Andre / St. Joseph / St. Richard of Richmond – pray for us!
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