The Visor

Holy Cross shifts spotlight to Brother Andre

March 26, 2010

Editorial Board

Move over, Moreau. The Congregation of Holy Cross, which traditionally commemorates its founder as the face of the order, has another brother to celebrate.

In 1978, Andre was declared venerable and in 1982 he was beatified. Now, 73 years after his death, Blessed Brother Andre will finally become a saint. Pope Benedict XVI announced early on Friday, Feb. 19 that a second miracle of healing has been attributed to Andre and that he would be canonized on Oct. 17 in Rome.

Andre Bessette did not have an easy life. Both of his parents passed away before he was 12, leaving him one of the youngest in a family of ten brothers and sisters. He worked on farms and in mills throughout his early life. In 1870, he became a custodian at the Notre Dame College in Montreal, run by Holy Cross. During that year, he became a Holy Cross brother and served as the porter at the school for 40 years. Brother Andre passed away in 1937 at the age of 91 and roughly one million people attended his funeral in Montreal.

A porter is not necessarily a glorious career, but Brother Andre is notorious for his welcoming character. In fact, pictures of Brother Andre are often placed near the doors of any Holy Cross or religious building in memory of his job.

Brother Andre will be the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to become a saint. He demonstrated hospitality and inclusiveness and was known in the congregation as a healer. He was the epitome of a Holy Cross brother.

Brother Andre’s claim to fame is his uncanny ability to heal the sick – giving him the famous nickname “the miracle man of Montreal.” People would travel to visit him in Montreal just for his healing. The healed left behind their crutches and canes at the oratory. Today, the oratory has become a place of pilgrimage, and thousands of those crutches and canes are on display as proof of Brother Andre’s miracles.

The reverberations of this monumental moment in Holy Cross history can be felt throughout Hoban. Religion classes have dedicated the first few minutes of class to an organized novena prayer session dedicated to Brother Andre. The Hoban website has showcased pictures and memorable quotes from his life. Although there have not been any “Brother Andre Mondays” dedicated to him, the school has sufficiently shown its appreciation for the soon to be St. Andre Bessette.

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