Congregation of Holy Cross

Saint Andr, Pray for us

Saint Brother Andre

Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

Two million visitors a year make the pilgrimage to the oratory, some climbing the 283Brother Andre on their knees. steps Congregation of Holy Cross Saint
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Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

The doctors said there was no way he could survive, and even if he did, his quality of life would be almost nil, He was in irreversible coma.Andre Cross Congregation of Holy Saint Brother
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The Relatives prayed to Brother Andr, anointing the boy with oil bought at the oratory. This healing was endorsed by the doctors and theHoly Cross Congregation of Church. Saint Brother Andre
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Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

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Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

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Congregation of Holy Cross Saint Brother Andre

A Loser by worldly standards:

His name was Alfred Bessette. He was born on August 9, 1845, and was so weak at his birth that his parents baptized him themselves the very next day, afraid he would not survive. Saint Brother Andre

A Loser by worldly standards:

He was one of 12 children. Plagued by stomach problems his whole life, he barely went to school. His father, a woodcutter, was killed by a fallen tree when Bessette was nine, and his mother died of tuberculosis while he was still a teenager. Saint Brother Andre

Brother Andr would later say of her, I rarely prayed for my mother, but I often prayed to her. Saint Brother Andre

A Loser by worldly standards:

Barely able to write his own name or read, he was forced to find work and learn a trade. Alfred would spend the next thirteen years wandering from job to job with few belongings and little
Saint Brother Andre

Alfred tried to make a living in spite of his physical weakness. For a time, he worked in construction, then as a farm boy, a tinsmith, a blacksmith, a baker, a shoemaker and a coachman. Saint Brother Andre

In 1870, Alfred presented himself as a candidate for novitiate of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montral. Because of his weak health, his superiors had doubts concerning his religious vocation. Saint Brother Andre

Alfred sought out the Bishop of Montreal, Ignace Bourget, and begged him to intercede with the Holy Cross superiors, saying My Toward the end of his God in year, his only ambition is to servenovitiate the most religious superiors superiors relented not humble tasks. Thedecided they could and accept him knowing that his consecrated admitted Alfred to vows as a poor health would be an impediment. brother of Holy Cross on Feb. 2, 1874.
Saint Brother Andre

Saint Brother Andre

Alfred had chosen the name Andr, in honor of his parish priest, Fr. Andr Provenal. who sent him to Holy Cross, saying, I am sending you a saint..

His first assignment was as a porter or doorkeeper of the College Notre Dame. Speaking about his assignment as doorman, he once quipped, "When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door and I remained Saint Brother Andre there for 40 years."

Soon, Brother Andr started to welcome the sick and broken-hearted. He invited them to pray to Saint Joseph to obtain favours. It was not long before many people would report that their prayers had been answered. Saint Brother Andre

But there is also the broader miracle of Brother Andrs own life, the sheer unlikelihood of a halo being fitted for this unlettered, chronically frail, backward fellow mocked for ultra-piety by his own Holy Cross brethren who lacked the stuff of priesthood and barely got accepted by his order for the inferior role of brother, the work crew of religious community in those days! Saint Brother Andre

The schools physician, Dr. Charette, slandered Brother Andr as a fraud, calling him Brother Greaser because of the St. Joseph oil Andr applied on the sick while he was praying with them. The doctor was soon to eat his own words. His wife fell ill and began to hemorrhage; no medical treatment could stop the bleeding. Fearing her imminent death, she begged her husband to seek Brother Andrs intercession. The doctor was upset with this request but accommodated his wife and asked Brother Andr to visit her and pray for her. His wife was miraculously healed. From that time on, Dr. Charette became one of Andrs Congregation of Holy Cross supporters. Saint Brother Andre
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Once a young woman came to him for healing. Brother Andre was a bit upset by her low-cut blouse. He apparently told her to go to the chapel and apply some oil to the blouse so that it would grow(!) Holy Cross Congregation of and then come back and see him!! Saint Brother Andre
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Brother Andr started to build a small wooden chapel on the hillside of Mount Royal, in 1904, as a way to honor Saint Joseph. Some of the money he collected was by giving haircuts to the students.

It became too small, and in 1917 a church was built, called the crypt, with seating for 1,000 people and and is now used for daily services. Saint Brother Andre

Then, in 1924, construction of the basilica began, and was completed in 1967. Brother Andr died on January 6, 1937 and was beatified by Pope John Paul IIAndre May 23, 1982. on Saint Brother

Saint Brother Andre

Saint Brother Andre

Saint Brother Andre

After his death, in 1937, Brother Andr's heart was removed and preserved as a potential object of veneration. Saint Brother Andre

On March 16, 1973, the vial containing the heart of Brother Andr was stolen from the Oratory by thieves. The church officials refused to pay ransom for it. The archbishop of Montreal declined the deal, saying: Brother Andrs heart is priceless so we Brother Andre to pay any price for it. refuse Saint

It was not seen again until December 1974, when an anonymous caller directed someone to a storage locker in a Montral apartment building, where the vial containing the heart was found. The thieves were never found. As shown above, the heart is now on display again, behind metal bars. Saint Brother Andre

Saint Brother Andre