Brother Andre: Friend of the Suffering, Apostle of Saint Joseph (excerpt)

8/14/2019 Brother Andre: Friend of the Suffering, Apostle of Saint Joseph (excerpt)

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A friendly, readable style akin to a arm conversationtelling the intriguing life of an extraordinarily simple,humble man. At the same time, it situates Brother Andrslife ithin the rich historical, cultural, and theologicalcontext that formed his compassionate and mystical spiri-tuality. Blessed Brother Andr is experienced as a man ofhis particular time and place, the characteristic quality ofbeatication.

Rev. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C.

Superior GeneralCongregation of Holy Cross

A arm-hearted and inspiring picture of this CanadianHoly Cross brother ho as regarded in his lifetime asa miracle orker, a loyal friend of Saint Joseph, and anagent of Christs love and compassion to thousands ofsick and suffering. Today, he is recognized by the Catholic

Church as Blessed, the nal step on the way to canoniza-tion, an honor for hich this book clearly makes a persua-sive case.

Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.President Emeritus

University of Notre Dame

Throughout her history the Catholic Church has alays

produced some altogether special men and omen hosespiritual passion made them so different from their societythat they appeared a little strange, alking their on mar-velous ay. Brother Andr as certainly one of them.

Gregory BaumProfessor Emeritus of Religious Studies

McGill University


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Jean-Guy Dubucs onderfully accessible and insightfulintroduction to Brother Andrs life and his lifes orkprovides its reader ith a rich appreciation of this holymans deep faith and extraordinary compassion.

Rev. Wilson D. Miscamble, C.S.C.Professor of History

University of Notre Dame

Much more than a biography of a religious brother. . . .

The reader alks aay from this book not only knoingabout Brother Andrs life, but more importantly aboutho simplicity conquered poer, ho hospitality over-came rudeness. This is a biography of faith manifestedin goodness; its a story e should all hear and try toemulate.

Rev. Richard Gribble, C.S.C.Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Stonehill College


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ave maria press notre dame, indiana

BROTHERANDR

Friend of the Suffering,

Apostle of Saint Joseph

Jean-Guy Dubuc

Foreword by Mario Lachapelle, C.S.C.


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First pubished by ditions Fides, Montral (Qubec), under the title BrotherAndr ditions Fides, 1999. Translation of Le frre Andr Editions Fides,1996.

Translation from the French by Robert Prudhomme.

This edition published by arrangement ith ditions Fides.

Foreord translated by Andre Leveille, C.S.C.____________________________________

Foreord by Mario Lachapelle, C.S.C., 2010 by Ave Maria Press, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in anymanner hatsoever, except in the case of reprints in the context of revies,ithout ritten permission from Ave Maria Press , Inc., P.O. Box 428, NotreDame, IN 46556.

Founded in 1865, Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the Indiana Province of HolyCross.

.avemariapress.com

ISBN-10 1-59471-190-9 ISBN-13 978-1-59471-190-9

Cover image Joseph Mtivier, C.S.C.

Cover and text design by John R. Carson.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.


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P r ay e r t o

B r ot h e r a n d r

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a, m b . . .

You knew how to pray . . .in the midst of your tasks, in the quiet of the night,deep in your solitude, or surrounded by friends.Teach me the ords that nourish my soul.

You knew how to welcome . . .the rich and the poerful,the poor and the miserable,the scholar, and the illiterate,especially the simple, often the ounded.Teach me to love them all ithout exception.

You knew how to suffer . . .to hope in the future,ithout complaint, ithout fear,to stand rm, to face life.Teach me the meaning of suffering in silence.

You knew how to live . . .for the God hom you served,for his Son and for his father and mother;to save hat is lost, to free hat is shackled.Teach me to hope in God and his universe.


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C o n t e n t s

F

Foreord ........................................................................ix

Introduction ....................................................................1

1. A Glorious Death .......................................................5

2. Years of Poverty .......................................................21

3. The Brother Porter ...................................................35

4. The Importance of Friends .....................................51

5. The Friend of the Suffering ....................................77

6. Saint Josephs Friend ...............................................97

7. The Man Behind the Name ..................................115

8. The Saint ..................................................................129

9. From Chapel to Church ........................................15310. Saint Josephs Basilica .........................................179

11. Thoughts and Comments ...................................197

Epilogue .......................................................................219

Timeline .......................................................................225Index ............................................................................229


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M Y F I R S T C O N T A C T ith Brother Andrsork goes back to 1966. I as eight years old andhad a decent singing voice. My parents hoped I could become one of the Little Singers of Mount Royal

and brought me to St. Josephs Oratory to audition.I sang ell but had a poor ear for music, a fact thatbecame evident during the eek of auditions. I leftthe Oratory after my short stay a little saddened,and yet the time there alloed me to get to knothe miracle orker of Mount Royal and to see thepilgrimage place he had built in honor of his great

friend, St. Joseph.Instead of a career in the arts, I chose one in sci-

ence and research. In 1989, hile I as conductingresearch at the University of Montreal, I happenedto glance out my ofce window one day and seethe dome of St. Josephs Oratory. It had been a longtime since I had thought of it, and all of a sudden

I anted to see it again and to kno more aboutBrother Andrs life and ork. It as the beginningof something ne in my life, hich eventually led me


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to ordination and the voed life in Brother Andrs

religious family, the Congregation of Holy Cross.My Holy Cross superiors encouraged me to dograduate studies in theology, and I chose as a thesisto study Brother Andrs spirituality. I did this hileministering as a priest at the Oratory. In 2004, I aselected assistant general in Rome; the superior gen-eral of Holy Cross, the Very Rev. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C.,

assigned me to the overseeing of religious life and,more specically, the causes for beatication andcanonization. This is hoithout my seeking itIbecame the Vice-Postulator of Brother Andrs cause.In fact, I am the ninth person to hold that post since1941.

a V i C e w h at ?a n d w h at wa s i t o d o ?

The main responsibility of the Vice-Postulator isto assist the Postulator. This as given as my mainresponsibility from the very beginning. The Postulatorof the cause, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, stated more spe-cically what my work would entail: research, hesaid, all of the favors obtained since Brother Andrsbeatication and see if any of the healings could beused for canonization. Brother Andrs beaticationdated back to May 23, 1984, and a second miracle asneeded by the Church for a possible canonization.My predecessor, Father Robert Choquette, C.S.C.,Vice-Postulator from 1998 to 2004, had already pre-pared the ay. There as one case in particular thathe had focused on. A nine-year-old boy had beenvictim of an automobile accident, leaving him ith a


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serious cranial injury and putting him in an irrevers-

ible coma leading toard death. The prayers of thepeople closest to him, along ith the intercession ofBrother Andr, brought him back to consciousnessand health, and this was deemed scientically unex-plainable by many medical specialists.

This case occurred in 1999. This does not meanthat before this date no other favors ere obtained by

Blessed Brother Andr. This particular case, hoever,met most clearly the strict criteria required by theChurch. The time beteen the obtaining of a favor byan intercessor and its acceptance by the pope can bequite long and, for some people, too long. One mustremember here that prudence is the mother of allvirtues. For a healing to be declared miraculous and

attributable to a servant of God, many systematicsteps must be reached and certain conditions mustbe scrupulously adhered to. For example, the healingunder study must be declared spontaneous, long-lasting, scientically unexplainable, and attainedspecically through the intercession of the servant ofGod. It takes time to dismiss any reasonable doubt

by a diocesan inquest before the case can even reachthe Congregation for the Cause of Saints. In turn, theCongregation has to begin its on ork in seekinga medicaland a theological evaluation and, lastly, athird decision by a commission made up of bishopsand cardinals.


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w h y B e i n t e r e s t e d i n

B r ot h e r a n d r ?More than seventy years after his death, Brother

Andr still has an important place in the memoryand hearts of the people of Canada, Ne England,and beyond. His fame has far surpassed the frontiersof the places he lived. Evidence of this fame is seen in

the faith of the people, expressed in thousands of let-ters along ith millions of signatures petitioning forhis canonization. All of this hile keeping in mindthat many itnesses ho kne Brother Andr per-sonally said that he never sought popularity or glory.He ould rather have been in silent prayer than inthe places of honor his superiors requested him to

occupy. while participating in public celebrations, heas often seen among the people or behind his fel-lo religiousnot among the dignitaries. The frescobehind his tomb signies this by describing him asa poor, obedient, and humble servant of God. Heprobably often asked himself hy such large crodscame and hy they kept coming. Even no, each

year more than to million pilgrims ith differentneeds and ethnic backgrounds come to the Oratoryin all types of eather, inter or summer, to ask forBrother Andrs intercession or simply to visit theshrine for the rst time.

It must be said that Brother Andr in his life livedthe gospel by shoing his love of God and neighbor.

He as a man of unconditional hospitality and com-passion. Here let us look more closely at his ords, asremembered by his friends and fello religious.


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a n i n t r o d u C t i o n t o

B r ot h e r a n d r s s P i r i t u a lM e s s a g e

God is so close to us.

At a time hen many Christians pictured God

as a sovereign, Brother Andr told us that God asvery near to us. He said that God as present in all ofcreation, and particularly in the human heart.

when you say to God, Our Father, He hashis ear right next to your lips.

There is so little distance beteen heav-en and earth that God alays hears us.Nothing but a thin veil separates us fromGod.

God is good and he loves us.

For Brother Andr, Gods love and forgiveness

can never be spoken of too often. God is alaysorking for our good, even hen his actions seemincomprehensible to us. we must trust him becausee are in his hands and he ill never let us fall. Godis free to do hatever he ills ith all of his creation.He is not obligated to do anything for us. If Godacts for our on good, it is by virtue of his immensegoodness.

Ho good the Good God is! He reallyatches over us.


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People are orried for nothing. whenhelp is needed, it ill come in time at theright place by God.

No one is so small as to beexcluded from Gods l ove.

Everyone, ithout exception, is called to share

in Gods promises, love of life, and happiness givento all humanity. But God often uses the rejected, thelittle ones, and the forgotten to build his kingdom.They are his dear children because they are oftenmost able to grasp his love and his message.

It is ith the smallest brushes that the art-

ist paints the best paintings.Put yourself in Gods hands; he abandonsno one.

God invites us to become closerto him and to love him by loving

each other as b rothers and sisters.

For Brother Andr, all people are children of Godand must consequently consider each other as broth-ers and sisters. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph incarnatethe perfect model of lial love. We are invited to become members of this family by imitating it and

by alloing our beings and our actions to be inspiredby theirs, for this is ho Gods incarnation becomesclose to us.


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God loves us so much! Innitely! Heants us to love Him.

Our Lord is our big brother. we are thelittle brothers, and e therefore have tolove each other like the members of thesame family.

Practice charity ith your neighborandthis doesnt mean only to give money to

the poor. There are many ays to prac-tice charity. we could, for example, keepourselves from examining our neighborsconscience. There is also visiting the sick,ho often do not need money, but honeed good advice to help them get closerto God.

t h e o r i g i n a l i t y o FFat h e r d u B u C s w o r k o n

B r ot h e r a n d r

And so, Brother Andrs work has strongly inu-enced the history of his people. It is said that morethan one million people led by his casket in January1937. But e actually kno very little about BrotherAndrs interior life. we kno so little because heleft nothing ritten. Not even a line. Likeise, of themany biographies of Brother Andrand in severallanguageshardly any of their pages have been able

tell us about his spiritual life. There is one importantexception: this volume by Father Dubuc. In this, itdiffers from all the others. In my opinion, those horead it ill come across something substantial henit comes to the miracle orker of Mount Royal.


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I got to kno Father Dubuc hile he served as

Director of Communications at St. Josephs Oratoryfrom 1994 to 1999. In his long career, hich began in1967, he has produced many meditations for televi-sion, lm, and radio on the subject of Brother Andrand his ork. This volume is ithout doubt one ofhis best orks. As the Vice-Postulator of BrotherAndrs cause for canonization, I strongly recom-

mend this book. Rev. Mario Lachapelle, C.S.C.Rome

July 2009


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knon as Brother Andr. All those ho came to him,

and all those ho still do today, found in him a rea-son or a ay to live.Millions of people kno him today because they

visit him at St. Josephs Oratory in Montreal. Theyvisit him? we could almost say that they meethim because he remains spiritually present to all hocome and conde in him, telling their life stories,

their troubles, and almost alays their hopes. Notonly in his large home on Mount Royal, hich domi-nates the city, a main tourist attraction, but they alsomeet him in their hearts, memories, and prayers.

Blessed Brother Andr is part of all of these peo-ples lives: they have real reasons to love him and tothank him. Ho many requests have been ansered?

Ho many cures have taken place here? No one cansay, and e ill never kno for sure. Testimoniesnever cease to be heard in a variety of ays. It isthrough the generosity of these pilgrims ith grate-ful hearts that this immense temple, the Oratory,as consecrated to St. Joseph, the father of Jesus. Itis to him that Brother Andr gave his hole life and

entrusted the cares of so many.This small Holy Cross Brother as a most humble

religious and yet very attentive to all ho came tohim. with very little education he became St. Josephsfriend and brought him the requests people con-ded in him. He merely wanted to build a simpledevotional chapel, and yet he sa it gro into thelargest shrine in the orld dedicated to St. Joseph. Itis also an exceptional spiritual meeting place for allseekers of faith. He never attributed any poer tohimself, and yet many onders took place.


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For a long time many of his folloers have con-

sidered him a saint. As it has often happened in thehistory of the Church, faithful folloers precedeRomes decrees.

Blessed Brother Andr, so small, so timid, and sosilent, still speaks to those ho come to him, just ashe did ith those ho came to him in the past. It isimpossible to fathom the hearts of the pilgrims ho

found and who continue to nd hope through theirencounter ith the man knon as the Mount Royalmiracle-orker. But one may better understandthem by reading, in the folloing pages, the strangestory of his life.


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e P i l ogu e

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I N T H E B R I E F chronicles of Canadian history,Brother Andr represents a unique phenomenon.Indeed, this country has not itnessed the birth ofmany heroes, of many people of great renon or

distinction. Of course, some stars have acquired aninternational reputation, and by the same token,have spaned a ealth of admirers and fans. Theymay inspire national pride, or even become rolemodels to some. All countries, all people honor theirheroes, and all heroes elcome public acclaim.

with the exception of Brother Andr. In modern

language, he could be called an antihero. He neversolicited admiration or honor as such, nor did he everreap any prot from his unwanted fame. He seemedunable to grasp the very nature of the devotion heinspired in people, and as almost beildered by thenumber of people ho appealed to him. All his life,he simply did what he thought best: moved by com-

passion, he unburdened the suffering. why? Becausehe loved them. And they requited his love.

There lies the difference beteen Brother Andrand other great men. while they may be admired,


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Brother Andr as genuinely loved. And he loved

ithout reserve. There as nothing ethereal abouthis love; it could almost be called a determined love,a love inseparable from the desire to help, to unbur-den, and even to heal his neighbor.

And his neighbor as mankind. He elcomedand visited all kinds of people, regardless of theircreed, education, extraction, nationality, or social

standing. All the people that streamed into his ofcehad one thing in common, though: they were all metith the same considerate affection.

One can only summarize Brother Andrs orkover those long years hen he embodied the hopesof millions of people by resorting to the most simple,perhaps the most banal of formulations: he was good

to people, he as good for people.Many pilgrims made public the fact that Brother

Andr had cured them or had been instrumentalin their obtaining a special grace. The crutches andcanes still on display in both the primitive chapeland the votive chapel of the Oratory afford silentcorroboration of these often sensational claims. The

itnesses to Brother Andrs poer of intercessionare by far outnumbered, though, by those millionsof people hose visits ere shrouded in discretion.Spectacular events ere hardly a matter of routineat the Oratory. Thousands of sick or crippled peopleent to the Brother for a physical cure and cameaay ith soothed souls. Again, the Brother as

good to them; he as good for them.Recoveries and sometimes even conversions are

tangible signs. But ho can one measure the spiri-tual healing that took place at the Oratory? People


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Perhaps pilgrimages, in themselves, bring special

meaning to peoples lives, meaning that other reli-gious activities do not. Of course, religion no longerplays a large part in most peoples daily lives, orin the orkings of society. This is a recent, perhapsunique, phenomenon in the history of mankind. Forthroughout the ages, civilization has gone hand inhand ith organized religion. This is not to say that

our present-day lives are totally bereft of religiousaspirations. Today, people express their spiritualthirst in a manner more individual, in a manner dis-creet to the point of anonymity. The Oratory remainsa sacred place for many people, a place here theycan converse ith a God that they discover in a per-sonal, rather than in an institutionalized fashion.

People go to the Oratory, as alays, to feel Godslove for them. Hoever, modern sensibility leanstoward personal religious expression: todays pil-grims prefer contemplation to congregation. Privatereection is held to be more rewarding than are for-mal rites, hich are sometimes construed as beingarticial or imposed. In this spirit, people approach

God as discrete individuals, knoing they ill beaccepted and loved for hat they are, much as theyere in Brother Andrs time.

There is also a ealth of services available at theOratory that ordinary parish churches simply cannotprovide. There are at least seven Eucharistie celebra-tions per day; and pastoral counseling is available

all day long, every day of the year. The setting ofthe sanctuary still appeals to visitors. who could failto appreciate the symbolic ascent of the mountain,the beautiful gardens, and the very expanse of the


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church, hich offers quiet areas for prayer or room

for individual contemplation? For harried citizens,the Oratory represents something of a sanctuary, inthe secular acceptance of the ord.

Places of pilgrimage are indeed essential in urbansettings. The theologian Andr Charron so denestheir role:

They allo for the observance of religious

practices hich may ell be traditionalin essence, but are no free of social con-straints. They afford a loose structuring ofCatholic congregations; they constitute akind of religious bridge, hereby the indi-vidual, ithout relinquishing the anonym-ity of the big city, can focus on his personal

approach to God. Thus the individual canreclaim certain rites laden ith religiousmeaning, even if these symbolic gestureshave disappeared from his daily life.

All of this by no means forbids the attendanceof those magnicent ceremonies still held at theOratory, ceremonies embellished by the harmony of

the churchs great organ and choir. The eek preced-ing Saint Josephs feast day is marked by the arrivalof thousands of pilgrims, ho sometimes travel fromfaraay parishes and dioceses to attend Mass. Suchcrods bring to mind the times of Brother Andr. Inanother sense, though, todays visitors to the Oratorydo differ from those of times past. People of all creedsand nationalities no come to the Oratory and vis-ibly feel at home there. In some regards, the churchhas become a nondenominational house of orship,elcoming all those ho ould approach God. Of


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course, many people no longer practice any form of

religion or express any kind of religious concern. Yet,as it looms over Montreals skyline, the Oratory stilloffers a most present sign of divine transcendence intodays secular society.

For believers or agnostics from here or abroad,the Oratory remains a favored site for individual orcommunal spiritual reection. As they walk up the

mountain, these people leave behind them a some-times stiing and turbulent world. They know suchsanctuaries are rare. They kno that the Oratory isunique, an exceptional place in a troubled orld.

Brother Andr, for all his poer, as not giftedith prophecy. Ho could he have knon thefate of his chapel, ho could he have foreseen the

changes that have sept over our societies? Fromthe very beginning, though, he anted Saint Josephschurch to be a place devoted to spiritual edication,to ell-being, to sharing and peace. This explainshy Brother Andrs presence can still be felt there,a presence as elcoming and comforting as it asduring his life.


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T I M E L I N E

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August 9, 1845 ..................Alfred Bessette is born in Saint-Grgoire dIberville, Quebec(then Loer Canada) to Isaac

and Clothilde Bessette. He istheir eighth child (they ill haveto more).

1855 ....................................Isaac Bessette dies hile cuttingood in a nearby forest.

1857 ....................................Clothilde dies of tuberculosis.Alfred is taken in by Clothildessister, Marie-Rosalie, and herhusband.

1863 ....................................Alfred moves to the UnitedStates, looking for ork.

1867 ....................................Alfred moves back to Canada.He eventually nds his way to

Saint-Csaire, here he runs intoFather Provenal, a priest-friendfrom his youth.

November 22, 1870 ..........Alfred arrives at Notre-DameCollege in Montreal ith fatherProvenals recommendation. Hequickly enters the novitiate andbecomes a porter. He retains thisofce most of his life.


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1871 ....................................A provincial council rejectsAlfreds candidacy, citing poorhealth. Alfred is able to convincea loca

August 22, 1872 ................Alfred takes his rst vows.

February 2, 1874 ...............Alfred Bessette takes his per-petual vos, becoming BrotherAndr. He soon begins interced-

ing for the sick and is the sourceof many miracles.

1893 ....................................A ne tramay line connects tothe College. Brother Andr usesthe tramay stand to receive vis-itors and listen to the concerns ofthe sick.

1896 ....................................The Community purchases alarge tract of land, including thefacing hillside. Andr is unableto convince his Superiors to builda chapel there.

1902 ....................................Brother Andr falls ill and is

bedridden. In the inrmary heconvinces the college Superiorto allo the building of a chapeldedicated to St. Joseph on thenearby mountain. Brother Andrbegins raising money.

October 19, 1904 ...............The rst chapel is ofcially

opened.


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1931 ....................................Stock market collapses, orkersbegin to be laid off. Constructionhalts, although most of the mainstructure is complete.

January 6, 1937 .................Brother Andr, ninety-one, dies.

1937 ....................................Construction resumes.

1967 ....................................The Dome is completed. St.

Josephs Oratory is nally, fullyconstructed.

May 23, 1982 .....................Brother Andr is pronouncedBlessed by Pope John Paul II.

Brother Andre: Friend of the Suffering, Apostle of Saint Joseph (excerpt)

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