Brother André

Today, January 6, we celebrate the feast day of St. André Bessette, C.S.C. of Montreal.

Brother André the Doorkeeper

Born in 1845, André Bessette was a sickly child; he also lacked a formal education. However, his holiness was obvious. In the 1870's, André was admitted into the religious order of the Congregation of Holy Cross as a lay brother. (The Holy Cross priests and brothers were noted for the rapid success of their educational apostolates, especially the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.)

Numerous primary and secondary education institutions were also founded by Holy Cross. Those priests and brothers who were educated became teachers and instructors. The uneducated members of this order did menial tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and tending the door. At the Notre Dame College in Montreal, Brother André was assigned as doorkeeper. In André's own words: "My superiors showed me the door and I stayed there for forty years." 

Although André performed simple tasks, such as answering the door, retrieving the mail, and cutting the students' hair, he quickly became a role model for many.  Brother André greeted all who came to the doors of Notre Dame College, including the poor, the despairing, and the ill. Brother André became the face and hands of Jesus. He offered gentle words of comfort and instructed visitors to pray to St. Joseph, the foster-father and protector of Jesus. Soon, thousands of miracles were being attributed to Brother André.

Abandoned crutches:  testimony to Br. André's healing power

Brother André also raised the funds to build a shrine to St. Jospeh. Today, the Oratory of St. Joseph can still be visited by tourists and spiritual seekers in Montreal. When André died in 1937, his body was visited by one million people, paying their respects to the "Miracle Man of Montreal."

André never wrote a book nor taught a single class. This simple brother could barely write his own name! Yet, millions were touched by his love and holiness. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI declared Brother André a saint for the Catholic Church.

In a beautifully paradoxical way, this little, uneducated, and unassuming religious brother would become Holy Cross' first officially-declared saint. God chose to work through the simple and child-like. Brother André lacked the prestige and learning of his confreres. However, André was willing to be an instrument of the Lord and opened the door to all who were suffering and in need of healing. We are blessed to have Brother André as a saintly example of the healing power of love and the primacy of standing at the door, waiting to welcome all who seek and knock.