St. André Bessette (1845–1937), known simply as Brother André, was a frail, barely literate Holy Cross brother who served for forty years as the doorkeeper of a college in Montreal and became famous across North America for the healings people received when he prayed for them and sent them to St. Joseph. He always insisted that he did nothing himself: it was St. Joseph who obtained the favors. From a tiny wooden chapel on Mount Royal grew St. Joseph’s Oratory, the largest church in Canada. Pope Benedict XVI canonized him in 2010, and his feast day is January 6. Below are his story, the healings, and prayers to St. André and to St. Joseph.
A short prayer to St. André Bessette, written for this page:
St. André, humble doorkeeper and friend of St. Joseph,
you welcomed the sick and the troubled and sent them to God.
Pray for me in my need, and teach me your simple trust in St. Joseph. Amen.
Who was Brother André?
Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, near Montreal, in Quebec, the eighth of twelve children of a poor carpenter. His father died in an accident when he was nine and his mother of tuberculosis when he was twelve. Sickly and with little schooling, he worked as a farmhand and factory laborer, including a few years in mills in New England. In 1870 he joined the Congregation of Holy Cross; his superiors hesitated because of his poor health, but his pastor wrote, “I am sending you a saint.” He took the name Brother André.
He was made doorkeeper of Notre Dame College in Montreal, and later said, “When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained there for forty years.” He cleaned, ran errands and welcomed visitors. To those who were sick he would suggest praying to St. Joseph and rubbing themselves with oil from a lamp burning before St. Joseph’s statue, or with a St. Joseph medal. Many reported being healed, and soon crowds came every day.
St. Joseph’s Oratory
Brother André had long dreamed of a shrine to St. Joseph on Mount Royal, across from the college. In 1904, with money saved from cutting students’ hair at five cents each, a small chapel was built. Pilgrims kept coming, and the chapel was enlarged again and again until construction began on a great basilica. Today St. Joseph’s Oratory is the largest church in Canada and receives some two million visitors a year. Brother André died on January 6, 1937, at ninety-one, and about a million people came to pay their respects. His heart is preserved at the Oratory.
Canonization
Pope St. John Paul II beatified Brother André in 1982, and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 17, 2010.
What is St. André Bessette the patron saint of?
St. André Bessette is invoked by:
- The sick, especially those who seek healing through St. Joseph
- Family caregivers, and those who serve as doorkeepers, porters and receptionists
- The poor and the humble, and all devotees of St. Joseph
Prayers
Written for this page.
For healing, through St. Joseph
St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus, Brother André trusted you with every sick person who came to his door.
I come to you with the same trust. Ask Jesus to heal (name), if it is His will,
and to give (him/her) patience and peace.
St. André, pray for us. Amen.
For humility
St. André, you were content to open doors, sweep floors and pray.
Teach me to serve gladly in small things and to give God the credit for every good. Amen.
See the St. Joseph prayer and the novena to St. Joseph.
Feast day
The feast of St. André Bessette is January 6, the day of his death, an optional memorial in the United States; in Canada it is kept on January 7.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Brother André?
A Holy Cross brother in Montreal, famous for healings through his prayers to St. Joseph, and the founder of St. Joseph’s Oratory.
When is St. André Bessette’s feast day?
January 6 in the United States and January 7 in Canada.
What is St. Joseph’s Oratory?
The great basilica in honor of St. Joseph on Mount Royal in Montreal, which grew from a small chapel Brother André built in 1904.