The Doorkeeper of Grace
By Mary Frances Myler
Throughout the Year of St. Joseph, Catholics around the world have honored the foster father of Jesus, seeking his intercession and striving to imitate his virtuous life. St. Joseph has been loved by many saints throughout history, such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, and St. Faustina, among others. One such saint, though little known, had a deep devotion to St. Joseph and exemplified humility throughout his life. St. André Bessette, the first canonized member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, lived humbly and surrendered himself as an instrument of Christ’s grace.
Alfred Bessette was born near Montreal, Quebec on August 9, 1845 to a poor family. He was the eighth of twelve children, and he suffered from frail health from a young age. Tragedy paid an early visit to the Bessette family for, by the age of twelve, Alfred was an orphan. His father had died in a lumber accident when Alfred was nine, and tuberculosis claimed his mother three years later.
Parentless, Alfred lived with a neighboring family who oversaw his education and the development of his faith. Alfred never excelled academically and eventually left school after learning only the most basic skills with great difficulty. But while academics never took root, faith became a central part of Alfred’s life.
From a young age, Alfred had a lively faith and a deep devotion to St. Joseph. His faith caught the eye of his childhood pastor, who encouraged Alfred to join religious life. Soon, the pastor sent Alfred to the Congregation of Holy Cross with a note to the order which read, “I am sending you a saint.”
Yet, Alfred’s entry to religious life was not immediate. His poor health, which had plagued him since birth, prevented him from joining the Congregation. Eventually, in 1870, Alfred was accepted to the Congregation of Holy Cross’s novitiate for the beginning of his formation. He took the name André, which was the name of the childhood pastor who had shepherded him towards religious life.
Since he had no formal education and continued to suffer from poor health, Brother André was assigned to work as the doorkeeper of Notre Dame College in Montreal. At this humble post, he greeted visitors and tended to their needs. It was a lowly position, but Brother André embraced his life as a porter. Later in his life, he joked, “When I entered the Congregation, they showed me the door. And I stayed there for 40 years.” Instead of seeing his ministry as an insult to his pride, Brother André took up his work with joy, becoming an integral part of the Congregation’s ministry in Montreal.
As the doorkeeper, Brother André would often pray with the people who came to Notre Dame College. Eventually, people would come just to see Brother André, and some people began to experience miraculous healings after praying with him. Soon, crowds sought him out, hoping for a miracle. Ever humble, Brother André always attributed the healings to St. Joseph’s intercession. If he played any part in the miracles, it was that of the doorkeeper to grace, clearing the way so that St. Joseph could intercede for healing.
As the miracles continued, Brother André was inspired to build a shrine to St. Joseph across the street from Notre Dame College. Yet, his dream would require hard work and the intervention of providence. In order to raise the several hundred dollars necessary to begin construction, Brother André saved the money from haircuts, which he gave at a rate of five cents a cut. Confident that God would provide the means, Brother André persevered.
Many haircuts later, in 1904, the shrine opened. After a short time, Brother André was assigned as the full-time caretaker of the newly-constructed Oratory of St. Joseph. Although he was released from his duties as the doorkeeper of Notre Dame College, the humility, generosity, and hospitality cultivated in that role would always be characteristic of Brother André.
For the rest of his life, Brother André ministered to the sick who visited the Oratory. He became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal,” and thousands of healings were attributed to his intercession. Yet, through all the wondrous miracles, Brother André always saw himself as a humble instrument for God’s workings in the world; he merely helped the sick to bring their prayers before God.
No stranger to suffering, Brother André’s heart lay with the sick. The poor health which had almost prevented his entry to the Congregation of Holy Cross continued to afflict him throughout his life. Yet, Brother André united his sufferings with Christ’s passion on the cross. He would often say, “Do not seek to have your trials removed. Ask rather for the grace to bear them well.” His acceptance of suffering mirrored that of the Holy Family. Trusting in God’s plan, Brother André asked for the grace to persevere in hardship and bear his crosses with love. Emulating his patron, St. Joseph, he embraced a life of humble service and availed himself of God’s grace for strength amidst suffering.
In January 1937, at the age of 91, Brother André died. Over one million people braved the cold Montreal winter to pay their respects. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, Brother André is the first saint to be canonized from the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Brother André’s life is a testament to the power of God and the beauty of humility. Poor, orphaned, illiterate, and sickly, Brother André would seem to be an unlikely candidate for sainthood. Yet, for all his worldly poverty, he possessed a remarkable spiritual clarity. On the occasion of Brother André’s canonization, Pope Benedict XVI praised his exemplary life of faith:
As porter of the College of Notre Dame in Montreal, [Brother André] demonstrated boundless charity and strove to relieve the distress of those who came to confide in him. With very little education, he had nevertheless understood where the essential of his faith was situated. For him, believing meant submitting freely and through love to the divine will. Wholly inhabited by the mystery of Jesus, he lived the beatitude of pure of heart, that of personal rectitude. It is thanks to this simplicity that he enabled many people to see God. [...] For him, everything spoke of God and of God's presence.
As a brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Brother André exemplifies the order’s charism of education in the faith. But while much of this education has traditionally taken place in the classroom or the parish, Brother André teaches people through his humble witness to the power of faith. The simplicity of his life which Pope Benedict XVI praises teaches the core of the Christian faith in a profound way.
Amidst the many notable figures of the Congregation of Holy Cross––including Blessed Basil Moreau, the Congregation’s founder, Fr. Edward Sorin, who founded the University of Notre Dame, and Venerable Patrick Peyton, a priest who popularized the Rosary through mainstream American media––the humble doorkeeper of Montreal became the first canonized member of the Congregation.
Like St. Joseph, St. André Bessette still stands humbly at the door of grace, showing souls the path to Christ’s healing mercy.
