Catholic faithful celebrate Brother André in special ceremony
Montrealers mark fifth anniversary of Alfred Bessette's sainthood
The memory of a Montrealer famous for his humility and simplicity was honoured at St. Joseph's Oratory today, as Roman Catholics celebrated the fifth anniversary of Brother André's canonization in Rome.
"The emotion that we experienced five years ago is something that we want to recapture today," said Father Claude Grou, rector of St. Joseph's Oratory
"When we were with everybody in St. Peter's, we felt the warmth of that celebration, with all of the charisma of Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte who brought people together, and we thought it important to keep that spirit alive," Grou said.
Alfred Bessette was born in Saint-Grégoire-d'Iberville on Montreal's South Shore in 1845. Orphaned at 12 and nearly illiterate, he worked as a young man in the textile mills of the northeastern U.S. before returning to Montreal to join the Congregation of the Holy Cross, working as a doorman at Collège Notre-Dame.
He was credited with curing the sick and disabled. He founded St. Joseph's Oratory in 1904, originally a simple chapel on the flank of Mount Royal.
Brother André died in 1937. He was the first Canadian-born man to be declared a Catholic saint on Oct. 17, 2010.
About 2,000 faithful took the trip from North America to the Vatican to mark the occasion. For many, the canonization helped put Brother André's home on the map.
"It helps you, as a province of Quebec or as the country of Canada, to know that there are people from where you are that are recognized elsewhere," said Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine.
Brother André's remains are buried in the crypt at St. Joseph's Oratory, now a Montreal landmark which attracts two million visitors a year.
"He's a great man, the definition of simplicity. He is an immense figure to me," said worshipper Pierre Lambert, who said that he has visited the oratory regularly since his teens.
Another woman in attendance said that she believed that Brother André helped heal her five years ago.
"I had a very bad headache for several days. On the day of his canonization, I said, 'It's your canonization today, so you need to do something for me,' and then I turned around and the headache was gone, and I never had it again."
"I'd say it's a miracle. It's not something I'd tell everybody because nobody would believe me but it's true," she said.
Many of the visitors spilling through St. Joseph's Oratory picked up trinkets as a keepsake.
"Today is special, so they are looking for some souvenir of Brother André," said gift shop worker Gloria Diaz. "They visit from all around the world because they know it's the home of St. Brother André."