We celebrate Saint Brother André, born Alfred Bessette on August 9, 1845, son of Clothilde Foisy and Isaac Bessette.

We celebrate his origins with a pilgrimage to his birthplace on Sunday, August 25, 2024, in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, where a monument was erected in his honor in 1945. A small stone stele commemorates the location of the family home in rang du Grand-Bois.

We celebrate his belonging to the great human family, and more specifically, to his large family of “Bessette”, “Foisy” and so many other names. A tree whose roots and branches stretch from the Montérégie region to the Eastern Townships and several American states.

We celebrate his path marked by hard work: from apprentice shoemaker and baker to worker in the textile mills, then religious in the service of the Lord and his brothers. We celebrate the doorkeeper, the confidant, the friend, the builder.

We celebrate bread, thread and earth. We celebrate mountains, fields and rivers; churches and mills. We celebrate the movement of life. And we give thanks.

We celebrate Saint Brother André, our humble super star.

We celebrate one of our own, universally known and recognized as an intercessor with God.

We celebrate Saint André and his presence among us.

This text has been published in The Oratory magazine, May-August 2024 issue.