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Faced with the difficulties of life and the tragic situations of our world, we sometimes doubt the presence of God and his love in our daily lives. Our hope is then put to the test.

The season of Advent reminds us that God is always at work in our lives and wants to be close to us as he was in the life of Saint Joseph. Saint Teresa of Avila used to say to those who are looking for a way to God: “All they have to do is take Saint Joseph as their guide and they will not go astray. Brother André, for his part, kept repeating to all those who approached him: “Go to Joseph, he will know how to listen to you, he will know how to help you.” This is why we propose that for this Advent 2022 we take Saint Joseph as our guide to live this time of preparation for Christmas. May his journey of faith inspire yours!

Advent 2022, a beautiful opportunity to feel and live, at the very heart of the turbulence of our time, the attention and the particular solicitude of God for each one, for humanity as a whole and for all creation.

To feel and live this exceptional experience of the attention of God for whom we count beyond our own understanding, I invite us to refer to the adventure of Zacchaeus in Luke 19, 1-10

The anecdote may make you smile, but the coincidence is quite singular. While the concrete for the roofs of the new reception pavilion has been poured for a few days, 85 years ago, almost to the day, the concrete for the Oratory’s dome was completed.

“The Good Lord is not far from you. He is close to you. Every time you say Our Father, God’s ear is next to your lips”, Saint Brother André often said.

These few words express the essence of the spiritual and mystical experience of the little lay brother, porter of the Collège Notre-Dame, friend of Saint Joseph and founder of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal.

His continuous meditation on the passion of Christ allowed him to experience and live, in an exceptional way, the mystery of the disconcerting and disconcerting closeness of God, our Father, through his privileged relationship with Saint Joseph.

The Roland Gauthier Archives and Documentation Centre has been able to continue a project to describe old photos thanks to a grant from Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). This year, 1581 photos were added to the 844 photos processed in 2021.

These photos come from 18 series on the following themes: the opening of Brother André’s tomb, the Original Chapel at different periods, the phases of the construction of the Oratory, the construction of the loft organ, the installation of the Beckerath Organ and its concerts, special events in the Basilica, aerial views of the Oratory, and the Oratory’s religious.

This post presents my research process, some of my discoveries and my favorite.

A Listening Ear

If you go to pray in front of the urn that contains Brother André’s heart, you have behind you one of three scenes representing episodes from his life: his doorkeeper’s quarters at Notre-Dame College, from which he often contemplated the new Oratory; the office where he welcomed so many pilgrims; the hospital room where he died.

Of the three, the one that strikes me the most is the second one, and here is why. We see the little brother standing there, his eyes bright and welcoming. He listens attentively to the person who speaks to him. He has received so many pilgrims for over thirty years!

In June 2022, I was invited to the city of South Bend, Indiana (USA), to attend a conference on religious archives. The event was held on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. This institution shares some commonalities with Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. First, it was founded by a Father of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Édouard Sorin (1814-1893). Like the Oratory, the university was placed under the protection of the Congregation of Holy Cross. But above all, Brother André is very present there.

In the Votive Chapel of Saint Joseph’s Oratory, eight prayer stations remind us of the different titles under which we can ask for Saint Joseph’s intercession for our many needs: comforter of the suffering, hope of the sick, protector of the church, patron saint of the dying, terror of demons, support of the family, strength of the pure in heart.

The family is a reality, a natural institution that is found in all cultures, even if family life is lived differently in different places and times.

It is undeniable that our family life marks us deeply. There was a time when grandparents, parents, children and here and there an aunt or uncle lived in the same house every day. Nowadays, this intergenerational dimension is less present. But the family network still has a certain influence.

Every year, the Roland Gauthier Archives and Documentation Centre welcomes interns as part of their studies in archival science, library science or document management. It is with pleasure that we share with you the text of Marc-André Ouellette, our intern in 2022.

In this month of May, the month of Mary, I invite you to take a moment to discover the place of the Virgin Mary in the life of Saint Brother André.

At Easter we remember the most beautiful and greatest liberation ever offered to humanity: God raising Jesus his Son from the dead.