Blog

Since October 17, 2010, Brother André has been recognized as a Saint by the Catholic Church, 73 years after his death. This recognition is the fruit of a long work accomplished by what was then the Office for the Cause of Brother André. Since my arrival at the Oratory in 2017, I have processed the archives of this office. This blog post presents the process that led to Brother André’s canonization.

It’s been ten years already. Not by accident was Brother André canonized on October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. His whole life was dedicated to relieving the sufferings of others, giving them hope and telling them they were beloved by God.

“I have always left the Oratory in God’s hands… he will do with it what he will.” The 10^th anniversary of Brother André’s canonization reminds us that these words pronounced by this humble brother with the heart of an apostle are still full of relevance and promise.

When he founded the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1837, Father Basile Moreau opened the door to a wide range of missionary engagements. ln 1840, he responded to the requests of an Algerian bishop; the next year, he established a new team to support the work of the Church in the American Midwest. Six years later, in 1847, he accepted the invitation of the Bishop of Montréal, and sent a group of Sisters, Brothers and Priests to Quebec. ln 1850, he agreed to send a team to Rome to care for orphans. Finally, in 1852, he acquiesced to a request made by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, and took on the difficult Bengal mission.

The end of Summer holidays is an important reality in different areas. It marks the back-to-school and back-to-work periods, the return to parliament, to cultural and artistic activities or the return from a particular place.  Even if it means the end of the vacations, it is always marked by a certain feverishness.

Each year, several thousand schoolchildren come to visit the Oratory. They are always impressed by the character of Saint Brother André and by the immense house of prayer that he erected with his friends in honor of Saint Joseph.

Several years ago a diocesan priest from the South Shore gave this touching testimony on his website: “If I am free on a Sunday, I like to participate in one of the Sunday Masses at Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. The liturgy is simple. The singing is beautiful. And above all, the gathering of the faithful speaks volumes. The testimony of people’s faith, modest but real, stimulates my faith and my hope… People of all nations, of all colors, of all ages, of all states of health and probably of diverse religions, come to pray to God during the Eucharist, and to Saint Joseph in the huge hall with votive lamps and to Brother André at his tomb. It is truly the universal Church that is present here and it is, visibly, the salvation wrought by Jesus for all that is manifested here.”

It’s party time at the Oratory! It’s already been 10 years since Brother André was canonized. What cherished memories and what an awareness of the extraordinary heritage that Saint Brother André left us when reading the many testimonies even now received from all over. Brother André is still alive and close. All his friends are celebrating.

In this exceptional time of pandemic out of respect for Natural and Home Caregivers and so as not to risk weakening the vulnerable people they care for, there will be no testimonies at the Natural Helpers Day celebrations that will take place this Sunday, August 16 at Saint Joseph’s Oratory on the occasion of the month of Saint Brother André.

In 1922, George Ham, a journalist from Maclean’s magazine, came to the Oratory to write a story about Brother André. A Protestant, this is how he described the activities of Brother André:
“Brother André prayed with the afflicted and often mingled his tears with those of the distressed. Brother André’s only desire was to serve God, to practice devotion to good Saint Joseph and to spend his life in easing the sufferings of his neighbor.” This journalist eventually became a good friend of Brother André and one of his first biographers. He recounted that Brother André was appreciated by a number of the faithful, “both Catholic and those belonging to other religious beliefs.”

The year 2020 is a busy one for anniversaries at the Oratory. It marks the 100^th novena to Saint Joseph, the 80^th anniversary of the first novena to Brother André, the 175^th anniversary of Brother André’s birth and the 10^th anniversary of his canonization.

When Brother André entered the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1870, the community had already been established in Montréal for 23 years. Its founder, Father Basil Moreau, CSC, had a great devotion to Saint Joseph. Frequently, he urged his spiritual sons and daughters to turn to Saint Joseph to honor him and to love him. He also suggested to them to spread the devotion to the people with whom they were working.