Over the years, the Oratory Museum has enriched its collections primarily through donations. In 2024, the sanctuary was fortunate to acquire a work by the renowned artist Miyuki Tanobe. A Japanese-born painter who has lived in Quebec since the early 1970s and the recipient of many prestigious awards, her work is displayed in Japan, Europe, and North America.

They are sometimes called spicilèges, but it would be more accurate to refer to them as clipping albums. These are typically large binders containing newspaper or magazine clippings on a specific theme. Unsurprisingly, the clipping albums preserved in the archives of the Oratory focus on the sanctuary, Brother André, or Saint Joseph.

It has often been said that Saint Brother André was ignorant and that he could barely read and write. The reality is more complex. While he left behind very few writings, aside from some postcards to family members, he could certainly sign his name, and the few books found in his room after his death demonstrate his interest in pious readings. The fingerprints he left on certain passages of these books and the numerous intimate witnesses of his life confirm this. But what books are we talking about? Let’s discover them together.