Room 220: Hey Saint Andre!!!

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi

How did a poor, humble, ill-educated boy become a great Saint?

The Little Man and the Mountain

Just a few details about the Saint we celebrate today. Saint Andre Bessette died today, Jan 6th some seventy-three years ago. He was canonized last year by Pope Benedict and has become the first Canadian Saint of the 21^st century. Saint Andre is one of ours. He’s literally from our backyard. He was born and grew up in Quebec. He built one of my absolute favourite places in the World…St. Joseph’s Oratory. It’s this beautiful church (a Bascilica actually) that honours the faith we all share. Millions of people have visited and celebrated the loving God who hears the needs of his people. (Don’t believe me…check out the pictures below.

Saint Andre had an interesting life. He came from a very poor family. Both parents died at young age and an uncle who seems to have been quite unkind to him raised him. His uncle despised him because he thought that Andre was lazy. He wasn’t. Weak and sickly as a child, Saint Andre couldn’t help much around the farm. His poverty and illness caused him to be poorly educated. Despite all these things working against him, he didn’t become bitter or angry. Despite my limitations," he said, "There was no one who worked harder than me." He was content to be a humble servant of God. He faced all the obstacles in his life and he overcame them.

Maybe because he lost his father as a child, he had a special devotion to Our Lord Jesus’ earthly father Saint Joseph. He prayed to St. Joseph and asked the Saint to guide him the way St Joseph had guided our Lord Jesus.

When he was initially rejected form the Holy Order, he persisted. He wasn’t considered smart enough to do much else, so the powers that be made him a doorman at Notre Dame College in Montreal. He was just supposed to answer the door when people came and direct them to where they need to go. But he was kind. He listened to people’s problems. He knew that he couldn’t help them, so he asked God to do so. He would ask his pal St. Joseph to pray to his Son. And THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN. He became known as the miracle worker of Montreal. People got cured. Problems got solved. He became a great servant of God. He decided he wanted to build a church so that people could go for themselves and ask St. Joseph to pray for them. He, this little nobody would build the greatest church devoted to St Joseph in the world. Millions of people visit every year and come away with their prayers answered. Instead of focusing on himself, he wanted to help others. And God raised him up. I love Saint Andre. Let’s thank God for this great Saint!!!
Sweet Saint Andre, pray for us.