Odour of sanctity

Where will you be on October 17th? Some of the devout have already booked their passage to Rome, final destination: St. Peter’s Square. On that day, pope Benedict XVI will hang the star of Brother André on the firmament of Saints. Too far a pilgrimage? Why not pay homage to the little brother of the poor with a visit to the module dedicated to Brother André, part of the Face to Face exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization?

And the first shall be last
More than 70 years after his death, Alfred Bessette, better known as Brother André, will transcend his status as a humble porter to officially become a Saint. One of ten children born to a very poor family, uneducated and orphaned at age 12, Brother André will be the first Canadian-born man to become a Saint.

Achieving official sainthood is a rigorous process. In order to earn this distinction, Brother André had to meet three conditions set by the Catholic Church. First, the diocese had to conduct an inquiry to determine if he had led a virtuous and heroic life. A positive outcome earned him, in 1978, the title of venerable. Next came a study by a committee of medical and theological experts of one or more miraculous healings attributed to him. Since these were judged to be true miracles, Brother André was formally beatified, earning the title of blessed in 1982.

In order to pass the third stage, Brother André had to accomplish a miracle after his beatification. Two commissions, one medical and one theological, attributed to his intercession the healing of a young boy who had been hit by a car. The diagnosis was unanimous: ‘post-traumatic coma, terminal stage’. The end that everyone expected, however, never occurred. The boy made a full recovery and, now an adult, he is the very picture of health.

But are these miracles the sole reason Brother André is being commemorated at the Museum? The miracle that is Saint Joseph’s Oratory also comes into play.

Face to face with Brother André
After his death in 1937, not less than one million people from all parts of eastern Canada and the United States paid their respects before the casket of Brother André. This speaks to the incredible renown of this humble porter. Throughout his life, he had devoted his charisma, his generosity and his faith to the service of the less fortunate. Although his sympathetic ear, his kind words and his vials of holy ointment served to soothe the miseries of the sick and the poor, he never took credit for the gift of healing that people ascribed to him.

Between his work and his visits to the sick, Brother André ardently pursued a distinct dream: to erect, on the mountain that faced Notre-Dame College, the world’s greatest sanctuary dedicated to Saint Joseph. And so it grew from a modest chapel in the woods to the great monument that we know today – a miraculous testament to the fervour of those who believed in Brother André. Although he never did witness the final completion of St. Joseph’s Oratory, Brother André was its guiding spirit and its first builder.

It is therefore under the Face to Face exhibition’s theme of ‘We founded’ that Brother André joined the ranks of 27 well-known and not-so-well-known personalities who helped build our nation. The majestic Saint Joseph’s Oratory is, in fact, the central anchor point of the exhibit. Canadian political history curator Dr. Xavier Gélinas one day happened to read about the outlandish project of a man named Jean-Paul Bélair. A tinsmith and former student of Notre-Dame College, Bélair took it upon himself to build a metal model of the celebrated Oratory…eight months of full-time work! Gélinas then knew that he had stumbled upon the centerpiece that would aptly illustrate Brother André’s role as a founder. The homage to Brother André is completed by an assortment of ex-voti, holy ointment, photos and testimonials.



Two million people visit Saint Joseph’s Oratory every year. We can expect that many will visit from far and wide to celebrate Brother André’s canonization. If you don’t care for crowds but would like to explore the history of our country’s first home-grown Saint, the Face to Face exhibition awaits you.