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How a Humble Man’s Dream Produced One of the Most Beautiful Basilicas in the World
An unexpected saint and a breathtaking church
The English missionary William Carey famously urged people to “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” It’s an admirable admonition, though one many of us have trouble putting into practice beyond attempting to get up for church on Sunday mornings. However, in the late 19th and early 20th century one Canadian man took this idea farther than anyone could have imagined.
During his lifetime, few outside Canada had ever heard of Andre Bessette. Even those who knew him would never have predicted that one day he would not only be recognized as a saint, but would have constructed a church in Montreal dedicated to Saint Joseph that attracts more than two million visitors each year. Both are true; he is now Saint Andre Bessette, the Miracle Man of Montreal who built Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal from nothing but a dedication to Saint Joseph and a dream.
Brother Andre was born in Quebec on August 9, 1845, leaving school at 12 years old after the deaths of both of his parents. In his mid-20s, he joined the Brothers of the Holy Cross and served as the porter of a school in Montreal for boys aged 7 to 12. His responsibilities included answering the door, waking the children each day, delivering mail, and welcoming guests. Later in life he would joke that at the end of his novitiate his superiors had showed him the door and he had stayed at it for 40 years.
He was content living a joyful life of service at the school, but he also harbored a secret goal: to build a chapel to honor Saint Joseph on Mount Royal, which was near the school. In 1904, at the age of 59, he received permission from the archbishop of Montreal to begin work on the chapel as long as he did not go into debt; Brother Andre was allowed to only build what he had money for, which at that time was $200 he had from giving haircuts to the students plus a few donations toward the project.
With that tiny amount, he did what few of us would have done: he started…
