Page 8 - Michael Journal 2020 March

the farming village of St. Gregoire, thirty miles from “I was never very strong. From the time when I
Montreal, and about the same distance from the bor- was a little boy, ten years old, I have suffered from
der of the United States. Isaac and Clothilde were dyspepsia [indigestion]. It seems as if I was always
devout Catholics who, by their own example, taught sick from it. I have had it all during my life, and it still
their children the virtuous habits of prayer and hard annoys me.
work, habits which were to become for little Alfred the “When I was living with my uncle and was very
key to his ultimate sanctity as Brother Andre. young, I could not go to school much because I was
Alfred was born a very sick baby; so sick, in fact, always sick. Once I tried to become a shoemaker, but
that his father baptized him shortly after birth, fearing I could not stand bending over and being inside the
he would not survive. This lack of physical health and place so much, and my health made me give it up.
strength stayed with him throughout his entire life, Then, after a little while, when I thought I was strong
yet he lived to the incredible age of ninety-one. enough, I tried to become a baker, but again I found
Recalling what he could of those early years, that my health would not let me do inside work. It
Brother Andre later told of how happy they were for seems that I was never very strong.”
him, of how great was his love for his parents, espe- So much for the physical deficiencies of little Al-
cially his mother, who had special affection for her fred Bessette. Now let us tell of the one great strength
frail child. But that happiness was soon tempered which made this peasant weakling such an exception-
by tragedy. When he was six years old, his father al boy — his astonishing holiness.
was killed in a lumbering accident near the town of
Farnham. Four years later, his mother, trying to raise Father Andre Provencal
twelve children single-handedly, contracted tubercu- During the canonical proceedings for his cause,
losis and was forced to put the children up for adop- Father Henri Bergeron, C.S.C., related a comment
tion. Keeping with her only the feeblest one, Alfred, made to him by Brother Andre’s sister: “Ah, if you
she went to live with her sister, Mrs. Timothee Na- only knew my brother in his youth! On Sunday
deau, in St. Cesaire. Two years later, in 1857, she he passed the greater part of the afternoon in the
died. Brother Andre later recalled, with great love and church.”
affection, her last days. Knowing her end was near, We should not quickly pass over this statement
she summoned her children to her bedside and ad- without reflection. Sunday was probably the only
dressed them sweetly: day of the week on which the boy had no assigned
Photo: Cover of the Official Canonization Album of Brother André “My dear little ones, it has been six years since chores. It was most likely the only time he had to play
your papa left us to go to Heaven. The good God with other children in the village, but Alfred chose to
is coming to look for me in my turn. Pray for me. stay in prayer for “the greater part of the afternoon.”
Do not forget the tomb of your father. My body will This is truly heroic in a child.
repose beside his in the cemetery at Farnham. From It was during this time that he came into contact
the height of Heaven I will watch over you.” with the priest who proved to be the worthy spirit-
These parting words from his devout mother left ual tutor of a saint, Father Andre Provencal, the Pas-
a lasting impression on the frail youth. Years later, he tor of Saint Cesaire. It was Father Provencal who in-
would say of her, “I rarely pray for her, but very often structed little Alfred for his first Holy Communion. It
I pray to her.” was Father Provencal who inspired devotion to Saint
Alfred was but twelve years old when his moth- Joseph. And it was also this holy parish priest who
er died. He was now an orphan, separated from his put Brother Andre on that road which, for him, would
brothers and sisters. But the next ten years of his life end in perfection — the road to a religious vocation.
would see the accelerated formation of a saint. Even in his youth, Brother Andre practiced se-
After the death of his mother, he remained with the vere penances. His aunt, Madame Nadeau, several
Nadeau family. Timothee put him to work on the family times had to take away instruments of mortification
farm, but, try as he may, little Alfred could not cope from the boy. A leather belt pierced with tacks and
with strenuous farm labor. He simply did not have the worn around the waist, an iron chain, and sleeping
physical stamina required to perform the chores asked on the floor were all penances that his poor aunt had
of him. Then his uncle sent him to a cobbler to learn to forbid for fear of his health. Little Alfred never dis-
the shoemaking trade, but this didn’t work either. The obeyed; when he was told not to practice one pen-
poor lad was so clumsy that he was constantly prick- ance, he simply adopted another. Some may think
ing his fingers with the sharp cobbler’s awl. This scen- these penances were just childish excess which
ario was repeated over and over again: He would take would fade away with maturity, but they continued
a job and work at it as hard as he could, but always his throughout his lifetime, making him a truly mortified
poor health made it impossible for him to continue. religious.
Here are Brother Andre’s own words describing these Penance is nothing without prayer, though. And
years of his life: here was the true sign of the lad’s holiness: He relished u

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