DRAPER – Holy Cross Sister Karla McKinnie attended the Thanksgiving celebration for Saint André Bessette, who was canonized in Rome Oct. 17. The Thanksgiving celebration was held Oct. 30-31 in Montreal, Canada. Sr. Karla was accompanied by 22 other sisters from the Holy Cross motherhouse in Notre Dame, Ind., who were chosen from all over the United States. There were also representatives from other Holy Cross branches from France, New Orleans and Canada as well as priests and brothers in attendance, she said. "We arrived on Oct. 28, and visited Saint Grégoire, the birthplace of Brother André and his native parish," said Sr. Karla. "We saw his one-room childhood home where he lived with his 10 siblings and parents. They were very poor. After he grew up he came to the United States to do factory work for a while, but returned to Canada. That is when he became friends with one of the priests who saw that he was very devout and a very good person. So Father André Provencal wrote a letter to the Holy Cross priests saying, ‘I am sending you a saint.’ André knocked on the door of the Holy Cross community to be a brother. Brother André was not educated so he could not be a priest. He was there for 40 years." Without knowing exactly how he would serve the God who had been such a central part of his life since childhood, he dedicated himself totally to God, but perhaps mostly to Saint Joseph. Slowly Brother André became known as a miracle-worker, but always denied any natural gifts and said it was Saint Joseph. Upon his death, more than a million mourners filed past his coffin and attended his funeral. Today, his body lies in a simple tomb inside Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal. The Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated Oct. 30 in Olympic Stadium, and was attended by about 50,000 people including cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laity, said Sr. Karla. "Following the Mass the Holy Cross family gathered for dinner at the oratory. On Sunday we attended Mass, heard music presentations, and were able to spend the day at the oratory. "Since Brother André’s death, the vegetable oil he would burn in front of the statue of Saint Joseph is still being sought," said Sr. Karla. "Brother André told people to rub it on their ailments and pray a novena to Saint Joseph. There have been many healings. Now people can get medals that have St. André on one side and St. Joseph on the other." "The experience in Montreal was wonderful because Brother André is the first saint in our community. He became popular just by being compassionate and for praying with people, said Sr. Karla. "He had a great spirit for being available for people. As Brother André’s reputation spread across the globe, thousands of pilgrims and devotees made their way to Montreal and the small chapel he built was eventually constructed into a large basilica in 1904. Brother André never saw the basilica, which he was so instrumental in building. "I went to Montreal in 2004, for the centennial celebration of the oratory," said Sr. Karla. "I became even more devoted to him then. It was great to celebrate the canonization of our first saint with our community in Montreal. We have been praying for him to become a saint since I was a young sister. Saint André is also the first male saint for Canada, so it is special in a lot of ways."
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