All articles by Nathalie Dumas

Hat in hand, luggage in tow, Saint André Bessette is flying off to Rome this fall.
The Generalate of the Congregation of Holy Cross will welcome Brother André precious keepsakes from Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. A framed photograph of Brother André with an authentic signature, together with one of his hats, will represent the Oratory’s founder at the exhibition of the Congregation’s holy men.

They will include: Blessed Basile-Antoine Moreau (founder), Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, as well as Most Rev. Theotonius Amal Ganguly, Most. Rev. Vincent McCauley and Brother Flavien Laplante, all of whom have become Servants of God after the Vatican acknowledged their causes.

How many times I went with my dad to P. A. Gouin, Pascal, Handy Andy, Léopold Duplessis or Canadian Tire to pick up a tool, some paint, a car part or all sorts of materials to repair, renovate or build something!

His workbench was just as carefully organized as the shelves at the hardware store: the nails and screws were categorized by their size and type. Everything was neatly ordered, and finding things was a snap.

When spring arrives, the swallows return. New plants sprout from the earth: fragile yet resilient. A gentle breeze blows through the open windows. It’s the season of renewal, of awakening, of life… and of spring cleaning! At least, that’s what we used to do to give our homes a fresh look. Before summer begins, I recommend you perform a small, practical exercise which doubles as a way to honour Saint Brother André.

Eighty years ago, on January 6, 1937, Brother André’s passing made headlines in all the papers.

The Bessette family tree in Canada and the United States has many branches, with a common ancestor: Jean Bessette said Brise-tout who married Anne Le Seigneur on July 3, 1668. So what branch does the Higgins Family belong to?