Canadian laybrother. Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, near Montreal in Quebec province, Canada, the eighth of twelve children. When Alfred was nine, his father, a wood cutter, died in a work accident. Three years later, his mother died of TB. The children were separated and placed in different homes. Alfred went to live with an aunt and uncle.
Because his family had been so poor and he was often sick, Alfred had very little education. For the next thirteen years he had jobs on a farm, with a shoemakers, and at a bakery. For a time he worked in a factory in Connecticut.
At the age of 25, he joined the order of Holy Cross and chose the name Brother Andre. He spent the next 40 years as a general maintenance man and messenger. In his later years he worked as a doorman at the order's college. Here, Brother Andre's healing power became known. Many came to him with their illnesses and problems. As more and more people learnt about him he would spend eight to ten hours a day with those who needed spiritual healing and support. He became so well known that secretaries had to be assigned to answer the 80,000 letters he received annually ... Read more
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