From Sr. Carol Descoteaux CSC:After my father Ovila Audette and his family moved to North Grosvenor Dale, Connecticut, they received yearly visits from Br. André when he passed through town after visiting relatives in Sterling, Massachusetts, which was close by, right above the Connecticut border from us. At age two, I developed a serious case of swollen/infected glands, and my parents called for the local physician. The doctor made an incision on each side of my neck and said, ‘I've done all I can; if these glands don't burst and drain, your daughter will surely die’. I was told that my dad, a man of great faith in God, began rubbing the oil of St. Joseph on my glands daily while, at the same time, pleading with Br. André to intercede before God for my healing. These prayers were answered. The infected glands did burst and I have been blessed with a long, healthy life. To this day, I offer prayers of gratitude to both Br. Andre and St. Joseph for this miraculous cure...
From Sr. Jeannette LeHouillier CSC: Sr. Jeannette LeHouillier testifies to her brother Raymond's extraordinary faith in Brother André Bessette CSC, Miracle Worker of Mount Royal.Brother André Bessette CSC holds a place of great honour in my family! I grew up in New Hampshire. My parents and grandparents, on both sides, were of French-Canadian descent. My mother had an unwavering devotion to St. Joseph and greatly admired Br. André for spreading the devotion to St. Joseph throughout our New England states and beyond. As a young child, I witnessed a ‘miraculous healing’ as a result of many prayers and petitions to both Br. André and St. Joseph... When my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with a ‘ruptured disk’ in the early 1950s, prior to the sophisticated surgical procedures of today, she was told by doctors that she likely would never walk again. My grandmother held firm in her faith and decided to undergo the surgery which, at that time, was quite risky. She had complete trust that her prayers to Br. André, the Miracle Worker of Mount Royal, would ensure a positive outcome. She also made a promise that, if she could walk again, she would make a pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory every single year for as long as her health would allow it. She kept this promise faithfully. Once she was back on her feet and able to travel, my grandmother went to Montreal to place her steel brace at St. Joseph’s Oratory as testimony to what she experienced as a ‘miraculous healing’! To this day, I can still picture her waiting with the many other pilgrims to board the bus leaving our parish parking lot for the yearly trip to Montreal... How filled with awe, wonder and gratitude I was when, as a young postulant in the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Cross, I went on my very first trip to St. Joseph’s Oratory! Though I have visited many times since then, the powerful impact of that ‘very first visit’ is close to my heart to this day!
From Sr. Rena Gagnon CSC:At six weeks of age, Raymond's grandson, Toby-Jo Stone, was diagnosed with Congenital Toxoplasmosis Spastic Cerebral Palsy with developmental delay, hearing loss and impaired vision. Physicians indicated to Ray and his wife that Toby would likely have a very short lifespan. When Toby-Jo was four years old, Ray and his family made a pilgrimage to St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal. Ray climbed the Scala Sancta with Toby in his arms, then placed Toby on Brother André's tomb as he prayed for healing. Though Toby-Jo did not experience a physical cure, it is considered a miracle that Toby-Jo Stone is still alive today at age 31 and, in his own way, brings joy to all those who meet him, know him and care for him.
About (not from) Sr. Cecile Charette CSC:It's through my mother Marianne Bourgeois Gagnon that I developed a lifelong devotion to Brother André Bessette CSC. My family lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where Br. André visited relatives every year during the summer months. Br. André was very familiar with the area because, as a young man, he had worked in the cotton/woolen mills of Fall River, Massachusetts, just north of New Bedford, as did thousands of French-Canadian immigrants in the early part of the 20th century. My mother knew Br. André personally and spread the devotion to both Br. André and St. Joseph in the area of southeastern Massachusetts, going on many pilgrimages to St. Joseph’s Oratory during her lifetime. When my mother was dying, she kept a photo of Br. André in her hand. She died looking at that picture, with the sure conviction that she would soon see her dear Mom and Br. André in heaven.
...the greatest miracle of Br. André is the existence of St. Joseph’s Oratory. People who go there still believe in miracles… there are Eucharistic Celebrations going on all day and people still come...Sr. Cecile can go on and on about Br. André and his influence today. I can’t reveal too much of her connection with Br. André because that will come out in our Salt + Light documentary. But I will reveal that she would see him around as a high school student, and she got the “scoop” from the nurse who held the dying Br. André in her arms! Stay tuned...
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