Brother André Bessette died on January 6, 1937. Pope Benedict XVI declared him a saint for the Universal Church at a ceremony in Rome on October 17, 2010. Saint André’s memorial forms the prayer of the Congregation of Holy Cross throughout our community on January 6 or, in some countries, January 7.
Saint André Bessette ministered for more than 40 years at the doorway of Notre Dame College in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In thinking about his ministry as a porter, I imagine a heavy wooden door with a small window. I placed myself in the line of people who waited for this small-statured man as he struggled to push open the heavy door that separated him from those who sought his presence. Brother André became a doorway to the possibility of God’s healing.
He was a humble man, illiterate, physically slight, and in ill health, but through his profound prayer, he has become a spiritual giant in the Congregation of Holy Cross. He believed Saint Joseph was the gatekeeper, the doorway to God’s abiding presence and healing power. Brother André never claimed responsibility for any healing, but in praying through his own suffering he provided a doorway of hope to others. He welcomed nearly 600 people a day, his devout presence and holy life opening people to a deeper faith. I suspect that he was seen as the true doorkeeper to healing. Ultimately, the door that André opened was his own heart.
The door is a profound image of the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 7:7, we hear, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The doorway that we all seek is to God’s eternal presence. In our fragile earthly experiences, in our broken hearts, and in the pain of our bodies, we long for healing and for salvation. The doorway is a profound inspiration in our spiritual lives, challenging us to show up daily to our prayer that radiates the desire for God’s presence in our human situations.
Knocking on God’s door is an act of faith; a place of reassurance as well as a place of uncertainty. We expect God to be on the other side of our prayer, our desire, but often we are fractured by our guilt or sin, causing us to question the goodness beyond that door. The doorway invites us into prayer with the reassurance that all things are possible if we have the heartfelt courage to knock, to ask for what we need, to seek God as the most important aspect of our earthly life. The open door welcomes the lost, the sinner, the powerful, and the prudent. The doorway is an act of faith to which Saint André introduces us in his quest to welcome the stranger and to heal the sick.
In my ministry at Holy Cross House, the front door of our medical facility becomes a place of faith. Even though the door is opened electronically with a code, it is nonetheless a place of interaction and anticipation. The door is open to visitors and other religious. It is the door through which our men go to doctor appointments or for family visits. It is the door through which they leave for picnics or a day away at another of our facilities. It is a place of expectation, and a place of welcome when our men return home.
Our doorway becomes a special passage when death visits our home. Before the body of a fellow religious is removed from our facility, we gather at the door to pray. Even in the dark hours of the night, we claim God’s invitation to step through the passageway of earthly life into our heavenly home. Our door becomes a central image of faith, opening to what will become of our brother as God welcomes him from the other side of life. At this door, I find deep love. In this moment, when a man leaves our home for the last time, I rely on our ancestors, Saint André in particular, to welcome a Holy Cross religious home into eternal life. This first moment of ritual prayer in the burial process becomes a deep reminder for me of God’s generous actions and our ability to surrender to such a gift.
Brother André is the first saint in the Congregation of Holy Cross. When death comes to our community, I pause at our doorway to reflect on Saint André’s death and pray for our men who seek the same door that opened for André—the door of God’s Kingdom. Every year, we bless the doorway of our building because of our ultimate passage into God’s loving embrace. Perhaps as our door opens for the last time for one of our men, we will acknowledge to the world the life, holiness, and ministry of another Holy Cross religious.
Blessing of Doors at Holy Cross House
Response: Bless us, O God.
For all Holy Cross religious who cross this threshold…
For all who seek home and hospitality…
For all classmates and colleagues who visit and console us…
For all who have ministered across the globe…
For all who enter from parishes and schools…
For all who pursue healing and recovery…
For all who enter in wheelchairs or walkers…
For all who carry grief and hope in their hearts…
For all who suffer loss of memory…
For all who provide healthcare…
For all who clean our rooms and prepare our meals…
For all who wash these windows and repair our building…
For all who provide care and assistance to others…
For volunteers and students who visit us this year…
For emergency workers who enter in the nighttime…
For our medications and blood samples at this door…
For workers who drop off packages and deliver flowers…
For our family members who dial this phone…
For office workers who provide this door code…
For people who drive us to doctors and days away…
For friends and strangers who join us in prayer…
May these doors open to the future with love…
May these doors open to compassion and understanding…
May these doors open to faith and contentment…
May these doors welcome us into community life…
May these doors welcome the bodies of our dead…
May these doors welcome God’s eternal Kingdom…
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About:
Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, C.S.C., serves as religious superior of Holy Cross House, our retirement and medical facility at Notre Dame, Indiana. He is an award-winning author, blogger, and visual artist. Learn more at ronaldraab.com
Artwork:
Fr. Ron created sketched this image of Saint André a few months ago. Fr. Ron’s artwork has been published in parishes, dioceses, and ecumenical settings around the world.
Published December 2024
