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Friday, January 6, 2017

St.Andrre Bessette



St. Andre Bessette was canonized in 2010 but I have heard of his holiness for years. My Holy Cross cousin, Brother John McLaughlin (my grandfather was also named John McLaughlin), loved him and often spoke of him. He was orphaned at the age of twelve and had to support himself but his pastor sent him to the Holy Cross Order where he was accepted as a lay brother. After his acceptance, he became the doorman at Notre Dame college near Montreal and stayed there for forty years. He was credited with many healing miracles which he always attributed to St. Joseph; he became so well-known that he needed a team to help answer the 80,000 letters he received each year. He died at the age of 91 and a million people filed by his coffin. I remember that my grandmother and one of my aunts went to see him when I was a child.  Anyway, he died on January 6 so that is his feast day. Epiphany was changed to be celebrated on the Sunday after New Year's.

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