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Building of Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal

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Published: 03Apr2010
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Saint Joseph's Oratory From the life of Blessed Brother Andre

The dream to build a Shrine befitting Saint Joseph

They came; they prayed; they left changed. But Brother André knew his work was not over. And so, although now past sixty, he forged ahead with his dream to build a towering, magnificent Shrine, paying homage and loving respect to the man who cared for Jesus most of His life on earth. For almost thirty years of his final days on earth, Brother André worked, begged and prayed toward the fulfillment of that dream. He never used words like visions and apparitions or inner locutions. But as you read about his life, and between the lines, you can still see the Hand of God and that of His Mother Mary and foster father Saint Joseph, infusing him with this dream, and giving him the many gifts which would attract the Faithful to help to bring about this dream. For, as a holy priest once said, "It has always been the laity who have fostered devotions." The work on the gigantic, magnificent Shrine went at a snail's pace, the Superiors of the Community insisting it be a pay-as-you-go project, no debts! But André never lost hope! He just kept walking toward that goal, although he knew he would never see it. His eyes and heart already set on saluting it from afar, he would often say, "I will not see the completion of the Oratory, but the work will be done. It is not my project, anyway. It's Saint Joseph's." And at that moment, if you looked in his eyes, they would appear to be twinkling, almost playfully. But looking closer, you could not fail to see that peace, that calm assurance, shining with anticipation of things to come, that only doing the Will of God can produce. He prayed that row upon row of stones would mount until they reached the top, and the glorious tribute to St. Joseph would be completed.

He never became discouraged. Neither did the Faithful who continued to come from the nearest and the farthest regions of Canada and the United States. As man was destroying the fine monuments to the Glory of God, God's houses, our churches, in Canada a man of faith walked toward a dream, not looking behind him or to what was before him. He, like Jesus, lived the moment. The walls finally rose thirty feet above Mount Royal, towering over the countryside, visible from thirty miles around, a message of hope to a world gone mad. However, the roof was still not completed.

In 1931, man was too busy getting over wholesale decadence of the flapper days of the twenties, and heading toward the worldwide depression of the thirties, as well as the prospects of total annihilation at the hands of the Nazis in Europe to complete a Shrine to Saint Joseph.

They were counting on human resources for their answers, and as always they would be betrayed, and God would bring them back to Himself. The Shrine, without a roof, stood like a giant open crater, not a fitting home for the Lord or for His foster-father Joseph. Although now in his eighties, and suffering from the same ulcerated pains in his stomach he had known all his life, Brother André went begging for money. Because of the Great Depression, there was little money other than for survival. But that did not stop Brother André from traveling to the United States and to every hamlet of Canada.

But, sadly, there was just no money; years later, in 1936, the Provincial called a meeting to decide whether to keep on going or to abandon the project, as hopeless. Incredulous that they should, for one moment consider stopping the project, this man of faith once again, insisted; "It's not my work; it's Saint Joseph's!"

Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more information about Saints like Blessed Brother Andre go to http://www.catholic-saints-resource-center.com/

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