New city parish should honor Saint Brother Andre

With the almost certainty of the closing of the parishes of Sacred Heart and Holy Family, and however much I decry the name change of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs — the most beautiful church title in the city and the Blackstone Valley — for a new name I’d like to recommend a sainted humble friar who once walked in our midst, yes, the city’s first saint, who even worked miracles here.

I ask the OLQM community to recall sainted Brother Andre (Bessette) was French Canadian, a vital link with almost 70 percent of the area’s population at one time. He lived for a while in New England before joining the Congregation of the Holy Cross, worked in the mills, like so many did at one time, visited the city often, especially relative Ernest Brunelle off Park Avenue, and among his many miracles were Marie-Ange Fontaine and Alice Brunelle of the city, whose families attest to his healing intervention. As an uneducated porter in his Order, typical of his French Canadian love of people, the poor and the needy, he visited 15 families every day, and hundreds of thousands came to his wake. A lover of blue-collar workers, with tremendous faith in his patron Saint Joseph, he helped build the famous Oratory of Montreal, which is visited by millions every year.

Like OLQM founder and builder Msgr. Father Gadoury, Saint Brother Andre was also a builder for God whose name and generous patronage will maintain a soulful nostalgic link with the parish’s honored past, known for its generous giving, faithful attendance from Woonsocket and North Smithfield, men’s and women’s organizations, youth clubs, bingos, bazaars, the popular annual summer carnival, and its proximity to the regional school system. Under the direction of new pastor Rev. Daniel J. Sweet, of French Canadian extraction, the church enjoys a soulful liturgy, improved sound system, new shrubbery and an accessible parking lot. Julien Bessette, of the Cours Andre of the city, is enthused by the prospect of naming the church after the sainted monk, long known for his many graces and healing favors. Yet no parish bears his name.

Even if Christ told the Samaritan woman that God can be worshipped anywhere, as is still the claim of our universal church in its beliefs and practices, our parish knows the pain and sorrow of losing the soulful memories of baptisms, confirmations, weddings, special feast days, and so extends the most gracious invitation to Holy Family and Sacred Heart parishioners to become part of our vibrant church community. (When you’re here, you’re family.”)

We’re losing our great name, so let’s adopt the protection and patronage of a saint who once walked in our midst and parish grounds and shared his Canadian faith, which many who also came embraced. Yes, let us be the first church in the diocese to honor the name and life of a true man of God. In his prayer at night, he often levitated. I believe he will continue to life and expand our church with the coming of Holy Family and Sacred Heart and strengthen our Franco-America élan and like the MWC, strengthen our pride in our linguistic, cultural, faithbased and Francophone through of our own MWC, our link with Quebec, and even language at one time, just as our Irish and Italian brethren, especially those who rejoice in their churches being named in honor of their own saints. Rene Tellier North Smithfield