Record of the Week: Forwarding the Cause of Br. André

Saint André Bessette, C.S.C., is one of our country's most beloved saints. Commonly referred to as Brother André, he was a  member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The French-Canadian was known for his strong personal devotion to St. Joseph, in whose name he administered to the sick. Br. André died in 1937 in the famous St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

Photographs Collection, Holy Cross Brothers (C.S.C.), PH27H/01P

Portrait of Brother André Bessette, C.S.C [ca. 1920]

Tomorrow marks the 33rd anniversary of Br. André's beatification. We were surprised to find that our own Cardinal McGuigan played a small part in this first step towards sainthood. The Archbishop of Toronto was asked by the Vice-Postulator* to write to Pope Pius XII "asking him to introduce the cause of this Servant of God." Cardinal McGuigan complied with this request in 1946, although Br. André was not made Blessed until May 23, 1982. He was finally canonized in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.

*A postulator is one who is charged with furthering a cause for sainthood - making a judicial case for beatification and then canonization of an individual by gathering evidence of miraculous events attributed to the holy person. Postulators often authorize the issuing of relics of the venerable person.

James Cardinal McGuigan fonds, MG DA32.49 (a)

"June 5, 1946...therfore, as Vice Postulator of his Cause, I respectfully would ask your Eminence if you would be kind enough to write a postulatory letter to His Holiness, Pope Pius XII asking him to introduce the Cause of the servant of God."

As the note on the top suggests, Fr. Egan was probably charged with drafting the actual letter.

James Cardinal McGuigan fonds, MG DA32.49 (c)

"Brother Andre was universally acclaimed as a miracle worker. His ability to read the consciences of the pilgrims and convert even the most hardened sinner was one of his greatest gifts."

Record of the Week: Pope Paul VI Mosaic

This Sunday, Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) will be beatified, which is the first step towards sainthood.  The ceremony is scheduled for the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.

For many years, this mosaic portrait of Pope Paul VI has stood over the Archives' workroom.  It's one of those pieces that has been here for as long as anyone can remember; no one knows how it got here.

Everything about the mosaic remained a complete mystery to us until the Summer of 2021, when the daughter of Luigi Nasato contacted us identifying her father as the creator. Italian by birth, Mr. Nasato moved to Argentina before settling in Canada in 1959. He worked as a mosaicist for years before the focus of his career shifted towards helping redesign churches after the Second Vatican Council. Thanks to a photograph shared by Mr. Nasato's daughter, we know the mosaic was completed and hanging in the Conn-Arts studio by 1965. 

Luigi Nasato's prolific public works of art were donated  to York University. 

How this Pope Paul VI mosaic came to the archives is still a mystery, but it looks very nice in the Archives.  

One interesting factoid about mosaics: all of the "paintings" that decorate the interior of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome are not paintings at all; they're mosaics. As a tour guide once explained to me, paintings fade but mosaics last forever. And all of the artwork inside the Basilica was designed to stand the test of time.

You can read more about the Paul VI's beatification in this Catholic Register article.

Mosaics like this one and those in St. Peter's Basilica are made of tesserae, small pieces of coloured glass.