SAINT ANDRE BESSETTE – A SAINT FOR TODAY
Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, in SaintGregoire d’lberville, Quebec. The son of Isaac Bessette and Clothilde Foisy, he was baptized the day after his birth in the large stone house that served as the rectory and chapel in the heart of the village. The child grew up with his brothers and sisters in a modest home.
In 1850, the family moved to Farnham, where the sawmill industry was booming. But in the winter of 1855, Isaac died in a tragic accident, crushed under a tree. Alfred was only nine years old. Two years later, his mother passed away from tuberculosis. Recalling his childhood, he would say about her: “My mother was always smiling-such a lovely smile.”
Leocadie, lsaYe, Napoleon, Joseph, Claude, MarieRosalie, Alfred, Alphonsine, Josephine and Elisa were now orphans. Twelve-year-old Alfred went to live in Saint-Cesaire, at first with his uncle and aunt, the Nadeaus, and then with the Ouimet family.
The young man seemed rather ill-equipped to face life: his health was frail, and he had little education. But there was one thing he seemed sure of: “How good the good Lord is! He always dotes on us!” he would say. This certainty would remain with him for the rest of his life. (Read more by clicking on the link) https://www.saint-joseph.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/A-saint-for-today-versionWEB.pdf
