McGrath Institute Blog

Editorial Note: This post is a part of our saint devotion series, in which one of our staff or faculty members explores their relationship with a particular saint. 

Saint André Bessette was a Congregation of Holy Cross brother with a deep veneration to St. Joseph, whose intercession André attributed to the many physical healings he witnessed. André’s post as door-keeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, Canada evolved when people began to experience physical healings after meeting with him. Eventually, André saved up $200 from his work as a barber to build a shrine to St. Joseph across the street from Notre Dame College, where he met and prayed with pilgrims seeking healing. While there is little in common between André’s ministry in Quebec and mine for Echo, the McGrath Institute’s two-year graduate service program, I am regularly inspired by André’s presence to the other, and his confidence in directing others to Christ. 

Editorial Note: This post is a part of our saint devotion series, in which one of our staff or faculty members explores their relationship with a particular saint. 

Back when I was in high school in Cincinnati, I loved asking philosophical and theological questions. The environment at St. Xavier, the Catholic, Jesuit high school I attended prompted many of those questions. And no one received more of those questions than my sophomore year religion teacher, Mr. Yeazell. 

The degree to which Catholics love the Mass has never been more evident than in Catholic Twitter’s reaction to liturgical adjustments made because of the Coronavirus outbreak. The cancellation of the Eucharist in Rome has led many to wonder how the faithful can survive without regular celebration of the Mass in their presence, the reception of Holy Communion as a way of receiving grace in these trying times. Our longing to receive the Eucharist during this time, to hear the Holy Scriptures, and spend time with one another in Christian community is a sign that our identity as Catholics is closely tied to the Eucharist. 

On the 29th morning of October in the year 1994, my mother lost her favorite rosary when she flung it across the hospital room and broke my father’s hand as she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They named him John after John the Baptist because, like Elizabeth, my mother had given birth to her first child later in life. They brought him back home to love and cherish forever.