The Saint Andre Lecture Series
Stonehill College hosts a biennial lecture series in honor of Saint André Bessette, C.S.C., the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to be canonized a saint.
Welcoming the Other
The ongoing theme for the lecture series is "Welcoming the Other," as Saint André spent much of his life serving as a humble porter welcoming people to the College de Notre Dame in Montreal. Every other year the College welcomes a speaker whose work or writing has explored the problem of exclusion and the possibilities for acceptance and greater understanding.
About Saint André
The Congregation of Holy Cross, along with several members of the Stonehill community, including President Mark Cregan, C.S.C., celebrated the canonization of André at Saint Peter's Square in Rome in October, 2010. In addition, a group of 50 students, faculty and staff attended canonization festivities in Saint André's native Montreal.
This first saint of the Congregation, an order primarily devoted to the work of education, was himself only minimally educated. Since early childhood, Saint André's poor health drastically limited the kind of work he could do.
In his role as a doorkeeper, he welcomed guests to Notre Dame College, the Congregation's school in Montreal, yet, throughout his life, he was credited with many reported miraculous healings.