St. Joseph's Oratory (Tomb of St. André Bessette)
The burial place of St. André Bessette.
St. André Bessette → Plan a trip hereThe Story
St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal is the largest church in Canada and the world's principal shrine to St. Joseph. Its great dome, among the largest of its kind in the world, rises above the city as a landmark of faith — yet the story of this vast basilica begins with a small wooden chapel and a humble doorkeeper. Brother André Bessette (1845-1937), a religious of the Congregation of Holy Cross, served for decades as porter at Notre-Dame College across the road. Poor in health and education but rich in faith, he received visitors with the counsel 'Go to Joseph,' encouraging prayer to the foster father of Jesus. In 1904 he built a modest chapel to St. Joseph on the slope of Mount Royal. As reports of healings multiplied — the walls of the votive chapel still display crutches left by grateful pilgrims — the crowds grew, and construction of the great basilica began in 1924, reaching completion in 1967. When Brother André died in 1937, an estimated million people filed past his coffin in tribute. The Church, after careful examination of his life and of cures attributed to his intercession, beatified him in 1982 and canonized him in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI declared him St. André Bessette — the first canonized saint of his congregation. His tomb rests within the Oratory, and his heart is preserved there as a relic, in keeping with an old tradition of honoring founders and holy persons. The Oratory today welcomes some two million visitors each year, continuing Brother André's simple mission: to bring the sick, the discouraged, and the searching to God through the quiet intercession of St. Joseph.
Church Recognition
The Oratory is a minor basilica and Canada's preeminent shrine to St. Joseph; its founder was canonized as St. André Bessette by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010, after the Church's formal recognition of his heroic virtue and of healings attributed to his intercession.
Catholic Teaching
The Oratory expresses the Church's veneration of St. Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer and patron of the universal Church, and illustrates the communion of saints (CCC 946-962): the faithful ask the saints' intercession, while all healing and grace come from God alone (CCC 2683-2684).
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
Pilgrims visit the crypt church and basilica, the original 1904 chapel, the votive chapel with its lamps and crutches, and the tomb and heart reliquary of St. André; many pray while climbing the central wooden steps on their knees. Pilgrimage peaks around the feasts of St. Joseph (March 19) and St. André (January 6-7 in Canada and the U.S.).
Go Deeper
See the Oratory's official website at https://www.saint-joseph.org, read St. John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos on St. Joseph, and consult the Catechism on the communion of saints (CCC 946-962).
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.