January Artist Jewells & Blessed St. Andre Bessette

Maria Creates ~~~

Maria at Killens Pond State Park in Delaware
 October 24, 2012 
 (to honor my mother and artist, Mildred Anderson Liberto)

The image above was taken during a weekly painting session with the Plein Air Painters of Mid-Atlantic.  Such great and sincere folks who have come out to participant.  It is so interesting to see these artists capture their own vision through paint on canvas or paper.   We are producing a great body of work that I hope we can share with others in an exhibition.  SUCH FUN ALSO. 

Check out:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/PleinAirPaintersMidAtlantic/.   Such great fun and such a great group! Visit with our members, see our sessions creating outdoors.  Open to all artists who appreciate painting outdoors who live in the Mid-Atlantic. 

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January Artist Jewells & St. Andre Bessette 

The Word is Out:  The Bessette's Will be Colonial Artisans Again 

Dover Days Festival, May 4, 2013 in Delaware

 

Ron Bessette
18th Century Merchant
Soaps & Other Necessaries

I LOVE THIS IMAGE!

 Ron Bessette, the great interpreter of the 18th and 19th century life is shown in the Dover Days Festival in Delaware each May. It is his favorite thing.

He is my partner, friend and husband, who has supported and endured much to assist and allow my creative side to flourish, ie: the soapmaking for our company, Coastal Cottage Soaps and the many canvases, oil paints, and framing my art for Liberto's Art, exhibits, receptions, events, farmers markets, art galleries, art related trips and more.

Maria will be demonstrating the art of producing Floorcloths (Oyle Cloths) or painted canvas rugs.

For more info on the Dover Days Festival go to

doverdaysfestival.com   We are definitely looking forward to Dover Days 2013!

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Angelucci's Gallery, Milford DE, now carries Coastal Cottage Soaps

                   

 

New varieties of natural, scented handcrafted soaps delivered to Angelucci's Gallery at the Riverwalk Center for the Arts, Milford DE, on Thursday. Angelucci's is a treasure trove of fine art and artisan items produced by professional arti...sts in and around Delaware! Stop by their gallery for the perfect gift or piece of art.
Also visit the Artist Studios and Mispillion Art League in the same building. --------ISN'T THE MILFORD COMMUNITY FORTUNATE?

These venues are also in Kent County DE! Check out their FB page: www.facebook.com/pages/Angelucci...Studio-Artist-Gallery/271620104769

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Italian & French "Road of the Cat" Floorcloths Completed

   

Road of the Cat, Italian: "Strada Del Gatto" Floorcloth
36" x 24"

Road of the Cat, French: "Rue Du Chat" Floorcloth
24" x 24"



These two canvas painted rugs were delivered to my friend, a lovely lady and lover of all artful creations and venues.

She loved "Rue Du Chat"(fr) and wanted a larger rug with 'Strada Del Gatto" (it).

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 A Real Saint in the Family ~~~ And yes, we are related!

January 6, Feast Day of St. Bro Andre Bessette

My husband, Ron Bessette, is the great nephew of Alfred Bessette, born in 1845 near Montreal, Canada to a poor, working-class family. He experienced great tragedy in his life. He entered the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1870.  http://www.holycrossbrothers.org/andrebessette.php  His first assignment, which was to last him 40 years, the doorman of the community’s school in Montreal, Notre Dame College. As people came to the school, burdened by their own struggles and suffering, Bro. André directed them to pray to St. Joseph. Through Bro. André’s healing touch, thousands of people were cured and he became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal.” One of his greatest contributions during his lifetime was building St. Joseph’s Oratory, the largest shrine in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. Over a million people came to pay him their final respects. He was  always recognized has living  a saintly and humble life.

le Frere Andre Bessette, God's Gatekeeper

Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 17, 2010. To this day, thousands come in pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory, where his tomb lies, to receive spiritual and physical healing. The memorial of St. André is celebrated on January 6 each year, everywhere.

St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal, Canada

What a wonderful heritage he represents to the Bessette family and all of Quebec Province, Canada.  Eittien Catta researched the family back to 1665 AD and produced the 1446 p. book, "le Frere Andre 1945-1937 et l'oratoire saint-joseph du mont-royal" written in french and published in 1965.  Bessette Family geneology in a book!

How Blessed!

This story has made me ever so humble, so I must close.  Another blog entry is coming soon.

Blessings to you and yours,
Maria Liberto Bessette ~~





Saints & Angels: Saint Andre Bessette (Great Uncle), Celebrate His Feast Day - January 6

I, the artful girl, am glad to celebrate the life of "the miracle man of Montreal."  Yes, this unassuming man was my husbands great uncle.  I have married into the Bessette family and have made the trip to Montreal to visit St. Joseph's Oratory.  The bronze statue of Blesssed Brother Andre is almost a perfect image of my dear husband, the same size and profile - unbelievable.

          

   

     

Alfred Bessette was born in Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Quebec (then Canada East), a small town situated 40 kilometers south-east of Montreal.  Loosing both parents by the age of 13 he tried many different trades, wondering Canada while constantly in poor health. When he was 20 years old, Alfred joined many Canadians who were emigrating to the United States to work in a textile mill of New England (in Moosup CT to be exact - my husbands birthplace.)

 

When the Canadian federation was formed in 1867, he returned to his native country. André was given the task of porter (doorman) at Notre Dame College in Côte-des-Neiges, Quebec. He fulfilled this function for some forty years while at the same time doing innumerable odd jobs for the community.  People claimed that they had been cured through the prayers of the good Brother and Saint Joseph, and they were grateful their prayers had been heard. Brother André steadfastly refused to take any credit for these cures.. Because he wanted St. Joseph to be honored, in 1904 Bessette began the campaign to erect a chapel to honor the saint.



Brother André's reputation grew, and soon he was known as the miracle worker of Mount-Royal.^] He had the strong support, however, of the diocesan Church, and thousands of cures without apparent medical explanation made him the object of popular acclaim. In 1924 construction of  Saint Joseph's Oratory began on the side of the mountain, near Bessette's chapel.  His humble life and his dedication to the church through prayer and service to those with poor health reflected the mission of the Holy Cross.

                    

      

Bessette died in 1937, at the age of 91. A million people filed past his coffin. 

Brother André was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982.  The miracle cited in support of his beatification was the healing in 1958 of Giuseppe Carlo Audino, who suffered from cancer. He is commemorated by an optional memorial on January 6.  On December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated a decree recognizing a second miracle at Blessed André's intercession.

And on October 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI formally declared sainthood for Blessed Andre.

My husband is blessed to have his family history dating back to the 1600's due to the Catholic Church's research on Brother Andre.  A thick book of 1100 pages, published in 1964,  printed in French which we are honored to have in our household.

Although the story I have told is not one of the usual I tell in this blog, it is about a wonderful time in Montreal, learning first hand about a humble man who prayed for good health of all people.  It was a wonder experience visiting the lovely city of Montreal.  As my husband's first language as a child was French, he still does recall enough French to enjoy the French speaking people of a very cosmopolitan city.

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Sweet dreams and my prayers to all to never give up and to take one step at a time to accomplish our dreams.

Love and my prayers to all,

Maria Liberto Bessette