Backstory to My Italian Dream Vacation 2013

 Boungiorno!

Tuscany, Italy

I had thought and dreamed about visiting Italy and Sicily for a long, long time.  My curiosity and love of all things historical is embedded in my being of 50 percent Sicilian.  A suppose this greater percentage of Italian genes makes me feel more this than the 25 percent German and 25 percent most likely Irish.

As we age, or mature, ideas and goals move around or change.  Questions we now have could have been asked of our parents and family members years ago when they were alive.  Now there are few to ask when it is now more important to us.  And not still too late to pass on to the generations to follow. 

My Family Tree?



I am the granddaughter of two of the 4,000,000 Italians who immigrated to the US between 1880 and 1920, Leonardo Liberto and Domenica Gelfo.  Eighty percent of those were from southern Italy and Sicily.  Half the population of their town, Baucina, Sicily (Palermo Province) left the village.  Obviously I have great knowledge of the whereabouts of my grandparents after they stepped on United States soil.  I knew my aunts, uncles and cousins and have learned of other close friends tied who were tied to the little village, Baucina.

So my questions and curiosity directed me to research online, write letters, and question a few older family members. I researched  off and on for 15 years.  At the same time I researched my grandfather, Alfred E Anderson, and family (my mother's father). I conducted more research online and at Delaware's Pubic Archives and traveled to Ellis Island for a first hand look and experience.  I have become obsessed with the research.  I can find little more here in the US beyond immigration to the US.  Italian records have not been digitized or microfilmed and cannot be found online.  

At Ellis Island

cir 1900, Ellis Island Ferry taking immigrants from their "ship" to Ellis Island



Statue of Liberty

Maria at Liberty Island

(Ellis Island far left)

I dream of going to Italy.  I want to go to Italy.  I must go to Italy!  Over the last 20 years my husband has stated that we shall go someday. But when?  My sister is also feeling the need to travel and see Italy.  She brings up the Italian vacation many times.  Over time (months that seem like years) it is decided that we will plan to go to Italy with my sister and her husband.  Yea!  Wonderful!  Great News!   I cannot believe it!   But my one stipulation is that we must also go to Sicily.  We must go to Baucina, the homeland of our grandparents.  I cannot go to Italy without visiting Baucina. 

 Maria's hand created collage,

 "One Day I Will Go to Italy & Sicily."

1995 

So in January of this year we started to research and make plans.  With many tours available it took time to narrow down our choices.  Since this was our first visit to Italy we needed to be with a tour group to get the most for our investment.  We also wanted to see the major cities of Rome, Venice and Florence and also Tuscany.  We wanted history, museums, historic sites, gondola rides, Greek ruins, medieval sites, Italian food, art, etc.  We also needed time to visit Sicily.  A tour could not provide us with the extra time for research and visit to Baucina.  So we (the four of us) decided to book an Italy 9 day "Italian Dream" tour with Trafalgar Tours and tour Sicily on our own.  Since we did not have passports, we applied and paid for those.  They arrived in about 4 weeks. 

I thought that I really needed a real live contact in Baucina in order for my ultimate wish to succeed.  I did more research of the village of Baucina.  The Italian White Pages, via internet ( www.paginebianche.it) showed a listing of at least 6 persons with the Liberto surname in Baucina.  I will write letters to these Liberto's in hopes someone will respond.  I will write letters and emails to the Commune of Baucina requesting permission to research during my visit to the village. I am not versed in the Italian language, but thanks to Google Translate, I was able to accomplish this task.

But I did not receive an answer from the town of Baucina.  I did receive one email and one phone call from the letters I sent to the Liberto's - all dead ends.

My husband volunteered to put together a plan and arrangements for our time in Sicily.  It did take time to coordinate the Sicily tour.  Being a very detail oriented person, he did a fine job and thought of everything.  We also learned that getting to the little village would be almost impossible, even from Palermo.  There were no trains, buses were not dependable if they  ran at all and we would be carting our own luggage. 



And then an angel named Cinzia called from Sicily.  I could not believe my ears.  This lady speaking in broken English was calling for her friend, Rosalia Liberto who had received one of my letters.  Rosalia wanted us to come visit.  She did not speak English, but showed the letter to her friend Cinzia who helped translate the Google Italian.  I wept, I was so touched.  Cinzia and her husband also owned an Agriturismo B in the next village, Case Varisco Agritirismo, Ventimiglia Di Sicilia.  We could stay there if we wished.  She would email back with details. Cinzia repeated "not to worry, everything would work out." (A true Sicilian statement.)  I was now truly blessed with the generosity of Rosalia and Cinzia.   

I became worried when Cinzia did not email back quickly.  So I did more research and traced the her international phone number to her B&B.  So of course I called her to verify that we would be surely visit and finalized details to stay at Case Varisco.  She was willing to pick us up at the airport, she will help us rent a car or a driver.  She will be our interpreter.  She was willing to assist us Americans whom she did not know.  She had already become a good friend. She was still saying, "not to worry - it will all work out." 

We decided we would rent a car in Palermo to drive ourselves to Baucina.  Brother-in-law Bill was willing to do the driving having vast experience on rural mountain roads in Virginia.  All Italian towns and cities are filled with little cars and scooters where drivers follow absolutely no rules.  But how bad can the Italian country roads be?

There were several more phone calls and emails between Cinzia and I.  She provided me with the name of an English speaking lady in Baucina's town office.  She would assist us with the language problem.  We finalized the day of our visit for research and the visit with the wonderful lady Rosalia Liberto in Baucina.

Ron had finalized the plans to tour Sicily from east to west. Most of the trip was paid for already.  He ordered Euros from our bank.  We made 2 copies of all documents, one to leave with family and one to take.  We had made arrangements through www.dogvacay.com for Winston, our Wheaton Terrier, to stay at a wonderful home where he had recently stay for a trial visit.  By then it was mid September and we were departing from Dulles Airport on September 22 for Rome Italy.

My Italian Dream was actually coming true. 

I still could not believe it.

Read about the trip in a future posting! 

 

CIAO to all !

.  

Our Beloved Artists of the Month of March

March is the month that is between Winter and Summer.  Yes, spring starts in March, but not where I live in the Mid-Alantic.

The word 'March' comes from the Roman 'Martius'. This was originally the first month of the Roman calendar and was named after Mars, the god of war.  March was the beginning of our calendar year. We changed to the 'New Style' or 'Gregorian calendar in 1752, and it is only since then when we the year began on 1st January.



I am about to share with you the month of March from an artist's point of view.

March 1:  Augustus Saint-Gaudens born 1848, Dublin, Ireland—died Aug. 3, 1907, Cornish, New Hampshire, U.S., generally acknowledged to be the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century, noted for his evocative memorial statues and for the subtle modeling of his low reliefs.Saint-Gaudens also made many medallions, originally as a diversion from more serious tasks. These works show the influence of Renaissance medals as well as his early cameos. Among them are designs for U.S. coins.

Sherman Memorial by Saint-Gaudens

Gold $20 Coin by Saint-Gaudens

March 2:  Bedrich Smetana, Czech composer, born 1824.
                 Kurt Weill, German composer, born 1900.

March 5:  Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer, born 1887.

March 6:  Renaissance genius Michelangelo (1475- February 18, 1564) was born in Caprese, Italy. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet and visionary best known for his fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his sculptures David and The Pieta. Michelangelo was considered the greatest living artist in his lifetime, and ever since then he has been held to be one of the greatest artists of all time. A number of his works in painting, sculpture, and architecture rank among the most famous in existence.



Sistine Chapel

 Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet, (orn 1806 – 29 June 1861) was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime.^[1] A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

                                                          I shall but love thee better after death.                                                               

                                                                    Elizabeth Barrett Browning



March 7:    Maurice Ravel, French composer, born 1875.

March 9:    Samuel Barber, American composer, born 1910.
March 10:  Arthur Honegger, French composer, born 1892.

March 11:  Torquato Tasso, Italian poet, born 1544. 

March 12:   Gabriele d'Annunzio, Italian poet, born 1863.

March 13:  Johann Wyss, Swiss author, born 1781

March 14:  Johann Strauss was born October 25, 1825, in Vienna, Austria. His father, Johann Strauss the Elder, was a self-taught musician who established a musical dynasty in Vienna, writing waltzes, galops, polkas, and quadrilles and publishing more than 250 works. Johann the Younger left his family in 1842 and surpassed his father's popularity and productivity, becoming known as the “Waltz King.”

March 18:  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer, born 1844

March 19:  Ballet producer Sergei Diaghilev born 1872.

March 20:  Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet and dramatist, born 1828.

                  Lauritz Melchior, Danish tenor, born 1890.

March 21: Organist and composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was born in Eissenach, Germany. His output included thousands of compositions, many used in churches. Among his best known works; The Brandenburg Concertos for orchestra, The Well-Tempered Clavier for keyboard, the St. John and St. Matthew passions, and the Mass in B Minor.

St. Matthews Passions, As sung by the Helsinki Boy's Choir

 March 21:  Modest Mussorgsky, Russian composer, born 1839

March 22:   Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Flemish painter, born 1599.    

                   Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator, born 1846.

March 23:   Roger Martin du Gard, French novelist and Nobel Prize-winner for literature, born 1881.

March 24:  1834 - Oct 3, 1896, William Morris was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and libertarian socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and English Arts and Crafts Movement. He founded a design firm in partnership with the artist Edward Burne-Jones, and the poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century.

Two Angels, Stained Glass, William Morris 

Strawberry Thief, furnishing fabric, designed Morris, 1883

William Morris Tiles

March 25:  Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor, born 1867.
                   Bela Bartok, Hungarian composer, born 1881.

March 26:   A. E. Housman, English poet, born 1859.

                    Robert Frost, American poet, born 1874.

March 26:  American playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was born in Columbus, Mississippi. His works featured Southern settings and include; The Glass Menagerie, Night of the Iguana, and two Pulitzer Prize winning plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof .

        

March 27:  Lithographer Nathaniel Currier born 1813 – November 20, 1888 was an American lithographer, who headed the company Currier & Ives with James Ives.

March 30:  Vincent Van Gogh(1853-1890) was born in Groot Zundert, Holland. He was a Postimpressionist painter, generally considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. During his short (10-year) painting career he produced over 800 oil paintings and 700 drawings, but sold only one during his lifetime. In 1987, the sale of his painting Irises brought $53.9 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art up to that time. During his life, Van Gogh suffered from despair and bouts of mental illness, at one point cutting off part of his own left ear. He committed suicide in 1890 by gunshot.

"Starry Night", Van Gogh

"Irises", Van Gogh

March 30:  Francisco Goya, Spanish painter, born 1746

Isabel Cobos De Porcel by Goya

March 31:  Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was born in Rohrau, Austria. Considered the father of the symphony and the string quartet, his works include 107 symphonies, 50 divertimenti, 84 string quartets, 58 piano sonatas, and 13 masses. Based in Vienna, Mozart was his friend and Beethoven was a pupil.

  

.   

March Poems:

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

-  William Wordsworth, Daffodils

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"March is the month of expectation,
The things we do not know,
The Persons of Prognostication
Are coming now.
We try to sham becoming firmness,
But pompous joy
Betrays us, as his first betrothal
Betrays a boy."
-  Emily Dickinson, XLVIII

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees."
-  Robert Frost, A Prayer in Spring

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!"
-  Robert Browning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plays about March:

Beware the ides of March

Caesar:

Who is it in the press that calls on me?

I hear a tongue shriller than all the music

Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:

Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:

What man is that?

Brutus:

A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15–19

 by Shakespeare

The "ides" of March is the fifteenth; which day of the month the ides is depends on a complicated system of calculation Caesar himself established when he instituted the Julian calendar.
The importance of the ides of March for Caesar is that it is the day he will be assassinated by a group of conspirators.  Shakespeare borrowed this scene, along with other details of Caesar's demise, from Plutarch's Life of Julius Caesar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let us remember and salute what these great artists have given the world!

Best to all,

Maria

What is Soap? Where is the Lye in Soap? The Mystery of Soap Making

We have contemplated spring through the gloomy and cold days of winter.  But through that time much has been happening!

"Back in the day" we would have already used half of our yearly supply of soap made last fall. Fall was the time to slaughter animals, and use the tallow and lard for soap making.  Water was steeped through ashes to produce the alkali or lye water of an undetermined strength, which produced soap of an undetermined hardness.



Maria Making Soap in Modern Times



Making Soap From Lye in Colonial Days

What is soap?  What are the ingredients? 

Where did the Lye Go?



The term saponification is the name given to the chemical reaction that occurs when a vegetable oil or animal fat is mixed with a strong alkali. The products of the reaction are two: soap and glycerin. Water does not enter into the chemical reaction. The water is only a vehicle for the alkali, which is otherwise a dry powder.
The name saponification literally means "soap making". The root word, "sapo",
is Latin for soap. The Italian word for soap is sapone. Soap making as an art
has its origins in ancient Babylon around 2500 - 2800 BC.
The oils used in modern handmade soap are carefully chosen. Coconut oil creates lots of glycerin, makes big bubbly lather, and is very stable. Olive oil has natural antioxidants and its soap makes a creamier lather. Many other oils can be used,
each one for a specific reason.
The alkali used in modern soap is either potassium hydroxide, which is used to make soft soap or liquid soap because of its greater solubility, or sodium hydroxide, which is used to make bar soap. The common term for the alkali became simply "lye".
Soap made in cottages and on farms in earlier American times became known as "lye soap". That term now denotes a harsh soap with excessive amount of caustic. Weighing and measuring techniques were crude, and knowledge of soap chemistry
was elementary or non-existent.
The true fact is that modern handcrafted soap, though necessarily made with lye to get
true soap, has no lye in the final product. It has all been reacted with the oils to
form soap and glycerin.
 A fact about the most common massed-produced soap found in the grocery store does
 have a small amount of excess alkali in it. Also, all of its naturally-occurring glycerin
is removed to be sold as a separate commodity. Why? Greater profit. An important difference between most commercial soap and our Coastal Cottage Soaps is
that the glycerin is left in and thus it retains its natural
moisturizing property.

from Real Handmade Soap

COASTAL COTTAGES SOAPS MADE THIS WINTER

The soap shop has produced limited quantities of soap after the made holiday rush.  We are now whipping up popular and new varieties.



Pink Swirl Artsy Glycerin Soap

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Restocking newly made "Castile Soap" for an online customer. Only 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, no other vegetable or animal fats. First made in the Castile region of Spain in the 16th century and the 1st example of hard, white soap.
     Castile soap is moisturizing and gentle to the skin, containing no colors, dyes or detergents so it can be used on babies and people with sensitive skin. This batch is unscented, but smells like "Clean Linen." New large 5 oz size. I will be adding lavender, peppermint, and pomegranate to this product line called, Liberto's Castile Sopone.  Check out coastalcottagesoaps.com to purchase.

Liberto's Unscented Castile Sopone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



     As colorful as Easter Eggs! Here is my assortment of Coastal Cottage WOOL FELTED SOAPS, the latest craze by wool fiber artists and soap makers. Imagine soap wrapped with it's own wash cloth and lots of

 natural lather to cleanse your body.

     Colorful wool fibers are wrapped around each handmade bar of soap made by this soap maker

and then hand felted to the bar.

     As you use the sudsy soap the wool will shrink with the size of the bar. Sorry no selection of

fragrance, I send whatever is in stock.

2 Bar Set: $9.95 which includes all natural ingredients.

Go to coastalcottagesoaps.com to purchase!



Felted Wool Natural Soaps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a rather new edition to the line up of soap.  Unscented Aloe Vera & Calendula, a great product for those with blemished and other problems.  The healing properties of Aloe and Calendula in a totally natural and unscented bar has been tested with positive results.  Just ask my grandsons!



Unscented Aloe Vera & Calendula Soap


Thanks for taking the soap making journey with me.  I continue to produce many varieties of natural and artsy designer soaps.  It is a satisfying and clean business. 
I am blessed to be on this journey.

My Best to all,

Maria Liberto Bessette



John Dickinson Remembrance & Maria Paints at the Plantation

~~~ Penman of the Revolution~~~

~~~Remembrance Day~~~

John Dickinson, named "The Penman of the Revolution", resided at Poplar Hall (the future John Dickinson Plantation) as a young man.  Located in Kent County Delaware, near Dover and facing Jones Neck, it is now registered as an Historic Site.  The John Dickinson Remembrance Day was celebrated last week whereby a wreath-laying at the grave of John Dickinson was sponsored by the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation at the Wilmington Friends Meeting, Wilmington DE



This is a wonderful out-of-the-way venue for visitors as well as my group,
The Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic. 
We had great fun during many painting sessions inside and outside the Mansion.

Maria and several of the Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic

Below you will see a particular site and the same as painted by me:



"Herbs Hanging to Dry"
John Dickinson Plantation



Actual Photo of Herbs Drying
John Dickinson Plantation





"Keeping Room Hearth" - Painting by MlB

John Dickinson Plantation

 

Keeping Room Hearth -  Photo
John Dickinson Plantation

Wood Shed & Annex - photo
John Dickinson Plantation



"Wood Shed & Annex" painting by MLB
John Dickinson Plantation


 







John Dickinson Plantation Front - photo

"John Dickinson Plantation - Front"
painting by Maria Liberto Bessette

 

John Dickinson Exhibit, Dover Art League
February 2013
by Maria Liberto Bessette


I am thankful to all the staff of John Dickinson Plantation for their hospitality and friendship.

The plantation features Dickinson's original 1740 brick home, reconstructed farm buildings, and a log'd dwelling, surrounded by rich agricultural lands stretching down to the banks of the St. Jones River. The plantation is administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.


visit John Dickinson Plantation website
Hours
Wednesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Admission  Free
340 Kitts Hummock Road
Dover, DE 19901
302-739-3277 phone

Directions & Parking
Located on the northbound side of Delaware Route 9, one-half mile northeast of the intersection of Route 9 and U.S. Route 113. Ample, free parking is available.

"Like" John Dickinson Plantation - Facebook

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Visit Dover Art League

 

21 W Loockerman St.

Downtown Dover, DE

 

W-Sat, 11 am - 4 pm

 

click her for Liberto's Art website

 

"Like" Liberto's Art - Facebook

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Enough history for now, I must move on to my next post and update you on my recent soapmaking products

 

Maria





  



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. 

~~~~~~~~~~

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

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

~~~~~~~

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).

~~~~~~

 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 ~~