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| St. Joseph Center on Rt. 9 in Valatie, NY |
On a recent chilly morning, members of the Congregation of Holy Cross who live at St. Joseph Center in Valatie gathered in the chapel to honor one of their own: St. Andre Bessette. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI last October, he became the congregation’s first saint.
St. Andre, a Canadian brother who died in 1937, was renowned for his humility and devotion to St. Joseph, so it was appropriate that the residents of the center named in the latter saint’s honor recently marked St. Andre’s feast day with prayers and reflections. As might be expected, statues and photos of the new saint are dotted throughout the facility.
People who drive south along Route 9, perhaps headed for Kinderhook or the Golden Harvest roadside farm stand, pass alongside the sprawling acres of St. Joseph Center, which is located off Maple Lane. As its website notes, the “property was given to the Congregation of Holy Cross by Mrs. M. Brady Farrell. It consisted of a house and 170 acres [since expanded to 400]. Brothers stayed in the house and farmed the land. The first Mass was celebrated on the property in 1935.”
