--- title: When you say Our Father, God's ear is next to your lips description: A beautiful quote from St. Andre Bessette led Pam Spano to learn more about this simple healer from Montreal. --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2017/06/20/say-father-gods-ear-next-lips#) # When you say Our Father, God's ear is next to your lips Jun 20, 2017 8:30:37 AM  |  by [Pam Spano](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/pam-spano) [!["When you say Our Father, God's ear is next to your lips" by Pam Spano (CatholicMom.com)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/St-Andre-Bessette-F.png?width=720&height=340&name=St-Andre-Bessette-F.png)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/St-Andre-Bessette-F.png) By Frère Denis, c.s.c. - [Musée canadien des civilisations / Canadian Museum of Civilization](http://www.civilisations.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/biography/biographi248f.shtml), Public Domain, [Link](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6556353) In this Thursday's [Gospel](http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062217.cfm), Jesus teaches us to pray the "Our Father." It is a simple prayer that keeps us from "babbling like the pagans." St. Andre Bessette (1845-1937) visualized this prayer like this: > *"When you say Our Father, God's ear is next to your lips."* The imagery of whispering in God's ear is so extraordinarily intimate that I had to investigate this saint a little more. [*Voices of the Saints*](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0829428062/catholicmom) by Bert Ghezzi is my first source when I want to know more about a saint. Andre entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross at age fifteen. He was sickly and nearly let go, but the archbishop of Montreal intervened and Andre was permitted to stay. He was frail and lacked an education so the community assigned him the door-keeper position at the College of Our Lady of the Snows, a boys' school in Montreal. Andre said, "My superiors showed me the door and I stayed there forty years." [!["When you say Our Father, God's ear is next to your lips" by Pam Spano (CatholicMom.com)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Saint_Andr%C3%A9_Bessette.jpg?width=800&height=1190&name=Saint_Andr%C3%A9_Bessette.jpg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Saint_Andr%C3%A9_Bessette.jpg) By Unknown - [Christ the King Catholic Church](http://christthekingonline.org/Default.aspx?tabid=551), Public Domain, [Link](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11818961) Brother Andre became devoted to St. Joseph and encouraged sick people to ask for St. Joseph's intercession. He would anoint the sick with oil from a lamp that burned before St. Joseph's image. The men he would sometimes massage with a medal of the saint wrapped in cloth - never women. At least one healing a day was received from 1910 through 1937 through Brother Andre's ministry. [tweet "From @CatholicReally: the fascinating life of #saint Andre Bessette"] As Brother Andre got on in years, he lost a bit of the sense of humor that he had when he first became door-keeper: > "Go away, I'm busy," he would snap, dismissing a persistent petitioner. He claimed that no one could truly appreciate the pain caused him by the daily press of hundreds of visitors, each expecting a healing. - from [*Voices of the Saints*](http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0829428062/catholicmom)* * Saint Andre Bessette died at the age of 91, a tireless champion of the faith who despite his tremendous holiness (and maybe because of those hundreds of visitors a day!) probably had a right to be a little crotchety. *Copyright 2017 Pam Spano* ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2017%2F06%2F20%2Fsay-father-gods-ear-next-lips%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2017%2F06%2F20%2Fsay-father-gods-ear-next-lips%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2017%2F06%2F20%2Fsay-father-gods-ear-next-lips%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=When%20you%20say%20Our%20Father%2C%20God%27s%20ear%20is%20next%20to%20your%20lips) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2017%2F06%2F20%2Fsay-father-gods-ear-next-lips%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2017%2F06%2F20%2Fsay-father-gods-ear-next-lips%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Pam Spano](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Pam%20Spano%202024.jpeg) ### [Pam Spano](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/pam-spano) Pam Spano converted to the Catholic faith as an adult over 30 years ago. Her conversion story started when she sarcastically said to her Catholic boyfriend at the time, "I suppose if we were to get married, you would want me to convert." He thought for a moment and said, "Well, I am worried about your soul." And so the journey began ... ## Related Blog Articles [ The One Thing We Can Learn from Cranky Saint Polycarp Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2017/02/23/one-thing-can-learn-cranky-saint-polycarp) [ Covered in Prayer in the Aftermath of Violence Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/covered-in-prayer-in-the-aftermath-of-violence) [ Success In Failure: A Lesson From Blessed Rudolf Acquaviva Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2017/07/27/success-failure-lesson-blessed-rudolf-acquaviva) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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