By MATT COLLETTE

Day Staff Writer

A Canadian man who spent four years toiling in eastern Connecticut was named a saint today by Pope Benedict XVI, who canonized him and five others during an open-air ceremony on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

In 1863, Alfred Bessette was an impoverished and illiterate 18-year-old when he moved from his home outside Montreal, Quebec, to the Plainfield village of Moosup, where he worked in the area's factories, mills and farms.

When he returned to the region decades later, Bessette was Brother André, famous for curing the sick and afflicted. His visit drew thousands who wanted a touch and a prayer.

"We're so lucky that he's a person from our age, from our time frame," said Sister Blanche Cadotte of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit order in Putnam, which serves All Hallows parish. "He's a person who walked in this area, in these same places. You feel, in a way, that you're close to something bigger than you."

In Moosup, parishioners at All Hallows church celebrated the news during Saturday and today's Masses.

Many made sure to catch the canonization on television and the day's religious education classes focused on the new saint's life.

Each morning's rosary at All Hallows ends with a prayer to Brother André, Cadotte said. Many in the area have connections to him, either because they are distant relatives or because of miracles attributed to him.

"People say things like 'My grandmother's crutches are up there (in Montreal), because he cured her up at the oratory,'" Cadotte said. "It goes on and on like that. It's wonderful to have something like that be part of this community."

Next month, Bishop of Norwich Michael R. Cote will say a special Mass at All Hallows in Brother André's honor, said Michael Strammiello, a spokesman for the diocese.

In his homily, Pope Benedict said that Catholics worldwide could learn from Brother André and the other new saints.

"Let us be drawn by these shining examples, let us be guided by their teachings," Benedict said in his homily, which he delivered in English, French, Italian, Polish and Spanish to reflect the languages spoken by the six newest saints.

Harriet Bessette, a Stonington resident who married into a family related to the new saint, said today that Brother André's canonization is a time for celebration and unity for Catholics worldwide, not just those in the area.

"It's just a joyous time. I think that everyone is overjoyed and thrilled," said Bessette. "I watched the service when it was rebroadcast at noon today, after I went to Mass at St. Mary's. It was very exciting."

Born in 1845, Brother André was orphaned at the age of 12. After taking his religious vows, he devoted his life to helping others and gained a reputation as a healer. When he died in 1937 at the age of 91, an estimated 1 million people came to pay homage.

"I think all the people from Quebec are happy now," said Alain Pilote, a 49-year-old pilgrim from Rougemont, near Montreal, who came to Rome for the Mass.

Benedict noted that Brother André was poorly educated but nevertheless understood what was essential to his faith.

"Doorman at the Notre Dame College in Montreal, he showed boundless charity and did everything possible to soothe the despair of those who confided in him," Benedict said in French.

Francoise Bessette, whose grandfather was Brother André's first cousin, was among the Canadians in attendance Sunday at St. Peter's.

"I didn't think this would happen while I was alive," said Bessette, whose brother André was named after the saint. "So to be here today is very special for me."

Australia's foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, was in Rome for the canonization, as was Canada's foreign minister, Lawrence Cannon. The Polish president, Bronislaw Komorowski, joined thousands of Polish pilgrims to honor that country's latest saint, Stanislaw Kazimiercyzk Soltys.

Also canonized Sunday were Italian nuns Giulia Salzano and Battista Camilla da Varano, Spanish nun Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola and Australian Mary MacKillop.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

m.collette@theday.com