Curious Knights may wonder about the mysterious statue outside the science wing and admissions office that is clearly visible whenever they arrive at school. Indeed, it is not exactly clear who the statue is supposed to depict until you get close enough to read the inscription on its base: “Saint Brother André Bessette, C.S.C.”
This statue of St. André was installed in the spring of this year, shortly before the end of the 2024-2025 school year, and will be blessed in a ceremony on Nov. 5, after an all-school mass. St. André’s many years of serving as a doorkeeper are reflected in his statue’s position outside Hoban’s admissions office. Gifted to Hoban by the Midwest Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross, André stands tall in front of any current and future Knight approaching the school.
“I think that’s very fitting that he’s at the door to the admissions,” Campus Minister Kelsey Sees said. “Because he’s kind of symbolically welcoming people to Hoban.”
Principal and Vice President of Mission and Constituent Relations T.K. Griffith has also noted the statue’s stunning and welcoming nature.
“It kind of startles me in a way, which is weird to say,” Griffith said. “But that’s good because it makes me think about who it is and why it’s there.”
In addition, Hoban’s admissions office used to be a residence for the Holy Cross brothers that worked at the school, adding a further layer of symbolism to the statue’s location. Multiple Hoban core values can also be found through the statue’s representation of St. André.
“Oftentimes [St. André] would heal [the sick], or they felt like they were getting better because of his spirit being there. Hoban, to me, is always a healing place because of its emphasis on hope, and our emphasis on family, and our emphasis on divine providence,” Griffith said. “And I think those things remind me of Brother André.”
After being credited with multiple miracles, André would officially be declared a saint by the Catholic Church in 2010, becoming the first saint from the Congregation of Holy Cross.