King’s College Launches St. André Society as a New Health Care Professional Development and Network Association

King’s College today announced its new St. André Society, a professional association that furthers health science education at King’s College by connecting mission-driven health care professionals from across Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. 

The new organization offers unique professional development and networking opportunities for alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College. In addition, all members will receive regular news updates highlighting the latest health science news from across King’s College and the Dean of Health Sciences.

“A pair of crutches, which belonged to a boy healed by St. André Bessette, are mounted in the lobby of our Kowalski Center,” said King’s College President Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D. “The crutches, given to Brother André in thanksgiving, were donated to King’s from St. Joseph Oratory in Montreal because Brother André was a member of the same religious community as the priests and brothers that sponsor King’s, the Congregation of Holy Cross.” 

“At King’s, our healthcare programs form graduates who will champion the inherent dignity of every person; a commitment that Brother André shared,” he continued. “Thus, we have named St. André as the Patron Saint of our healthcare programs and wish to unite alumni, friends, faculty, and students as members of the St. André Society in order to support one another in the healing professions.”

“A consistent mission of King’s College has been to instill a sense of community in its students and alumni,” said Jonathan P. Hosey, M.D., ’78, a founding member of the St. André Society who also serves on the King's College board of directors. “The St. André Society builds on this community mission by reaching out to the many alumni who are, or have been, health care professionals to share their experiences with each other and our current students in this challenging time in health care.”

The Society is co-sponsoring the upcoming St. André Lecture and the inaugural White Mass for Healthcare Professionals, both of which are free and open to the public. 

The 2026 Saint André Bessette Lecture, entitled “Information, Formation, and Transformation: From Artificial Intelligence to Human Imagination,” features Jeffrey Bishop, M.D., Ph.D., who serves as the Trent Endowed Chair in Bioethics at Saint Louis University. The event takes place Feb. 10, 2026, at 4 p.m. in the Burke Auditorium on the first floor of the McGowan School of Business on 131 N. River St. in Wilkes-Barre. 

The White Mass for Healthcare Professionals will be held at 12:05 p.m. on Feb. 11., 2026 at the Chapel of Christ the King on 29 W. North St. in Wilkes Barre. Named for the white coats worn by many health care professionals, the White Mass is a special Catholic Mass honoring and praying for all those involved in the health care professions. Father Looney will preside at this inaugural event. 

To learn more information and become a member, visit www.kings.edu/stAndrésociety. 

About St. André 

St. André Bessette was a Holy Cross brother, the first canonized Saint in the Congregation of Holy Cross, and the founder of the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal.

 While serving as the doorkeeper at a high school in Montreal, Br. André received visitors who needed healing. As Br. André encouraged these people to pray to St. Joseph, many miraculous healings were attributed to his intercession. As a token of gratitude for their healing, visitors leave behind crutches and other medical aides at the Oratory to this day. 

A set of crutches from the Oratory were gifted to the College in 2024 and are displayed next to an icon of St. André in the lobby of the new Frank & Carolyn Kowalski Center for Advanced Health Care Education in downtown Wilkes-Barre.