If you’re on the North Shore and need a mid-morning pick-me-up, Brother André’s Café is the place for you. While the locally sourced coffee and homemade baked goods are great, the story behind the café is even better.

When Patrick Fitzgerald, a young college graduate with autism, couldn’t find work, the idea behind Brother André’s Café was born. Patrick’s parents, Mike and Terri, realized that the barriers Patrick faced were systemic – in the Pittsburgh job market, employers were not eager to hire people with disabilities.

Dismayed by this reality, the Fitzgerald family turned to the example of Brother André Bessette, a French-Canadian brother with an intense devotion to St. Joseph. Like Patrick, Brother André’s sickly health and frail nature made it impossibly difficult to find employment during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. 

Drawing on the example of Brother André, a beacon of Christian hope and perseverance in the face of adversity, the Fitzgeralds approached Father Chris Donley, a Pittsburgh priest and founder of Move a Mountain Missions.

Father Donley operates an impressive outreach organization throughout Pittsburgh and abroad, including Central Catholic’s annual service trip to Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica.

After hearing the proposal, Father Donley saw the Fiztgeralds’ vision of Brother André’s Café as a natural extension of his missionary work. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Café to open online in November 2020, Mr. Gallagher, who was an integral part of bringing Patrick’s vision to fruition, actually believes that the pandemic was the project’s saving grace.

With the additional time to plan, purchase, and renovate, the pandemic gave the team months to make improvements to the café’s interior and continue to refine their craft.

Thanks to the pandemic, the project now has an online bulk-order service that regularly fills large orders for customers and companies.

Students in the Scholars Program were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit Brother André’s Café earlier in the semester.

The thing that is most striking about the coffee shop is the community that it brings together. Employees with a wide range of intellectual and developmental disabilities are able to showcase their unique talents and skills through their work with the Café.

From blogging to baking to brewing, every employee contributes to the success of the coffee shop.

So, the next time you’re craving a quick caffeine fix, make your way over to Brother André’s Café: sip the coffee, nibble on the baked goods, but, most importantly, make an effort to get to know one of the employees…it might just be the most interesting conversation you have all week!