Andrés García Acosta

It was in Montevideo that Andrés felt the call to religious life. In 1834, he entered as an oblate (lay brother or professed) at the San Bernardino Franciscan convent in Montevideo. There, he served as porter, infirmarian, and mendicant (limosnero). However, in 1837, due to the hostile and rigorous attitude of the convent's guardian, and upon the advice of his spiritual director, Father Felipe Echenagusia, he chose to leave the Order temporarily to preserve the peace of the community. He then worked as a laborer on the construction site of the retreat house for the Bishopric of Montevideo, before being readmitted to the Franciscans in 1838. In December 1838, the Uruguayan government of Fructuoso Rivera decreed the expulsion of the Franciscans and the closure of their convent to transform it into a university. Andrés and his spiritual director, Father Felipe, then decided to go into exile in Chile, where the Recoleta Franciscana of Santiago had just been re-established. They embarked on April 8, 1839, aboard the brig Floraville and arrived at the Recoleta Franciscana convent in Santiago on July 10, 1839. In Santiago, Andrés was initially assigned to kitchen duties (dishwashing, cleaning), then was appointed as a mendicant brother. It was in this humble role that he would leave a deep mark on Chilean society. Tirelessly traversing the streets of the capital, he collected alms not only to support the convent, but above all to help the most destitute, the sick, prisoners, and the marginalized. He made natural remedies and ointments himself to treat the sick and distributed scapulars. To organize social and spiritual aid for workers, he founded the Hermandad del Sagrado Corazón (Brotherhood of the Sacred Heart), considered one of the first workers' associations in Chile, aimed at promoting Christian formation and mutual social aid for workers and peasants.

Fray Andresito passed away on January 14, 1853, in Santiago, Chile, taken by pneumonia, the outcome of which he had himself predicted. His death sparked immense popular emotion in Santiago, bringing together both the poor and the rich, who already considered him a saint. On July 10, 1855, during the exhumation of his remains, his body was discovered to be incorruptible. A vial containing his liquefied and preserved blood was also kept and has been the subject of several studies. Given the uninterrupted popular fervor, the cause for beatification was officially opened at the end of the 19th century. On November 29, 1893, the Archbishop of Santiago, Msgr. Mariano Casanova, authorized the instruction of the informative process Super Fama Sanctitatis. The first session of the ordinary informative process opened on August 17, 1894. The apostolic process then took place from May 23, 1921, to January 3, 1929. After several decades of examination, the legal validity of the process was recognized by a Vatican decree on October 20, 1995.

On July 8, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. To this day, the process is still ongoing, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession, an essential step for his beatification. Numerous testimonies of favors and unexplained healings continue to be reported by the faithful who visit his tomb at the Recoleta Franciscana in Santiago.

The spirituality of Fray Andresito is deeply rooted in the Franciscan ideal of poverty, humility, and perfect joy. His constant motto, which he repeated to everyone he met, was "Alabado sea Dios" (Praised be God). He knew how to transform the humble task of a beggar into a true ministry of evangelization and social reconciliation, building bridges between the wealthy classes and the most destitute in Santiago. He also fervently propagated devotion to the Way of the Cross, the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Philomena. His social legacy remains extremely alive in Chile. The Comedor Solidario Fray Andresito (the Fray Andresito solidarity canteen), managed by the Franciscans in Santiago, continues to distribute daily meals to the homeless, people suffering from addictions, and the most destitute, thus perpetuating his work of charity. His birthplace in La Ampuyenta (Fuerteventura) has been transformed into a museum and place of pilgrimage, testifying to the lasting affection that the inhabitants of the Canary Islands also hold for him.