The next step in recognizing Brother Andre as a saint will take place on February 19.

On Friday, Vatican Radio announced that Alfred Bessette, better known as Brother Andre, was on the six-member shortlist of people who are up for canonization.

The six people will be discussed at an assembly of cardinals to determine if any of them should become Catholic saints.

Devoted followers of Brother Andre have long lobbied for the humble Quebecer to be achieve sainthood.

Pilgrims regularly walk up the steps to St. Joseph's Oratory on their knees, beseeching Brother Andre to heal their injuries, particularly if they have difficulty walking.

Thousands claim that Brother Andre cured their illnesses, and the cast-off crutches of the faithful hang from the walls at the Oratory.

In December, Pope Benedict XVI attributed what the Catholic Church described as a scientifically inexplicable healing miracle to Brother Andre, although details of the miracle have not been disclosed to the public.

Brother Andre, who was born in 1845 in Saint-Gregoire d'Iberville, south of Montreal, was declared Venerable on June 12, 1978 by Pope Paul VI and was beatified on May 23, 1982 by Pope John Paul II in Rome.