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Blessed André Grasset de Saint-Sauveur (3 April 1758 – 2 September 1792), usually known simply as André Grasset, was a Canadian-born French Catholic priest who was martyred for his faith in Paris during the 
Retrieved 22 September 2020 who had come to Canada (then known as
Retrieved 22 September 2020 In 1764, at the age of six, he accompanied his father, who had decided to return to France following the
Retrieved 22 September 2020 being ordained there in 1783. In 1791 the National Constituent Assembly obliged all members of the clergy, under pain of death, to sign the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which would nullify their allegiance to the Pope and essentially render them servants of the state. Although a small number of bishops and priests complied, most refused. Grasset sought refuge with the Eudist Fathers in the Maison des Tourettes, but was captured in 1792 and imprisoned in the former Carmelite convent now known as the Carmes Prison. On 2 September 1792, along with 3 bishops and 92 other priests also held at the prison, they were once again asked to sign the Civil Constitution but all replied that their conscience forbade them to do so. All 96 clergy were then killed by the guards, using bayonets, swords and spikes, and their bodies disposed of in ditches and drains around Paris. In addition, 72 priests at the Seminary of Saint-Firmin, 21 priests at the Abbey of Saint-Germain and 3 priests at the Prison de la Force were similarly murdered. In the ensuing few days as many as 1,400 people were murdered.
Catholic Saints
Retrieved 22 September 2020 and he was among the 188 bishops, priests, monks, nuns and laypeople
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
. In 1926 he became the first Canadian-born person to be beatified.
Life
He was born inMontreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
to an immigrant from Montpellier, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, André Grasset de Saint-Sauveur senior (1720-1794),Maurice de Silva, ANDRÉ GRASSET DE SAINT-SAUVEUR Martyr québécois de la Révolution française (French)Retrieved 22 September 2020 who had come to Canada (then known as
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
) to be the secretary to the Governor General of New France
Governor General of New France was the vice-regal post in New France from 1663 until 1760, and it was the last French vice-regal post. It was replaced by the British post of Governor of the Province of Quebec following the fall of New France. ...
. After his first wife died, he remarried to Marie-Josephte Quesnel-Fonblanche and had five children, of whom André was the second-born.Canadian Religious ConferenceRetrieved 22 September 2020 In 1764, at the age of six, he accompanied his father, who had decided to return to France following the
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
in 1763. They lived in Calais. He studied at the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, then entered the priesthood in Sens,John Kalbfleisch, 'Second Draft: In revolutionary France, Montreal-born André Grasset was martyred for his faith', Montreal Gazette, 2 September 2016Retrieved 22 September 2020 being ordained there in 1783. In 1791 the National Constituent Assembly obliged all members of the clergy, under pain of death, to sign the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which would nullify their allegiance to the Pope and essentially render them servants of the state. Although a small number of bishops and priests complied, most refused. Grasset sought refuge with the Eudist Fathers in the Maison des Tourettes, but was captured in 1792 and imprisoned in the former Carmelite convent now known as the Carmes Prison. On 2 September 1792, along with 3 bishops and 92 other priests also held at the prison, they were once again asked to sign the Civil Constitution but all replied that their conscience forbade them to do so. All 96 clergy were then killed by the guards, using bayonets, swords and spikes, and their bodies disposed of in ditches and drains around Paris. In addition, 72 priests at the Seminary of Saint-Firmin, 21 priests at the Abbey of Saint-Germain and 3 priests at the Prison de la Force were similarly murdered. In the ensuing few days as many as 1,400 people were murdered.
Beatification
André Grasset was declared Venerable by Pope Pius XI under a Decree of Martyrdom on 1 October 1926,Retrieved 22 September 2020
beatified
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
as the Holy September Martyrs on 17 October 1926, being the first Canadian-born person to be beatified.
Memorials
Collège André-Grasset
Collège André-Grasset is a private college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located near the Quebec Autoroute 40 and the Crémazie metro station.
The college was founded in 1927 by the priests of Saint-Sulpice Seminary (Montreal)
The Sa ...
, a post-secondary institution in Montreal was founded by the Sulpician order in 1927.
The altar of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal, is dedicated to the martyrs of the revolution. A stained-glass window bearing Grasset's image is also in the Basilica.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grasset, Andre 1758 births 1792 deaths French beatified people Beatifications by Pope Pius XI Canadian beatified people Canadian emigrants to France 18th-century French Roman Catholic priests Pre-Confederation Quebec people French clergy killed in the French Revolution