Antoine Chevrier (16 April 1825 – 2 October 1879) was a French
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and a member of the
Third Order of Saint Francis
The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.
The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many ma ...
. He was the founder of the Sisters of Prado and the Institute of the Priests of Prado. His entire life and pastoral mission was devoted to the service of the poor and the education of poor children and those on the peripheries.
He was beatified on 4 October 1986 on the occasion of the visit of
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
to France.
Life
Antoine Chevrier was born on
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
on 16 April 1825. He was the sole child born to his parents and received
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
on the following 18 April. From his father he inherited a humble spirit and gentleness while he received from his mother a passionate and energetic disposition. He had his
First Communion
First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin Church tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communi ...
in 1837.
In 1840 - at the age of fourteen - a parish
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
asked him if he wanted to become a priest himself. Chevrier never thought about it but said he would like to. He felt immediate happiness in this realization and decided to become a priest. Chevrier commenced his studies for the priesthood at the age of seventeen in 1842. He received the
cassock
The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...
in October 1846 and received the
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...
in 1847.
Prior to his being made a priest he wanted to join the foreign missions but his mother opposed and said to him: "You are an ingrate, mister, a bad son. Do you think I raised you for you to be eaten by savages? Savages you can fin in Lyon! If you go in spite of me, I will disown you as my child". He was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
in 1856 he meditated before the crib and it was there and then that he realized his true mission as a priest was to evangelize to the poor but also to tend to the poor on the streets while forming a religious congregation for all those who were poor. This experience was almost like a sudden "conversion". In
Ars-sur-Formans
Ars-sur-Formans is a commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France.
Geography
The village is in the south-western part of the Ain department 33 km north of Lyon and 10 km east of Villefranche-sur ...
- in January 1857 - he consulted with John-Baptiste-Marie Vianney on his mission and who encouraged his work. He asked to leave his parish to pursue this aim and a meeting with the layman Camille Rambaud in June 1857 hastened this. Sometimes parents sent him their delinquent children and others asked him to get their children out of prison and take them to live with him for a better life.
In 1859 he became a professed member of the
Third Order of Saint Francis
The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.
The preaching of Francis and his disciples caused many ma ...
. On 10 December 1860 he purchased a disused ballroom in order to establish a chapel and a shelter for poor children and those on the peripheries in order to provide them with a Christian education. In his lifetime he received around 2400 male adolescents. In 1866 he opened a clerical school - that grew into his male institute - for clerical aspirants. The first lot were ordained in Rome in 1876. The female branch of his order - the Sisters of Prado - opened not long after his first was established. Social unrest threatened Lyon and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1871 but the conflict in Lyon stalled as Chevrier celebrated the
Feast of Corpus Christi
The Feast of Corpus Christi (), also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a Christian liturgical solemnity celebrating the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of ...
and paraded the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
through the streets; the quarrelers dared not interrupt the celebration.
Chevrier was also a writer and he wrote both the ''Disciple of Jesus Christ'' and ''God sends Revolutions''. The latter was a critique of priests who pursued greed and their excessive attachment to material goods.
He fell ill in the spring of 1874 which began his long period of illness until his death. He recovered and made a four-month visit to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to be with his future priests. But one left to become a member of the
Trappists
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
while the others - who were ordained in May 1877 - were reluctant to return with Chevrier to the congregation.
He knew his death was approaching in September 1879 due to his ailment. Chevrier died on 2 October 1879 after suffering a long illness. Around 10000 people attended his funeral. His order was approved of diocesan right in 1924 and was aggregated to the
Conventual Franciscans
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites.
Dating back to ...
in 1930. The order received the papal decree of praise of
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
on 28 October 1959.
Beatification
The beatification process commenced once a diocesan investigation commenced into his life. Its closure allowed for theologians to compile all of his written works and assess whether or not such writings adhered to the official magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church - these were cleared and approved on 11 January 1911.
The formal introduction to the cause did not come until 11 June 1913 under
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...
. This granted Chevrier the title of
Servant of God
"Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...
- the first stage in the process.
The second process opened and continued the work of the first following the introduction of the cause. Both processes received formal ratification from the
Congregation of Rites
The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969.
The Congregation was charged with the ...
on 19 November 1930 which would allow for Roman officials to begin their own investigation into Chevrier's cause.
On 16 January 1953 he was proclaimed to be
Venerable
The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism.
Christianity
Cathol ...
after
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
recognized that Chevrier had lived a model Christian life of
heroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it ...
.
The process on a miracle commenced in its diocese of origin and after closure was validated on 11 November 1930.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
approved it and beatified Chevrier on his visit to France on 4 October 1986.