Antoine de Rochebrune (born February 18, 1964) is a French Roman Catholic priest. He is the

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

, or representative, of

Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work an ...

in France since 1999. Since 2020, he is the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Early life

Antoine de Rochebrune was born on February 18, 1964 in Floirac, Grenoble, France. His father was Pierre de Rochebrune and his mother, Monique de Béjarry. De Rochebrune graduated from the

Grenoble Institute of Technology The Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP) (''Institut polytechnique de Grenoble'', ''Groupe Grenoble INP'' and before INPG) is a French technological university system consisting of eight engineering and management schools. Grenoble INP ...

, where he became an engineer in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

in 1986. He went on to receive a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the same institution four years later, in 1990. He earned a second doctorate in

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

from the

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Pontifical University of the Holy Cross ( la, Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis, it, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce) is a Roman Catholic university under the Curial Congregation for Catholic Education, now entrusted to the Prela ...

in 1996. His PhD thesis was called ''Le munus sanctificandi des évêques selon Lumen gentium 26''.

Career

De Rochebrune worked as a mechanical engineer for Merlin Gérin (now

Schneider Electric Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation ...

) from 1987 to 1990. De Rochebrune was ordained as an Opus Dei priest on September 15, 1996 in Rome. He was a youth

almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

in Paris from 1996 to 1999. He was appointed as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

on March 6, 2006. He has served as the vicar, or representative, of Opus Dei in France since 1999. De Rochebrune published a book about the Opus Dei in 2016. He is the

since 2020.

Works

References

1964 births Living people People from Gironde Grenoble Institute of Technology alumni Pontifical University of the Holy Cross alumni French mechanical engineers French Roman Catholic priests Opus Dei leaders {{France-reli-bio-stub