Jean-Marie de Lamennais
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Jean-Marie Robert de La Mennais,
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(or de Lamennais; 1780–1860) was a
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...
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priest and brother of the philosopher Felicité Robert de Lamennais, whom he influenced in their youth. He was a leading figure in the revival of the
Catholic Church in France , native_name_lang = fr , image = 060806-France-Paris-Notre Dame.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris , abbreviation = , type ...
after the
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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, involved in founding three
religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...
s as part of this effort.
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
proclaimed him 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 ...
in 1966 and his cause of
canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...
is ongoing.


Life


Early life

Jean-Marie wwwwas born at
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
, then in the ancient Province of
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, on 8 September 1780, in . He is one of the sons of Robert de Lamennais, a wealthy merchant who had recently received a coat of arms from the king, and Marie des Saudrais. He was five years old when his mother died, and as a result, he and his younger brother were sent for education to an uncle, Robert des Saudrais, at La Chênaie, an estate near Saint-Malo. During the period of the Revolution, the family sheltered non-juring priests who would lead
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
secretly in their home in the middle of the night. Jean-Marie began to express an interest in priesthood. In October 1790 he made 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 ...
and received
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from Gabriel Cortois de Pressigny, the last
Bishop of Saint-Malo The former Breton and French Catholic Diocese of Saint-Malo ( la, Dioecesis Alethensis, then la, Dioecesis Macloviensis, label=none) existed from at least the 7th century until the French Revolution. Its seat was at Aleth up to some point in the ...
, who went into exile the following May. The
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
came to Brittany in December 1793. Their father Robert was arrested and barely escaped the
guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...
. Soon after he had returned from exile, Bishop Cortois de Pressigny installed Lamennais as a
subdeacon Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...
on 21 December 1801 at the chapel of the
Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they t ...
in Paris. The following year Lamennais helped the former
rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of a secondary school previously run by the church, closed by the Revolution, to re-open the institution. To house the revived school, he and his brother, Hugues-Felicité purchased a former hospital. 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 ...
a
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
at the Cathedral of Rennes on 24 September 1803 by Bishop Jean-Baptiste-Marie de Maille,
Bishop of Rennes The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rhedonensis, Dolensis et Sancti Maclovii''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo''; br, Arc'heskopti Roazhon, Dol ha Sant-Maloù) is a dioces ...
.


Pastor and author

Lamennais was ordained a priest by de Maille on 4 May 1804,Houssay, Yannick. "Jean-Marie de Lamennais", Église catholique en France
/ref> and was quickly named
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 ...
of the diocese for the region of Saint-Malo, based at the former
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of the local
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
there which had been suppressed under the recent
Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation b ...
with the Holy See. In 1807, upon the death of the rector, the College of Saint-Malo was converted into a
minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...
and the Lamennais brothers both joined the faculty of the school. Together the brothers wrote two major works, ''Reflections on the State of the Church in France in the 18th century and Its Current Situation'' and ''The Tradition of the Church on the Institution of Bishops'', which they published anonymously in Paris in 1808. The books urged a religious revival in the nation with an active role by the clergy. They defended the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
as the true authority over the Catholic Church in France. The government of the Emperor
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
judged the ideas of the books dangerous and banned their further printing. The following year they published a translation of the work of the noted 16th-century spiritual writer, the
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
Louis de Blois Louis de Blois, O.S.B., (October 1506 – 7 January 1566) was a Flemish monk and mystical writer, generally known under the name of Blosius. Life Louis was born at the château of Donstienne, near Liège, of an illustrious family to which sever ...
. In 1810 Lamennais was named a canon of the cathedral of Rennes. The seminary which he had helped to found, however, was closed in 1812 due to an imperial decree of the previous year affecting church instruction in the Empire. He was then appointed by the Bishop of Saint-Brieuc,
Jean-Baptiste de Caffarelli du Falga Jean-Baptiste de Caffarelli du Falga (1 April 1763 at château du Falga – 11 January 1815) was a French churchman from a noble family with origins in Ferrara who had come to France during the reign of Louis XIII in the train of the Papal Nun ...
, as
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
for the diocese. At the same time, the family business had suffered from the blockade of France, enforced by Great Britain as part of the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, to such an extent that it went bankrupt and he was required to oversee the legal process of the liquidation of the family estate. Upon the death of Caffarelli in January 1815, Lamennais was elected as the vicar of the
cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...
, placing the administration of the diocese in his hands. He immediately became active in supporting the faith of the people of the diocese, supporting the re-establishment of religious communities and schools, and reforming the
seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
of the region. He led parish missions throughout the diocese. After the arrival of a new bishop for Saint-Brieuc in October 1819, Lamennais was appointed as vicar general of that diocese.Dégert, Antoine. "Jean-Marie-Robert de Lamennais." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 20 November 2015
He was also appointed as vicar of the
Grand Almoner of France {{other uses, Almoner The Grand Almoner of France (french: Grand aumônier de France) was an officer of the French monarchy and a member of the ''Maison du Roi'' ("King's Household") during the ''Ancien Régime''. He directed the religious branch of ...
, in charge of charitable works throughout the nation. Lamennais threw himself tirelessly into the work required of him. In addition to his holding the office of Vicar General for Saint-Brieuc, the Bishop of Rennes, his canonical superior, appointed him simultaneously to that same office for his own diocese. In addition to these other duties, he took an active role in the founding of the Congregation of St. Peter, dedicated to the administration of the diocesan seminary and of parish missions, having to act as its
Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...
for a brief period. One prelate, Bishop
John Dubois John Dubois (french: Jean Dubois) served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York from 1826 until his death in 1842. He was the first Bishop of New York who was not Irish-born and, as of 2021, remains the only Bishop or Archbi ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, was so impressed by Lamennais' dedication and capability after receiving help from him, that he appointed him vicar general for his own diocese in the United States.


Founder

As he carried out his ministry, Lamennais became aware of a great problem of
juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...
among the children of the
working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
, especially among the Breton population, who frequently had no access to education. He became convinced that education was a major means to combat this problem and sought to find a way to provide teachers to the rural population of the region. For this, he worked in the establishment of two
religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...
s in the region.


Daughters of Providence

In November 1816, under the guidance of Lamennais, three young women formed a religious community dedicated to the education of the local youth and the care of orphans. The women were allowed to make private
vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedd ...
s on Christmas Day 1818, and, after doing a
canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
, they made
religious profession In the Catholic Church, a religious profession is the solemn admission of men or women into consecrated life by means of the pronouncement of religious vows, typically the evangelical counsels. Usage The 1983 Code of Canon Law defines the te ...
on the
Feast of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...
15 August 1819 and were formally established as a congregation of religious sisters in 1821 called the Daughters of Providence. Their
motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...
is in Rennes.


Brothers of Christian Instruction

Lamennais was also concerned about the needs of the young boys in his diocese, and sought teachers for them. He initially sought the help of the
Brothers of the Christian Schools french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...
, founded by
John Baptist de la Salle Jean-Baptiste de La Salle () (; 30 April 1651 – 7 April 1719) was a French priest, educational reformer, and founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He is a saint of the Catholic Church and the patron saint for t ...
to educate poor boys. He was stymied, however, as the regulations of those Brothers forbade their working alone, while the mission he envisioned often needed only one teacher for an isolated location with a small student population. He began to recruit young men he found working in the fields whom he considered capable of learning. He brought them into his own home and provided them a basic education. Lamennais learned of the establishment of a small group of religious Bbrothers by Gabriel Deshayes (1767-1841), pastor of
Auray Auray (; br, An Alre, or simply ) is a commune in the Morbihan department, administrative region of Brittany, northwestern France. Inhabitants of Auray are called ''Alréens'' (French) and ''Alreiz'' (Breton). Geography The city is surrounde ...
and
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of the
Diocese of Vannes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vannes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Venetensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Vannes'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 5th century, the Episcopal see is Vannes Cathedral in ...
. They agreed to cooperate and, to this end, they signed an agreement on 6 June 1819 to provide their people teachers of "solid piety". With the arrival of the new bishop, Lamennais was able to direct more of his energies to this project. In response to this, the two priests began to recruit men to commit themselves to this life as part of a religious community. The first recruits received their
canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
training from the Brothers of the Christian Schools. They then made a
spiritual retreat The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities. In Hinduism and Buddhism, meditative retreats are ...
at Auray, at the end of which, on 15 September 1820, they took
religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...
, through which the institute became formally established as the
Brothers of Christian Instruction The Brothers of Christian Instruction ( la, Institutum Fratrum Instructionis Christianae de Ploërmel, F.I.C.P.''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1499.), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a Catholic educational organization founded in 1819 by G ...
. The community was successful and began to grow. Deshayes obtained a house in
Ploërmel Church Saint-Armel Ploërmel (; ; Gallo language: ''Pieurmè'') is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Monterrein was merged into Ploërmel. Character of the town The to ...
, which became their
motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...
in 1824.


Missionaries of Rennes

As part of his effort at the renewal of theological education for the local clergy and the spiritual life of the people of the diocese, Lamennais gathered a group of men to work in these ministries, both clergy and laymen, which was based at
Saint-Méen Saint-Méen () is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Méen are called in French ''Mévennais''. See also *Communes of the Finistère department *Roland Doré sculptor ...
, who were called the Missionaries of Rennes. Soon after this, disillusioned with the failure of his vision, his brother Félicité withdrew to the family estate of La Chênaie. Joined by a group of his supporters, there they formed a religious community called the Society of St. Peter. Soon the men recruited by Jean-Marie asked to be incorporated into that community. The community was then allowed to make
religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...
by the Bishop of Rennes and became the Congregation of St. Peter. A seminary was opened at
Malestroit Malestroit (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western Francebr>INSEE commune fileThe town is on the river Oust and part of the Nantes-Brest canal. It has several half-timbered houses. Twinning Malestroit, whose i ...
, located near the Brothers' Motherhouse at Ploërmel. Félicité remained at La Chênaie and taught the younger members of the new congregation and worked to spell out the ideas of his long-cherished project of forming a community of priests thoroughly equipped for the pressing needs he foresaw for the future of the Catholic Church in France. By 1829, however, Félicité had withdrawn from all involvement in the church, at which point Jean-Marie was appointed by the bishop as the superior general of the small congregation. The members of the congregation still at the estate left for the seminary, and the congregation became one exclusively composed of clergy, taking the formal name of Mission Priests of the Immaculate Conception. At the time of Lamennais' death, there were some 200 members living in nine communities. It ceased to exist with the dissociation of religious orders in France.


Death

After the death of Deshayes, Lamennais became the full-time superior of the brothers and lived at the motherhouse. By the time of his death in December 1860, the brothers had 852 members serving throughout France and its far flung colonies in the world, from
French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
to Senegal.


Legacy

The Brothers of Christian Instruction have expanded their service throughout the world. As of the early 21st century, they had schools in Europe, Africa, North and South America and in Asia. In 1897 the Sisters established their first overseas mission in Canada, later followed by a school in England in 1903.


References


Brothers' Former Juniorate in England - St Edward's College, Cheswardine


Bibliography

* Dégert, A. (1910)

in The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamennais, Jean-Marie-Robert de 1780 births 1860 deaths Clergy from Saint-Malo French untitled nobility French Roman Catholic writers Breton Roman Catholic priests 19th-century French Roman Catholic priests Founders of Catholic religious communities French male non-fiction writers 19th-century venerated Christians