Father René Laurentin (; October 19, 1917 – September 10, 2017) was a French theologian. He is widely recognized as "one of the world’s foremost students" of
Mariology[ and is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles on topics including Marian apparitions such as Lourdes and ]Medjugorje
Medjugorje ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Međugorje, Међугорје, ) is a town located in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, about southwest of Mostar and east of the border with Croatia. The town is part of the Čitluk municipality ...
; visionaries and mystics including Bernadette Soubirous
Bernadette Soubirous (; ; oc, Bernadeta Sobirós ; 7 January 184416 April 1879), also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, was the firstborn daughter of a miller from Lourdes (''Lorda'' in Occitan), in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées in ...
, Thérèse de Lisieux, Catherine Labouré, and Yvonne Aimée de Malestroit; as well as biblical exegesis, theology, and Vatican II.["Guide to the Father René Laurentin collection 1948-2003", International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton]
/ref>
Life
Laurentin was born October 19, 1917 in Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
, France, to Marie Jactel and Maurice Laurentin, an architect.[ He is the brother of journalist Gregoire Laurentin.
Laurentin attended secondary school at Sainte-Marie de Cholet. In 1934 he entered the Carmelite Seminary at the ]Catholic University of Paris
The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France.
History: 1875–present
The Institut Catholiq ...
. A student of neo-Thomist philosopher Jacques Maritain
Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas fo ...
, Laurentin also studied at the Sorbonne. In 1938 he obtained two degrees: a Licentiate of Philosophy with a focus on the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
and a Licentiate of Letters - Philosophy from the Sorbonne. Called to serve in the French army during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was taken as a prisoner of war in Belgium in May 1940 and spent five years in detention at Oflag 4D in Germany.[Smith, Harrison, "René Laurentin, Catholic scholar who studied visions of Mary, dies at 99", ''The Washington Post'', September 18, 2017]
/ref> After his return, he was ordained to the priesthood on December 8, 1946. He went on to obtain a Doctor of Letters from the Sorbonne in 1952 and a Doctor of Theology from the Institute Catholique in 1953 (cum laude singulari prorsus).[
]
Teaching and Research
In 1955, Laurentin was nominated to serve in the Pontifical International Marian Academy (l'Académie pontificale mariale internationale). Also in 1955, he was appointed Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of Angers. In the early 1960s he served as a consultant to the Preparatory Theological Commission of the Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
on parts of the Marian doctrine in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.[ He also served as a correspondent for ]Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...
, where he contributed editorials on the council and the election of 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 ...
.
In 1981 the Vatican authorized Laurentin to study the writings of Yvonne Aimée de Malestroit (Yvonne Beauvais) who was under consideration by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Laurentin has served on the theology faculty at the University of Florence and the University of Milan and has served as a visiting professor at several universities in Europe and North America. From the 1970s through the early 2000s, he taught courses at the International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
.[Harris, Kayla. "Father Ren? Laurentin and the Marian Library", Marian Library, University of Dayton]
/ref> Laurentin also served as Vice President of the French Mariological Society (Société française d’études mariales) from 1962 to 1997.[
Laurentin was a strong promoter of the purported apparitions at Medjugorje, which brought him into conflict with the local bishop. He was also a supporter of Vassula Ryden.]
news bulletin published online on June 4, 2016 by Catholic News Agency
Laurentin died on September 10, 2017, at the age of ninety-nine in Évry, a suburb of Paris.
/ref>
Publications
Laurentin is widely recognized as an expert in the field of Mariology and is the author of over 150 books[ six volumes of which focused on Lourdes.][ His writings, translated in many languages, cover a range of topics on Marian apparitions including Lourdes and Medjugorje; visionaries and mystics including Bernadette Soubirous, Thérèse de Lisieux, Catherine Labouré, and YvonneAimée de Malestroit; as well as biblical exegesis, theology, and Vatican II.
]
Awards
Laurentin has received various awards and distinctions including the Marian Award of 1963 from the University of Dayton (1964), the Wlodzimierz Pietrzak Literary Award (1974), Italy's National Catholic Culture Award (1996), Officer of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
(2002), and many other awards for his writing and contributions to Catholicism and Mariology.[
]
References
External links
Guide to the Father Rene Laurentin collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurentin, Rene
1917 births
2017 deaths
Clergy from Tours, France
20th-century French Roman Catholic priests
Catholic Mariology
Roman Catholic writers
University of Paris alumni
Academic staff of the Catholic University of the West
Winners of the Prix Broquette-Gonin (literature)
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
French prisoners of war in World War II
Writers from Tours, France