Jean-Baptiste Muard, OSB (1809 – 1854) was a French

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

, reformer, and founder of religious orders.

Biography

Jean-Baptiste Muard was born, the eldest of three sons, on April 29, 1809 in

Vireaux Vireaux () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. Notable people * Jean-Baptiste Muard (1809 - 1854), French Benedictine, reformer, and founder of religious orders, was born in Vireaux.Brullee, ...

to Claude and Catherine Paillot Muard. As a boy he was mentored by the local curé of Pacy-sur-Armançon, M. Rolley, who sponsored him at the Petit Séminaire of

Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...

, which he entered in September 1823. During vacations, Muard and some of his schoolmates would make a pilgrimage on foot to a shrine of Sainte Reine not far from Vireaux.''The Life of Jean-Baptiste Muard'', London, Burns & Oates, 1886
/ref> He completed his studies, but the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

of 1830 caused the seminary to close early and the students returned home. That October Muard entered the Grand Séminaire at

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

and was saddened to discover that, due to the political turmoil, a number of his classmates had reconsidered the advisability of a clerical career at that time. He received the diaconate on December 21, 1833 and was ordained May 4, 1834. After a months visit home, during which he assisted Abbé Rolley, he was appointed curé of Joux-la-Ville. In addition to his pastoral duties, he also began to give instruction to some of the boys, just as Abbé Rolley had taught him. Although Muard wished to apply for the Foreign Missions, he was then posted to the Church of St. Martin in

Avallon Avallon () is a commune in the Burgundian department of Yonne, in France. Name Avallon, Latin ''Aballō'', ablative ''Aballone'', is ultimately derived from Gaulish ''*Aballū'', oblique ''*Aballon-'' meaning "Apple-tree (place)" or "(plac ...

to fill a vacancy due to the death of the resident curé. As a favor to a neighboring pastor, he preached a mission in Pontaubert during Advent 1839. It proved so successful, that he began to focus on the potential for Diocesan Missions. Convinced that he should pursue this new direction, he and Abbé Bravard, an associate from the Cathedral at Sens, with the permission of the bishop, commenced a novitiate with the Marist Fathers at Lyon. However, during his time there Muard had occasion to visit

John Vianney John Vianney (born Jean-Marie Vianney and later Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest often referred to as the ''Curé d'Ars'' ("the parish priest of Ars"). He is known ...

, the revered Curé d'Ars, who advised him not to join the Marists, but to return to his diocese and conduct diocesan missions. From there, in June of 1841, he made a pilgrimage to Rome and to seek the approval of

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

. He founded the French province of the Cassinese Congregation of the Primitive Observance and the Society of Saint Edmund in 1843. In 1850, Jean-Baptiste Muard founded the monastery of Sainte Marie de la Pierre-qui-VireSee :fr:Abbaye de la Pierre-Qui-Vire. in the

Morvan The Morvan (; historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or esc ...

Sainthood cause

The cause for Muard's beatification was formally opened on 11 May 1928, granting him 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 ...

References

Sources

*Brullee, ''Vie de P. Muard'' (Paris, 1855), tr. Robot, 1882 *Thompson, ''Life of P. Muard'' (London, 1886
Online text
*Denis Huerre (1994), ''Petite vie de Jean-Baptiste Muard''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muard, Jean-Baptiste 1809 births 1854 deaths French Benedictines French Servants of God Society of St. Edmund