Saint André-Hubert
Fournet
Curé, fondateur des
Filles de la Croix (+ 1834)
Le diocèse de Poitiers
célèbre un "petit curé" qui fut nommé dans son village natal. Par
fidélité à l'Église catholique romaine, il refusa de prêter le serment
constitutionnel exigé par la Révolution française. Il dut vivre dans la
clandestinité durant les sombres années de la Terreur. Il fonda ensuite,
avec sainte
Jeanne-Elisabeth Bichier des Ages, la congrégation des Filles de la
Croix, qui se dévouent à l'éducation chrétienne des enfants et aux soins des
malades pauvres.
André-Hubert Fournet
(1752, Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé - 1834, La Puye) - La rencontre d'un pauvre sur
l'escalier de son presbytère de Maillé transforme sa vie. Il s'exile en Espagne
durant la Révolution. Revenu en 1797, il célèbre des messes clandestines,
notamment aux Petits Marsillys où il rencontre Elisabeth Bichier des Ages qui
fonde avec lui les Filles de la Croix. Il est canonisé en 1933. (diocèse
de Poitiers)
À La Puye en Poitou, l’an
1834, saint André-Hubert Fournet, prêtre. Curé de paroisse au temps de la
Révolution française, bien que proscrit, il affermit les fidèles dans la foi,
puis, quand la paix fut rendue à l’Église, il fonda, avec sainte Élisabeth Bichier
des Ages, l’Institut des Filles de la Croix.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1146/Saint-Andre-Hubert-Fournet.html
Saint André-Hubert
Fournet
Fondateur des Filles de
la Croix (1732 - 1834) - Canonisé en 1933
Enfance d'André-Hubert
Fournet
André-Hubert est le 9ème d’une famille de 10 enfants.
Il grandit dans l’amour de ses parents et de ses frères et sœurs.
Enfant insouciant, rieur, exubérant, il préfère le jeu au travail.
Pensionnaire au collège de Châtellerault, il est aimé de tous ses camarades pour son joyeux entrain et sa franchise.
Première institutrice d’André-Hubert, sa mère est étonnée par l’exubérance de
son enfant mais elle connaît aussi son cœur et son grand fond de tendresse.
« Un jour, mon bon André,
tu seras prêtre. Tu monteras à l’autel et tu prieras pour ta mère ».
Sa mère a semé et puis, elle a laissé toute la place à Dieu.
Dieu ne semble pas pressé … Pas plus qu’André-Hubert qui écrit, à la 1ère page
d’un de ses livres : « Ce livre appartient à André-Hubert, bon garçon, qui ne
sera jamais ni moine, ni prêtre »…
Dieu travaille avec le
temps …
André-Hubert aime bien la
vie
Après ses études classiques, il étudie le droit pendant un an. Il écrit si mal qu’il ne peut prétendre à la magistrature..
Sans consulter personne, il s’engage dans l’armée. Un jour, dans son costume
militaire, il se présente chez son oncle, curé de Saint Pierre de Maillé.
L’accueil est sec :
« Votre visite se trompe d’adresse ….. Je n’ai pas de neveu dans l’état
militaire »….
Où aller ? … Une porte lui est toujours ouverte : celle du cœur de sa mère. Madame Fournet dirige son fils vers un de ses oncles, curé à Haims, dans la Vienne.
Cet oncle est silencieux, austère, méditatif. Haims est une rude et triste campagne.
Dans cette nature solitaire, André-Hubert réfléchit, prie.
A 22 ans, il décide de rentrer au séminaire et d’être prêtre.
D’abord vicaire, André-Hubert est ensuite nommé curé à Saint Pierre de Maillé. C’est un bon prêtre, mais il aime bien recevoir avec un certain luxe ses confrères et ses amis.
Un jour, Monsieur le Curé attend du monde. Sa table est richement préparée. La porte de la salle à manger au 1er étage du presbytère, est ouverte pour l’accueil.
Dans l’escalier, un bruit de pas…. André-Hubert va joyeusement au devant de son hôte …
Surprise ! … C’est un mendiant qui demande l’aumône. Monsieur le Curé est
embarrassé :
« Je n’ai pas d’argent ….
»
« Comment ? … pas d’argent ? … réplique le pauvre … et votre table en est
couverte »
La parole du mendiant est pour André-Hubert, Parole de Jésus-Christ.
Il pleure longuement, prosterné sur les dalles de l’église. Par la parole du mendiant, Jésus Christ est entré dans son cœur .
Ardent et généreux, André-Hubert a eu le courage de la conversion.
1789 … La Révolution
éclate en France …..
Le serment constitutionnel est exigé des prêtres.
André-Hubert refuse de prêter serment à la Constitution Civile du Clergé. Il est désormais, prêtre errant, sans paroisse, sans église, sans demeure. Il doit se cacher. Sa vie est en danger.
Confiant en la Providence, Il décide de partir… il prend le chemin de l’exil vers l’Espagne.
L’Espagne accueille le prêtre français, le fugitif.
De 1792 à 1797, André-Hubert est réfugié à Los Arcos, petite ville de Navarre. Mais …ses paroissiens de Saint Pierre de Maillé délaissés lui manquent … Il entend leur voix. Alors, il décide de revenir, seul, en France.
En France, ce n’est pas l’accalmie espérée. Les prêtres réfractaires sont, à nouveau, en danger. Les temps sont difficiles.
C’est encore l’ère des catacombes ! Mais notre Pasteur est
courageux. André-Hubert célèbre l’Eucharistie clandestinement, tantôt
dans un endroit, tantôt dans un autre, par prudence.
Rencontre avec Elisabeth
Bichier des Ages
Une nuit, dans une pauvre grange, mal éclairée, une jeune demoiselle entre. C’est Elisabeth Bichier des Ages, châtelaine des environs. Dans cette assemblée de paysans, de métayers, elle fait sensation. On s’écarte pour la laisser passer.
Le prêtre intervient vivement :
« Croyez-vous,
Mademoiselle, que je vais laisser, pour vous entendre, ces mères de famille,
ces pauvres paysans venus de plusieurs lieues ? » …
Humblement, la jeune
fille répond :
« Mon Père, j’attendrai …
Il suffira que vous consentiez à m’entendre … après eux … » et elle
attendit de longues heures …
Dans cette grange dite des Marsyllis, Elisabeth trouve le conseiller spirituel que sa prière demandait à Dieu.
André-Hubert voit dans Elisabeth une âme d’une beauté peu commune.
Leur première rencontre fut décisive. Elle est à l’origine de la Congrégation
des Filles de la Croix dont André-Hubert et Elisabeth sont les Fondateurs.
Le Bon Père
En France, des jours meilleurs se lèvent. En 1801 André-Hubert revient à Maillé et en 1802, il rentre à nouveau dans son presbytère.
Sa paroisse est une famille.
Dans tous les foyers, on l’appelle « le Bon Père ». Ses paroissiens, il les connaît tous. Il les aime et en est aimé.
André-Hubert, un bâtisseur, un rassembleur …
Au lendemain de la Révolution, il veut faire instruire les enfants et soigner les malades. Il confie cette mission à Elisabeth, la jeune châtelaine qu’il a rencontrée à la grange des Marsyllis. Autour d’Elisabeth, une petite communauté naît.
André-Hubert devient le formateur spirituel et apostolique de cette nouvelle
famille qui prendra le nom de « Filles de la Croix ».
Après 40 ans de ministère paroissial, le Bon Père André quitte Maillé pour se consacrer à la Congrégation des Filles de la Croix qui désormais demeure dans un ancien couvent de Fontevristes à LA PUYE.
Jusque dans sa vieillesse, le Bon Père a gardé un air de simplicité, d’humilité. Au soleil de l’Amour de Dieu, la transfiguration de son être se poursuit.
Le 13 mai 1834, André-Hubert ouvre ses yeux au Soleil sans déclin.
SOURCE : http://www.fillesdelacroix.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=469
Also
known as
Andrew Hubert Fournet
Andrea Uberto Fournet
Profile
Andrew had a strong
religious upbringing, nagged by his mother to
become a priest.
Andrew resisted, and tried to study at Poitiers,
but began leading a wild life. Out of school,
his mother convinced
him to stay with his uncle, a priest.
The uncle’s good example so moved Andrew that he turned his life around,
returned to his studies, and felt the call to a vocation. Parish priest,
assigned to Maille, France.
During the French
Revolution, Andrew refused to take an oath that renounced the Church.
He fled to Spain 1792 for
five years, then returned to his parish,
and was protected by his flock, celebrating the sacraments in secret. Andrew
and Saint Jeanne
Elizabeth Bichier des Ages, a local holy woman,
founded the Sisters of the Cross (Sisters of Saint Andrew).
Born
6
December 1752 at
Maille, France
Died
13 May 1834 at
La Puye, Vienne, France of
natural causes
10 July 1921 by Pope Benedict
XV (decree of heroic
virtues)
Sisters of the Cross
(Sisters of Saint Andrew)
Additional
Information
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of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
The
Holiness of the Church in the 19th Century
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MLA
Citation
“Saint André-Hubert
Fournet“. CatholicSaints.Info. 12 May 2021. Web. 13 May 2022. <http://catholicsaints.info/saint-andre-hubert-fournet/>
SOURCE : http://catholicsaints.info/saint-andre-hubert-fournet/
Andrew Hubert Fournet,
Founder (RM)
Born in Maillé (near
Poitiers), France, on December 6, 1752; died at La Puye, France, on May 13,
1834; beatified in 1926; canonized in 1933; feast day formerly on May 13.
Instead of honoring his
mother's desire for him to be a priest, Andrew's early life was devoted to
frivolity. He was bored by religion, and apparently by life in general. As a
student of law and philosophy at the university at Poitiers, he was idle and simply
enjoyed himself. He did not even learn to write properly. After failing at
several jobs, his parents sent him to live with an uncle who was a priest in a
very poor parish.
Inspired by his uncle's
work, he became a protector of the poor, returned to his native town, studied
theology, was ordained, and became his uncle's assistant. Then he was appointed
as parish priest to his home town church at Maillé. He completely changed his
comfortable lifestyle and exchanged it for one of austerity and simplicity.
During the French
Revolution he refused to take the oath of civil constitution of the clergy and
was asked by his bishop to go to Spain for his own safety. He lived there five
years but, ashamed by his lack of courage, he clandestinely returned to his flock
in 1797 and remained at the risk of his life.
On one occasion he was
forced to evade the bailiffs by impersonating a corpse. He leapt onto a bed,
the lady of the house covered him with a sheet, surrounded him by mourning
women and candles, and they deceived the authorities. Another time he was saved
by a canny woman, who, when bailiffs came into the room, boxed him on the ears,
chided him for not rising at their entrance, and angrily sent him out the back
door. He commented later that she hit him so hard that he saw stars.
Once Andrew was in fact
captured by the authorities on Good Friday, 1792. They put him in a carriage to
take him to prison. The saint, insisting on walking, for he observed:
"From the day that Jesus Christ carried his cross it has behooved his
followers to travel on foot."
When Napoleon allowed the
church back openly into France after the revolution (1807), Andrew was once
again officially the parish priest at Maillé. He labored as a missionary,
preacher, and confessor, and with Saint Elizabeth (Agnes) Bichier (f.d. August
26) founded the congregation of the Daughters of the Cross, dedicated to
nursing and teaching. Andrew retired from his parish in 1820, but continued to
direct the sisters until his death, at which time the order had over sixty
convents in Poitou. Prayers to Saint Andrew were said to have miraculously
increased food supplies for the nuns and their charges when they were in need
(Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, White).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0516.shtml
Daughters of the Holy
Cross
(Also called the Sisters
of St. Andrew).
The aim of this
congregation is to instruct poor country girls, to provide refuges
for the young exposed to temptation, to prepare the sick for death, and to
care for churches. The sisters make yearly vows for
five years, after which the vows are
perpetual. The congregation, which is subject to diocesan control,
was established at Guinnetiere, near Béthines, in the Diocese of
Vienne, France,
in 1806. In Dec., 1811, the mother-house was erected at Maillé, and six
years later the constitutions were approved by Mgr. de Beauregard, Bishop of Montauban.
Government recognition was granted in 1819 and renewed in 1826. In 1820 the
foundress purchased the ancient abbey at
La Puye, which then became the headquarters of the institute. In 1839 Pius
VIII granted many indulgences and spiritual favours
to the members. The establishment of a branch at Issy, near Paris,
in 1817 under the protection of the royal family, helped to develop the
congregation, which spread rapidly, and foundations were made at Parma in
1851 under ducal patronage, and at Rome in
1856. At the time of the dispersion of the French orders in
1905, the Sisters of St. Andrew had 400 houses in France,
9 in Italy,
and 9 in Spain,
with a membership of over 3000 nuns.
The two founders of the congregation
were: André-Hubert Fournet, Vicar-General of Poitiers,
b. at Maillé on 6 Dec., 1752; educated at
Chatelleraud and Poitiers; ordained 1778;
who died at La Puye on 13 May, 1834; and
Jeanne-Marie-Elizabeth-Lucie Bichier des Ages, born near
Le Blanc, Indre, on 3 July, 1772; she had been a prisoner for
the Faith during the Revolution,
and died at La Puye on 26 Aug., 1838.
[Note: Andrew
Fournet was canonized by
Pope Pius XI in 1933, Elizabeth Bichier des Ages by Pope Pius XII in 1947.]
Sources
HEIMBUCHER, Die
Orden und Kongregationen, III (Paderborn, 1908), 380; HELYOT, Dict. des
ordres religieux, IV (Paris, 1859), 342-64.
MacErlean, Andrew.
"Daughters of the Holy Cross." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 16
(Index). New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1914. 16 May 2015
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16031b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Herman F. Holbrook. Per crucem
et passionem tuam, libera nos, Domine.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1914. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16031b.htm
The
Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth Century – Venerable Andrew Hubert
Fournet
The Venerable Andrew Hubert Fournet was likewise
distinguished by his great charity. He first studied law, but
afterward became a priest. The French Revolution offered him an occasion of
proving his strong faith. Refusing the oath of the Constitution he was obliged
to flee into Spain. Later he returned secretly to his parish of Maille near
Montmorillon and, although a price had been put upon his head, courageously
attended to his priestly duties. Assisted by the Venerable Elizabeth Bichier
des Ages, he founded in 1806 a society of women, the Sisters of the Cross
of Saint Andrew, for the care of the sick and the instruction of children.
God’s blessing rested visibly upon the foundation, which numbered nearly
twenty-five hundred Sisters in 1880. The founder died on 13 May 1834, while
vicar-general of Poitiers. The process of his beatification was begun in 1877.
– this text is taken
from The Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth
Century: Saintly Men and Women of Our Own Times, by Father
Constantine Kempf, SJ; translated from the German by Father Francis Breymann,
SJ; Impimatur by + Cardinal John Farley, Archbishop of New York, 25 September
1916
Saint André-Hubert Fournet
Founder of the Sisters of the Cross (1752-1834) -
Canonized in 1933
Childhood of
André-Hubert Fournet
André-Hubert is the
9th of a family of 10 children. He grew up surrounded by the love of his
parents and siblings.
A carefree child,
laughing, exuberant, he prefers play to work.
A resident at
the Châtellerault Secondary School, he is loved by all his classmates
for his joyful drive and frankness.
André-Hubert's first teacher,
his mother, was surprised by her child's exuberance but she also knew
his heart and his great tenderness.
"One day, my good André, you
will be a priest. You will go up to the altar and pray for your mother.”
Her
mother planted the idea and then she left all the space to
God. God does not seem in a hurry... nor does André-Hubert, who
writes on the first page of one of his books: "This book belongs to
André-Hubert, a good boy, who will never be a monk or a priest".
God works with
time...
André-Hubert likes
life
After his classical
studies, he studied law for one year. His writing is so bad that
he cannot qualify to become a lawyer.
Without consulting
anyone, he joined the army. One day, in his military uniform, he went to
his uncle's house, the priest of Saint-Pierre de Maillé.
The reception
is cold:
"Your visit is at
the wrong address! I don't have a nephew in the military
service".
Where to go? A door is
always open to him: that of his mother's heart.
Madame Fournet directs her son to one of his uncles, a priest
in Haims, in the Vienne region.
This uncle
is reserved, austere, meditative. Haims is a harsh and sad
countryside.
In this
solitary environment, André-Hubert reflects, prays.
At 22, he decides to enter the seminary
and become a priest.
First assistant
priest, André-Hubert was then appointed parish priest at Saint-Pierre
de Maillé. He is a good priest, but he likes to receive his confreres and
friends with a certain luxury.
One day, the parish
priest expects company. His table is richly prepared. The door of the
dining room on the 1st floor of the rectory is open for the
reception.
On the stairs, a sound of footsteps… André-Hubert
happily goes to greet his guest.
Surprise! Surprise! ...
It's a beggar asking for alms. The priest is embarrassed:
"I have no money...
»
"What! No
money…" replied the poor man. “Your table is covered with it!”
The beggar’s words are for André-Hubert, the Word
of Jesus Christ.
He cries for a long time,
prostrated on the flagstones of the church. Through the beggar's
words, Jesus Christ entered his heart.
Passionate and
generous, André-Hubert had the courage to convert.
1789 - The Revolution breaks out in France
The constitutional oath
is required of priests.
André-Hubert refuses to
take the oath of office in the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. He is now a
wandering priest, without a parish, without a church, without a home. He
must stay in hiding. His life is in danger.
Confident in Providence,
he decides to leave, taking the path of exile to Spain.
Spain welcomes the French
priest, the fugitive.
From 1792 to 1797, André-Hubert takes refuge in
Los Arcos, a small town in Navarre. But he misses his
abandoned parishioners of Saint-Pierre de Maillé. He hears their voices.
So, he decides to come back to France, alone.
In France, it is not the
expected calm. Refractory priests are, once again, in danger. These are
difficult times.
It is still the
era of catacombs! But our Pastor is brave. As a
precaution, André-Hubert celebrates the Eucharist clandestinely, sometimes
in one place, sometimes in another.
Meeting with Elisabeth Bichier des
Ages
One night, in a poor barn, poorly
lit, a young lady enters. This is Elisabeth Bichier des Ages, a local
chatelaine. In this assembly of peasants and sharecroppers, she is a
sensation. We step aside to let her pass.
The priest intervenes
strongly:
“Do you think,
Mademoiselle, that I will leave, to hear you, these mothers of families, these
poor peasants who came from several leagues? »
Humbly,
the Elisabeth answers:
"Father, I
will wait... All you have to do is agree to hear me after them." and she
waited for long hours.
In this barn known as “Les Marsyllis”,
Elisabeth finds the spiritual advisor that her prayer asked of God.
André-Hubert sees
Elizabeth as a soul of uncommon beauty.
Their first meeting was
decisive. Elisabeth is at the origin of the congregation of
the Sisters of the Cross, of which André-Hubert and Elisabeth are
the co-founders.
The Good Father
In France, better days are dawning. In
1801 André-Hubert returns to Maillé and in
1802, re-establishes himself to his rectory.
His parish is a family.
In all homes, he is
called "the Good Father". He knows all his parishioners. He loves
them and is loved by them.
André-Hubert, a builder,
an assembler...
In the aftermath of
the Revolution, André wanted to educate children and care
for the sick. He entrusts this mission to Elisabeth, the young lady
he met at Les Marsyllis. Around Elisabeth, a small
community is born.
André-Hubert
becomes the spiritual and apostolic leader of this new family,
which would be called the "Sisters of the Cross".
After 40 years of parish ministry, Good Father André
left Maillé to dedicate himself to the Congregation of
the Sisters of the Cross, which now lives in a former convent
of the Fontevristes in La Puye.
Until his old age, the
Good Father kept an expression of simplicity and humility. In
the sun of God's love, the transfiguration of his being continues.
On May 13, 1834,
André-Hubert opened his eyes to the sun without decline.
SOURCE : https://fillesdelacroix.com/main.php?p=123
May
13: St. Andrew Fournet
St. Andrew Fournet was
born on December 6, 1752. He was from Maille, a little town near Poitiers, in
France. Andrew's parents were religious people. Mrs. Fournet had her heart set
on Andrew becoming a priest. The little boy heard this more often than he cared
to. Once he declared, "I'm a good boy, but I'm still not going to be a
priest or monk."
When he grew up, he went
to Poitiers to study college subjects. But that did not last long. He was
having too good of a time. His mother followed him and steered him to good
occupations. But they fell through, one after another. His mother was frantic.
There was only one more possibility. She talked Andrew into going to stay for a
while with his uncle, a priest. His uncle's parish was poor and his uncle was a
holy man. For some unpredictable reason, Andrew agreed. This was God's
"teachable moment."
Andrew's uncle recognized
his nephew's good qualities. His own example sparked something in Andrew and he
settled down. He began to study seriously and to make up for lost time. He was
ordained a priest and was assigned to his uncle's parish. In 1781, he was
transferred to his home parish in Maille. His mother was jubilant. He had
become a caring, prayerful priest.
When the French
Revolution began, St. Andrew refused to take an oath that was against the
Church. He became a hunted man. In 1792, he was forced to flee to Spain. There
he remained for five years. But he worried about his people and went back to
France. The danger was as great as before. Father Fournet was protected by his
flock. He nearly escaped death several times. Meanwhile, he heard confessions,
celebrated the Eucharist, gave the Last Rites.
When the Church was free
again, St. Andrew came out of hiding. He was always inviting his people to love
and serve God. One of the good ladies from the area, St. Elizabeth Bichier des
Ages, helped St. Andrew very much. Together they started an order of sisters
called the Daughters of the Cross. St. Elizabeth's feast day is August 26.
St. Andrew died on May
13, 1834, at the age of eighty-two. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XI
on June 4, 1933.
Reflection: Let us
always ask God to fulfill the good work he has begun in us that we might live
freely and completely.
Sant' Andrea Uberto
Fournet
Maille, Francia, 6
dicembre 1752 - 13 maggio 1834
Nacque a Poitiers, nel
villaggio di Saint-Pierre de Maillé nel 1752. Ordinato sacerdote, fu nominato
prima vicario del villaggio di Haims, dove era parroco uno dei suoi zii
paterni, poi a Saint-Phele de Maillé. Poco tempo dopo successe a un altro zio
nella parrocchia di San Pietro di Maillé. Colpito e turbato dalla voce di un
povero visse una conversione interiore. Durante la rivoluzione francese, avendo
rifiutato il giuramento scismatico, fu parecchie volte sul punto di essere
messo a morte. Privato del beneficio parrocchiale, e cacciato dal suolo
francese, rifugiò in Spagna. Mentre la persecuzione infieriva ancora nella sua
patria egli ritornò segretamente e si tenne nascosto celebrando i sacramenti
per i fedeli. Ridata la pace alla Chiesa ritornò nella sua parrocchia in cui
era tutto da rifare e là con gli esempi mirabili della sua santità acquistò il
titolo di «Buon Padre». Durante questo tempo, per provvedere all'educazione
cristiana delle fanciulle, specialmente delle più povere, fondò la congregazione
delle Figlie della Croce, con Elisabetta Bichier. Nel 1820 il santo si dimise
da parroco e si trasferì nella borgata di La Puye, dove era stabilita la Casa
principale della nuova Congregazione. Morì nel 1834. (Avvenire)
Martirologio
Romano: A Puy-en-Vélay nella regione di Poitiers in Francia, sant’Andrea
Uberto Fournet, sacerdote, che, parroco al tempo della rivoluzione francese,
benché diffidato, confortò i fedeli nella fede; in seguito, restituita la pace
alla Chiesa, fondò insieme a santa Elisabetta Bichier des Âges l’Istituto delle
Figlie della Croce.
antità, giustizia, pietà. Queste tre virtù risplendono mirabilmente in S. Andrea Fournet. Egli nacque a Poitiers, nel villaggio di Saint-Pierre de Maillé l’anno 1752 da pii e agiati genitori. Giunto all’adolescenza, benché propenso per inclinazione naturale ai divertimenti, non mancò mai troppo al suo dovere. Toccato dalla grazia, risolse di consacrarsi a Dio.
Ordinato sacerdote, fu nominato prima vicario del villaggio di Haims, dove era parroco uno dei suoi zii paterni, poi a Saint-Phele de Maillé. Poco tempo dopo successe a un altro zio nella parrocchia di S. Pietro di Maillé.
Conduceva una vita virtuosa, ma comoda, con la madre e la sorella. All’improvviso fu fortemente turbato dalla voce di un povero: elevando da quel momento la sua anima a cose più eccelse, entrò generosamente nella via d’una vita più perfetta, adempiendo più santamente i suoi doveri di parroco, portando ogni cura agli interessi di Dio e delle anime.
Durante la rivoluzione francese, avendo rifiutato coraggiosamente il giuramento scismatico, fu parecchie volte sul punto di essere messo a morte. Privato del beneficio parrocchiale, e cacciato dal suolo francese, rifugiò in Spagna.
Mentre la persecuzione infieriva ancora nella sua patria egli ritornò
segretamente e si tenne nascosto celebrando i Ss. Misteri, e sempre in segreto
amministrando i Sacramenti ai fedeli. Ridata la pace alla Chiesa ritornò nella
sua parrocchia in cui era tutto da rifare e là con gli esempi mirabili della
sua santità si acquistò il titolo di “Buon Padre”. Durante questo tempo, per
provvedere all’educazione cristiana delle fanciulle, specialmente delle più
povere, si occupò della fondazione della congregazione delle Figlie della
Croce, con il concorso di Santa Elisabetta Bichier des Âges (canonizzata il 6
luglio 1947).
Per meglio occuparsi ancora di tale opera, nel 1820 il Santo si dimise da
parroco e si trasferì nella borgata di La Puye, dove era stabilita la Casa
principale della nuova Congregazione.
La fortificò mediante sagge regole, molto atte a favorire ogni virtù nelle sue figlie spirituali, lasciando in retaggio al suo istituto, così benemerito per l’educazione cristiana delle giovani, lo spirito del suo zelo apostolico. Compiuta in tutto la volontà di Dio, si spense serenamente nell’anno 1834.
Autore: Antonio Galuzzi
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/53025
Den hellige Andreas
Hubert Fournet (1752-1834)
Minnedag: 13.
mai
Den hellige Andreas
Hubert Fournet (fr: André-Hubert) ble født den 6. desember 1752 i Maillé
(Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé) i bispedømmet Poitiers i Frankrike. Han kom fra en
relativt velstående familie. Moren ville at han skulle bli prest, men hennes
overdrevne fromhet og insistering virket mot sin hensikt, så gutten nektet både
å be og å studere. I en bok skrev han: «Denne boken tilhører Andreas Hubert
Fournet, en snill gutt, selv om han ikke skal bli verken prest eller munk».
Hans tidligste år var i
stedet preget av et utsvevende liv. Religion kjedet ham, og det gjorde åpenbart
selve livet også. I 1772 dro han til universitetet i Poitiers, men som student
i jus og filosofi var han doven, og han var mer opptatt av å more seg. Han
lærte ikke engang å skrive skikkelig. Deretter mislyktes han i flere yrker –
han ville blant annet bli offiser og deretter sekretær, men håndskriften var
for dårlig.
I desperasjon sendte
foreldrene ham i 1774 til en onkel som var prest i et meget fattig sogn i
landsbyen Haines. Inspirasjonen fra onkelens arbeid hadde mye større effekt enn
morens fromhet, så han vendte tilbake til hjembyen og begynte å studere
teologi. Han ble presteviet i 1776 og ble først sin onkels kapellan i Haines,
og deretter ble han prest i en annen by.
I 1781 ble han utnevnt
til sogneprest, curé, etter en annen onkel i sognet Saint-Pierre i
hjembyen Maillé. Men stadig levde presten snarere som en herre i de finere
samfunnslag enn som en Guds tjener. Vendepunktet i hans liv kom da han nektet å
gi noe til en tigger og fikk et ydmykende svar. Da erkjente han plutselig hvor
tomt hans liv hittil hadde vært. Han ga alt han eide til de fattige, og levde
deretter fattigere enn de fattigste.
Hans sjenerøsitet mot de
fattige og hans endrede karakter ga ham mange venner. Hans nye enkelhet ga seg
også utslag i hans prekener, som derfor ble mye bedre. En av hans tilhørere sa
at tidligere var det ingen som forsto ham, men nå kunne de følge hvert ord han
sa. Han ga bort alt
overflødig sølvtøy og møbler, og sammen med moren, søsteren og en kapellan
levde han et nøysomt liv i prestegården.
Den franske revolusjon
endret deres liv drastisk. Andreas nektet å avlegge eden til støtte for
geistlighetens Sivilkonstitusjon, og langfredag 1792 ble han tatt av
myndighetene. De satte ham i en vogn for å kjøre ham til fengselet. Men Andreas
insisterte på å gå til fots: «På den dag Jesus Kristus bar sitt kors, sømmer
det seg for hans følgesvenner å forflytte seg til fots». Men han unnslapp, og
senere i 1792 ble han bedt av sin biskop om å dra til Spania for sin egen
sikkerhets skyld. Der var han i fem år, men han skammet seg over sitt manglende
mot. Så etter Robespierres fall vendte han i 1797 i all hemmelighet og med fare
for sitt liv tilbake til sin menighet. Der tjenestegjorde han illegalt for sin
flokk.
Ved én anledning slapp
han unna ved å late som om han var død. Han la seg i en seng, og husets frue
dekket ham til med et laken. Hun tente lys rundt sengen og omga den med
sørgende kvinner, og dette narret myndighetene. En annen gang ble han reddet av
en rådsnar kvinne som da forfølgerne kom inn i rommet, lot som om han var en
tjener og slo ham i ansiktet og skjelte ham ut fordi han ikke reiste seg straks
det kom øvrighetspersoner inn i værelset. Deretter sendte hun ham rasende ut
bakdøren «for å ta seg av kveget». Senere fortalte han at kvinnen hadde slått ham
så hardt at han så stjerner.
Da Napoleon i 1807 igjen
tillot Kirken å arbeide åpent i Frankrike etter revolusjonen, ble Andreas igjen
offisielt sogneprest i Maillé. Han arbeidet som folkemisjonær, predikant og
skriftefar, og sammen med den hellige Elisabeth Bichier des
Ages grunnla han en kongregasjon som var viet til sykepleie og
undervisning. Han skrev deres regel. Opprinnelig tenkte verken Andreas eller
Elisabeth seg noe annet enn en liten lokal kongregasjon. De opprinnelige
medlemmene avla midlertidige løfter tidlig i 1807, og deretter så de seg om
etter en passende etablert kongregasjon som de kunne knytte seg til.
Men i slutten av 1811 var
det klart at de måtte stå på egne bein, og de flyttet inn i et større hus,
Rochefort, i selve Maillé, for de var allerede blitt 25 søstre. Fem år senere,
i 1817, ble deres regel godkjent av bispedømmemyndighetene i Poitiers, og
statlig godkjennelse fulgte i 1819 og 1826. Kongregasjonen heter offisielt
Døtre av Korset, men er også kjent som Døtre av den hellige Andreas apostelen (Filles
de la Croix, Soeurs de Saint-André). Kongregasjonen ble godkjent i 1867 av den
salige pave Pius
IX (1846-78).
Andreas trakk seg tilbake
fra sognearbeidet som 68-åring i 1820 fordi han var syk og utslitt, men
fortsatte å veilede søstrene og lede kongregasjonen fra moderhuset i La Puye
frem til 1832. Han var også åndelig veileder for en rekke prester og legfolk.
Andreas døde den 13. mai
1834 i La Puye og ble gravlagt der. Han ble saligkåret den 16. mai 1926 og
helligkåret den 4. juni 1933 av pave Pius XI (1922-39). Hans minnedag er
dødsdagen 13. mai. Hans navn står i Martyrologium Romanum.
Ved Andreas' død hadde
kongregasjonen over 60 klostre i Poitou. Bønner til Andreas økte på mirakuløst
vis matforrådet til søstrene og dem de hadde ansvaret for når de var i nød – et
mirakel som er godt underbygd. Søstrene finnes nå i tillegg til i Frankrike
også i Italia, Spania og til og med i Canada.
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Bentley, Butler (V), Benedictines, Bunson,
Schauber/Schindler, Index99, KIR, Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz,
Heiligenlexikon, santiebeati.it - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 2000-12-20 00:57 - - Sist oppdatert: 2006-07-22 16:04
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/afournet
Voir aussi : http://www.st-andre-choisy.fr/?c=article&id=123
