The Apostle Of Brittany

Blessed Julien Maunoir, January 28

Blessed Julien Maunoir

Saint-George de Reintembault, France, October 1, 1606 - Plévin, France, January 28, 1683

Patronage: Brittany

Roman Martyrology: In the village of Plévin in Brittany in France, Blessed Julien Maunoir, priest of the Society of Jesus, that both in towns and villages as in cities of this province to forty-two years he devoted himself entirely to the missions to the people.

Blessed Julien Maunoir is considered the ‘apostle of Brittany’, the historical region of France, for the extraordinary work missionary who played well for forty-two years. Born on October 1, 1606 in Saint-George de Reintembault fifth of seven children of a small trader of fabrics. The venerable Le Nobletz Michele (1577-1652), a popular missionary mysteriously learned of her birth and that in him God had prepared a help and a successor. Julien’s first teachers were his parents, usually happy to share with the poor the proceeds of their work. The favorite game of Julien was to bring together the partners, siding two by two in order of procession, and to repeat their prayers and songs learned in church. A priest of the parish, noting his attitude, uncommon in his peers, taught the him the basics of Latin and allowed him to attend a college of Rennes, the Jesuits between 1620 and 1625. Julien did not let himself be influenced by bad company and persuaded some of the companions of Mary congregation to burn the books perverse, not to attend the inns and to moderate the passion for the game. Hearing of businesses Jesuit missionary in China, Japan, America, and the thought that many souls are lost for lack of apostles, he meditated finally enter into the religious life.

During his novitiate he was noted in the exercise of brotherly love. Since the time of college life was proposed:

“I want to live as if there were not that God, always assuming his rescue: without that I know of nothing he can not … Always attentive to what God wants from me, think that he may want to prepare for a Jesuit to everything that require its services. Oh, how I love that God is infinitely good and love me as I want from him.”

To that end he began to punish various ways in his flesh. After the religious profession Julien studied philosophy for three years in La Flèche, until 1630. His studies of Saint Jogues who was also martyred in North America.

He had to withdraw, cultivating purity and humility, and during one of these withdrawals confessed in his diary:

“I felt pure joy with two angels as if I had extracted the heart out of the chest and have squeezed out to make all that I was of natural affection. ”

On July 15, 1628 for the whole day he felt consumed by the fire of divine love and “violently pushed to suffer for God.”

Then meditating on “two standards”, namely that of Christ the King and that of Satan, he noted: “Pativo to have so many sacrifices to be done for the Lord, and my vocation that I am destined to the salvation of souls, I became even more expensive. A voice below me repeated four or five times, with a tone of admiration: “Oh, if you knew! If you knew!. Including then that the great thing is to cooperate with Jesus to the conversion of men … To glorify my God I want suffer all the torments of hell, except for the deprivation of his love. Bramerei well the fire of purgatory: do suffer a lot, but does not prevent you from loving God. “

I had to admire excess of this young, now mystical union with the Lord, the conduct “always the same, the lovable activities without haste, the gaiety of spirits quiet, qualities which he joined in perfect obedience, a charity affable, a constant application to work so as to intellectual piety, to a recollection without contrasts and a large domain of himself. ” At the end of philosophy was intended as a professor in the College of Quimper, but he did not gave up hope of one day bringing the faith to the pagans. A brother urged him to learn the language of Brittany, but Father Maunoir replied: “Know that my mission is my school, and that I have to learn the languages Latin and Greek. If I study some other, it will be that of Canada, where I believe that God called me. “

He was again addressed the proposal to engage in missions in Brittany, but was prevented for a lack of knowledge of the language.

One day, during a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine, he had a vision of inner bishoprics of Quimper, St-Brieuc, Leon and Trétone, and came before the painting of the Madonna praying thus: “My good mother, whether you are worthy of teach Breton, the soon learn very soon and I will be able to earn the servants. ”

Then returned to the college, the brothers were not a little puzzled about his project, but the province in 1631 gave him the permission and, after two days of study, the Maunoir began in the countryside of Brittany’s work catechesis and preaching. Blessed Virgin Mary had miraculously given him the gift of language.

As soon as he received fewer orders, Julien started going every Sunday in the neighboring countries to catechizing people. Such was his enthusiasm he that got sick in 1632 and then moved above it in Tours, where the forces recovered and gave the sick catechizing the hospital, the poor of the most abandoned and the prisoners. In the College of Bourges Julien authorized presbyteral prepartion and God granted him the gift of intimate union continued with him through prayer. The withdrawal of the second year of theology, companion of St. Gabriel Lallemant, also martyred in 1646 in Canada, noted: “Our Lord says below:” I have long toiled for souls, I cried, I have suffered and died for them. ” These words commossero more I do not know that and say that the ardor felt already grew to the point that, if it was necessary to die to save one soul, I would be dead with all my heart. ” During the third year of theology an arm swell over the measure and put him briefly at the end of life. Before receiving the viaticum vote was that if he were returned to health, he would have spent all his strength to serve the people of Brittany. The answer was affirmative of Heaven and just healed Julian returned to preach and to teach the catechism.

He became a priest in 1637, was intended as a professor at the College of Nevers, but soon his request was accepted and after seven years of absence was able to return to Quimper. Died on the bishop who opposed his work, Le Nobletz invited Giuliano with him in the solitude of Conquet, made him his general confession, then summoned the faithful to church and took them Maunoir as his successor. He made him a gift of his bell and his paintings are symbolic of what used to be able to better explain to the illiterate the major mysteries of the faith.

At Quimper, many priests, after some hesitation, were attracted by the Maunoir, proposing also to preach and proclaim throughout the diocese. The governor of Quimper and the Cardinal Richelieu contained their aid with the lack of material resources. Julien Maunoir began his apostolate in the port of Douarnenez putting in harmonic “the paraphrase of the most important prayers and truth of religion. Before leaving this town, healed a paralytic by touching the forehead with an object blessed by The Nobletz. The missionary, now famous for his holiness, went to evangelize the islands of Quessant, and Molenes Sein, where thousands of followers dragged also making miracles with corn oil blessed. Despite many successes, not lacking, however, the jealous that through slander tried in vain to draw him to the College of Jesuits, denied by the witness of the islanders. Even the songs he composed were indicted and prohibitions on who knew Brittany, but the Confirmation came from the islands by catechizzate Maunoir not long to make ensure the orthodoxy. In 1642 could finally be given to press and had great success, contributing greatly to the success of the processions and sacred representations of the Gospel.

Having preached in these islands, the Maunoir traveled on foot and on horseback, the entire Lower Brittany between hazards and hardships of all sorts and in less than ten years and managed to confess catechizing about half a million people. While the need for Nobletz had almost always worked alone, the Maunoir instead aroused many vocations to the priesthood, thus creating valuable aid for his apostolic labors. Everyone followed him willingly and loved ever since he had shown “humble, wise, uplifting, mortified, poor, simple, always ready to help its neighbor to give service to its enemies and to take everything to win souls to God, it being in ‘ execution of his drawings and full of confidence in that all-powerful arm holding him up.”

Every now and Julien returned to relax a little ‘between the brothers, using the time to extend the effective action by the written word with its ascetic and biographical. In 1671 he decided to engage the work of withdrawals on that mission and the attempt succeeded successfully. There were some for periods of his illness, but finally had a revelation that was about to reach his final hours. In returning to Quimper, we had to stop Plévin now prostrated by fever and a violent pain in my side. Prepared death sighed:

“Jesus is my life, and it is a gain for me to die.”

A local nobleman would have wanted to carry him to his castle for better medical care, but he preferred to complete the earthly life as similar as possible to the poor. For many priests who flocked to his bedside recommended: “The greatest pleasure that I can do is to make or to renew the intention to work in the missions until your last breath. I do not know function holier and more useful.”

Julien Maunoir, received the last sacraments, finally died on January 28, 1683. On that cold winter evening in the eastern horizon is infuocò mysteriously. The bishop of Quimper he wanted to buried the mortal remains of the sainted missionary in the cathedral, but the inhabitants of Plévin strongly opposed this. At the tomb, a few days after the burial, a paralyzed boy suddenly regained health before the faithful who filled the church. Following the papal decree promulgated on March 4, 1951 by Pope Pius XII, May 20 following Julien could be raised to the glory of the altars and the status of protector of Brittany.

Author: Fabio Arduino

Source: Santi e Beati

Thank you The Black Cordelias (here)