Background
He was born near Poitiers in 1752.
He was born near Poitiers in 1752.
He was bored by many things, including religion, as a youth. Upon the arrival of the French Revolution, he refused to take the oath for the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, and continued his now illegal ministry in secret. On Good Friday, 1792, he was arrested for his activities.
He declined being taken to jail in a carriage, saying since the day Jesus carried his cross it behooved his followers to travel on foot.
He would escape, at one point taking the place of a dead body on a bier. He even drew up the monastic rule the new congregation would follow.
He retired from his parish duties in 1820, but continued to direct the sisters of the new congregation until his death in 1834. He was canonized as a saint in 1933.
His feast day is on May 13.
He is said to have miraculously multiplied food for the members of the new congregation and their charges a number of times.