Life of Bl. Pierre-René Rogue, C.M

8/20/2019 Life of Bl. Pierre-René Rogue, C.M.

1/18

BOLDNESS UNDER PERSECUTION the story of Blessed Pierre-René Rogue, C.M.


2/18

BL. PIERRE-RENÉ ROGUE

• Pierre-René Rogue, C.M.,martyr, was the third

beatified confrere of theFrench Revolution. Theliturgical celebration of all

three men has been placed

jointly on September 2. ButPierre had a different dateof death, and also adifference of place of death.

image: from the website ofLa Cathédrale de Vannes

http://archive.is/hCEMr#selection-313.0-313.23


3/18

HOME TOWN

• He was a native of Vannesin Brittany, did all his priestlyministry in that town, andwas guillotined there on 3March 1796, three and a

half years later than hisconfreres in Paris.

location of Vannes, seaside port town in France


4/18

EARLY YEARS

• Pierre was born in 1758, an onlychild who never knew his father(he died shortly after Pierre wasborn).

• After completing high school atSt. Yves (still operating today asle collège Jules Simon, Vannes) hespent a year living with relativesof his mother, then entered thelocal diocesan seminary, whichwas staffed by Vincentians.

image: the Cathedral at Vannes, today


5/18

FRAGILE HEALTH

• His health was regarded as fragile. Hewas a small man, only four feet teninches tall. (That was not a measure ofhis courage, as we will see.)

• He was ordained as a diocesan priestin 1782 and appointed chaplain to ahome for old women. Four years laterhe joined the Congregation of the

Mission, but spent only three monthsat the mother house (Saint-Lazare inParis) before returning to the internalseminary in Vannes. The reason for thiswas, once again, the fragile state of hishealth.


6/18

VOCATION

• He was appointed to teach theology in the seminary,

and was also involved incourses of theology for laypeople, a fact which was tobe important for him later.

A few years later he wasgiven the added ministry ofbeing a curate (assistant to

the parish priest).


7/18

CLERICAL OATH DURING THE

REVOLUTION• During the French Revolution,

there were various oaths whichpriests were asked to take,

about loyalty to the State. Thesemeant rejection of the Holy Seeand loyalty to a State-sponsoredChurch. Eventually, the penaltyfor not taking these oaths, or forworking as a priest withouthaving taken the oaths, wasdeath. That is why Pierre-RenéRogue was eventually killed.


8/18

TROUBLE BREWING

• When the troubles of theRevolution came to Vannes,

the civil authoritiesestimated that only aboutsix priests, out of more than

four hundred, would belikely to take the oaths.


9/18

PIERRE-RENÉ TAKES

COURAGEOUS ACTION• In February 1791 some priests, including theVincentian superior of the seminary, were summoned

to a meeting with the civil authorities. At first thepriests agreed to take the oath. When Pierre-René

heard this he went to the superior and pointed out the damage that would be done if all the priests of the diocese heard that the superior of the seminaryhad agreed to take the oath. He dictated a letter for

the superior to sign, stating that he had changed hismind and would not take the oath. That same day

Pierre-René personally delivered it to the authorities.

• When this became known, all the other priests of thediocese who had indicated their willingness to take

the oath withdrew their agreement. As a result onlyone priest in Vannes took the oath!


10/18

STANDING UP TO

AUTHORITIES• On 20 April 1791 the staff wereexpelled from the seminary and thecontents of the building were put up

for sale. The seminary staffchallenged this decision, pointing out that because the staff had conductedcourses for lay people, the seminarywas exempt from the new law. Also,

it was exempt for a second reason,because the building was theproperty of the Congregation of theMission, which at that date had notbeen suppressed by law.


11/18

CLAIMING HIS DUE

• The authorities agreed to a partial financialsettlement, including fixed salaries for theseminary staff. Pierre-René decided to put in aclaim also for back payment as a parish curate,

and was paid this as well. He then put in aclaim for further payment because of incomehe was due from a benefice, which he had inAngers, which had been stopped; this was alsopaid up. These financial claims won by Pierre-

René are very interesting because they are the exact opposite of what the Vincentianshad been advised: to refuse any moneyoffered by the state for priestly ministry.Pierre-René’s view was that he had done thework and therefore should be paid.


12/18

LOCAL CONNECTIONS

• Pierre-René maintained good relationswith the town’s civil authorities and hewas not interfered with in his parish

ministry. For prudence, though, hegradually introduced a practice ofcelebrating Mass in private houses. Thefact that he was a native of the town,as were the members of the civiladministration, was a help to him. He

knew them personally and had been atschool with them. His superior, though,was not from Vannes and Pierre-Renéadvised him to leave the town, and hewent to Spain.


13/18

IN HIDING

• As the situation in the townbegan to deteriorate Pierre-René had to go into hiding,moving from one safehouse to another, to lessen

the risk of capture. His

mother’s house wasconstantly watched in thehope that he would visit her.


14/18

COURAGEOUS ACTS

• On Christmas Eve 1795, when Fr.Pierre-René was bringing Viaticum toa sick person, he was betrayed by aman for whom his mother hadprocured work and who was stillreceiving financial help from her. Thisman and another man brought Pierre-René to the authorities and handedhim over. They refused to accept him,

because he had not been arrested by the police; they gave him theopportunity to escape. He refused todo so, saying that that would get theminto trouble with their own superiors.


15/18

MARTYRDOM

• He was tried and convictedon the charge that he hadnot taken the various oathsand had engaged in priestlyministry. He was found guilty,naturally enough, and wassentenced to be guillotined

within twenty-four hours.This took place on 3 March1796. His mother wasapparently present.


16/18

Present day photos of Vannes (Creative Commons)

Vieux Quartier Port Vannes

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=897895


17/18

Chapel dedicated to Pierre-René Rogue, Saint Peter cathedral, Vannes (Morbihan, France)Wikimedia Commons, by Fab5669

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19807942


18/18

presented by

from “Vincentian Martyrs of the French Revolution”by Thomas Davitt CM

Documents

Life of Bl. Pierre-René Rogue, C.M