Jacques-Desired Laval

Desired Jacques Laval , born the September 18th 1803 with Croth (the Eure, France), dead the September 9th 1864 with Holy-Cross (Mauritius), priest and missionary French, considered as happy by the Roman Catholic church.

Biography

Childhood

Jacques-desired Laval was born in 1803 with Croth, small village of the valley of the the Eure, not far from Anet, whereas France was still upset by the events of the Révolution and the Napoleonean wars. It was named Jacques, like his father, owner of a farm and mayor of the village and Désiré because his/her parents sincerely hoped a boy after the first three girls.

After tests, more or less successful, first studies, initially in a school presbytérale under the control of his uncle Nicolas, priest of Tourville-the-Countryside, then to small the Seminar of Évreux, his father sent it to the prestigious college Stanislas of Paris, from where it left graduate arts, at age the 22 years and science the following year. He undertook studies of Médecine and successfully supported the August 21st 1830 a thesis on the rheumatoid arthritis. The revolution of 1830 burst and them barricades drawn up in the capital will bring back the young doctor in Normandy.

Country doctor

During four years, of September 1830 to April 1834, Jacques-Desired Laval was doctor with Saint-Andre-in-the Eure, often showing a great charity, but a calumny campaign organized against him obliged to be fixed at Ivry-the-Battles, where a great turn in its life took place.

Jacques Laval liked himself then in comfort and the luxury. He liked to parade in uniform, with the head of the national guard of his commune and pointed out himself by the elegance of his clothes, the luxury of his pieces of furniture and his receptions. But this life considered to be easy and egoistic did not fill it. The conversion of Dr. Laval, tortured by the remorse, was slow but deep. A disappointment in love with a cousin, a fall of horse which could have been mortal were perhaps only coincidences! Jacques Laval announced then, with the great astonishment of much, his entry with the seminar of Iso-the-Moulineaux the June 15th 1835. Four years later, the December 22nd 1838, it was ordered priest in the small vault of the seminar of Saint-Sulpice of Paris by the archbishop of Paris, M {{gr.}} of Quélen.

Priest of parish

The January 8th 1839, the Laval father was named “serving” of a small parish of 485 inhabitants, located at the south of Louviers, Pinterville. There will remain two years there what enabled him to live its noviciate of future missionary: austerity of life, open door to the poor, attention in the living conditions of the parishioners, permanence of the prayer. The Laval abbot then intended the call of a greater misery to be relieved.

Mgr Collar, appointed apostolic vicar of the Mauritius, accepted its services for the apostolate of the Blacks recently freed from slavery. The Laval father entered the Société of the Saint-Heart of Marie rested by the Father François Libermann. He left Pinterville forever the February 23rd 1841, arrived at London on May 14th and embarked, the empty handeds, on the “Tanjore” the June 4th 1841. He would not re-examine any more Europe.

Missionary

After hundred days of crossing, the Laval father unloaded with Port-Louis in the greatest indifference. The September 26th 1841, it accepted the load of the Mission of the Blacks and started to learn the creole , was made a basic catechism and located among the Esclave S, definitively freed by the authorities British on April 1st 1839, the small group of those which it could form so that they become his assistances.

The Laval father carried a Soutane rapiécée and travelled to back of ass. He lived withdrawn in a small wood house, the court of the Presbytère to receive his “dear Noirs”, amazed to get along called “Mister” or “Madam”. He made even for them each Sunday, at midday a special mass.

Each day, the Laval father visited them in their huts, at the hospital and the prison. He made build small schools of bush and centers of prayer through the country and, since its Confession nal, he took care of their good performance. Destroyed for the majority by terrible a Cyclone the March 8th 1848, these vaults were rebuilt at once with enthusiasm by the faithful ones.

The father Laval, initially only then assisted by other missionaries, could cure and give upright, physically and morally a whole people which the rich enjoyed to regard as marginal. But the more successes increased, the more the opposition grew. The white called it “the large pet peeve” and the Laval father even had to ensure his instructions of the evening under the protection of two police officers. Once the aversion passed, the feelings of the white colonists will evolve little by little towards confidence and, for some, to a deep admiration.

The February 2nd 1852, the father François Libermann died in Paris. Its successor, the Schwindenhammer father, named the Laval father who had not made of noviciate and knew little about the rules of the religious life and, moreover, felt reluctant to write reports/ratios, provincial superior of the missions of Bourbon (island of the Réunion) and of Maurice. The Laval father will live this nomination badly.

In May 1854, the Choléra prevails in Maurice. The Laval father devoted himself to the extreme for the patients and dying them. He made of it in the same way at the time of the epidemic of Variole, it also very fatal in 1856.

Patient at the end of his life and after being struck by attacks of Apoplexy, it died Friday September 9th 1864. When next Sunday, at eleven o'clock in the morning, one closed his coffin, 20.000 people had ravelled in front of the body. There had been nobody to accommodate it on his arrival with Maurice, there were 40.000 of them to escort it with its last residence, with the foot of the martyrdom, in front of the church of Holy-Cross.

Beatification

The Jacques-Desired Father Laval was béatifié by the pope Jean-Paul II the April 29th 1979, in the Basilique Saint-Pierre of Rome. It was the first beatification of Jean-Paul II who placed his pontificate under the protection of this humble missionary. The pope invited the Christians of the whole world to take it for model:

“That the example of the Laval Father encourages all those which, on the African continent and elsewhere, endeavors to build a fraternal world, free from racial prejudices! ”

The May 19th 1979, 150.000 people attended the ceremony of thanksgiving which took place with the monument of Marie, Reine of Peace, in Port-Louis, during which the name of Jacques-Desired Laval was often evoked.

The October 14th 1989, at the invitation of Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Jean-Paul II arrived at Maurice for a three days official visit and went to the tomb of the Father Laval, this modest priest who had devoted his life to poorest, with Holy-Cross “where , affirmed it, I come myself to venerate the tomb of happy Laval which you like so much in Mauritius”.

Let us note that among those which came to request with the tomb of the Laval Father to Holy-Cross the Abbé Pierre appears, at the time of its visit in the island in 1994.

Towards canonization

The father Bernard Hym, director of the pilgrimage of Co.-Cross 2007 is trustful that the Laval father will be one day canonized, because “ what allowed its Béatification will allow its Canonization ”. That will come when the Lord wants it for the good of the people Mauritian and to thus allow the Laval father to be a better rassemblor, emphasizes it. He explains why the Canonization will be possible thanks to the constant popular dash and confidence in the Laval father, with more than 10.000 people per week in front of the vault and more than 150.000 in the night of the 8 September 9th. The Canonization will be possible thanks to the certificates received at the time of a Pèlerinage near the tomb of the Laval father and by trustful prayers of Mauritians and others which come from abroad and testifying to the graces obtained. “ So that the Laval father can be canonized, it would also be necessary that there is a miraculous and instantaneous cure, undeniable and uncontested and that the medical community recognizes like unexplainable by science ”, specifies the Hym father.

“ These elements suppose that a person who knows herself cured by the prayer of the Laval father is consulted before and after the facts noted by the same doctor who accepts, thereafter, to testify to the unexplainable aspect of the science of this cure ”, our interlocutor adds. He stresses that the project is on the way and that we can only request so that the Seigneur grants that like a grace to us. “ is not to make it possible Maurice to obtain sizes and the Mauritians of tap lestoma that the Seigneur will grant this grace to us. He will do it for the reinforcement of the faith and, finally, to help the Chrétiens to be better witnesses of the Gospel. ”

The file for the Canonization of the Laval father is currently with Rome, where a commission of doctors examines it in order to deliver a qualified opinion, that following all subjected testimonys.

Anecdote

A missionary French of passage to Maurice met the abbot Xavier Masuy, Apôtre of the white population of the time:

- Show, says to us it to the abbot Xavier Masuy, this Laval Father about which one speaks so much in your island. I had with Saint-Sulpice a school-fellow of this name.

- It was also of Saint-Sulpice, and it must be him!

- But do you know whereas you have a Saint among you? It was our distributer of alms, and it put at it a charity which made our construction. One day, by a rigorous cold, the Laval abbot filled all grelottant his load day laborer; a poor evil vêtu, stiff with cold arises; the servant of Jesus-Christ does not hesitate, it throws on the shoulders of unhappy its coat of which it is stripped and continuous under an acute north wind its holy functions.

In this moment appeared the Laval Father:

- Hold, says the Masuy abbot, here who comes to us in all his gravity and his serenity.

- Ah! really, it is there this poor Jacques, it is this strapping man, added he in his simple and frank language.

The recognition was going to be done, but the Laval Father, guessing the subject for conversation of the two priests became invisible: its humility had been alarmed, and never the two friends were not re-examined.

Last letter of the Laval Father

Having like the presentiment of his nearest death, the Laval Father once again collected his forces exhausted to address on September 5th, 1864, in a letter with the one of his sisters, Mrs. Cadot, some words of comfort, salutary councils, and to give him, like to all its family, a saint go in eternity: “I am in a hurry great to see the end of miseries of the life. I do not believe that the end is well moved away, because I see myself dying in small fire… Goodbye, dear sister, in happy eternity! ”

Séga Laval Father

“All bananas on September 9th

Four young stags beautiful morning Mo raised Mo outward journey

But Na not to believe Mo ale hunting pitches

To make coma me or ava bitch

Dipi day before at the time large simin

Ena tapaze coma carnival

Dimane any morissien

Li has to say Li EP ale Père Laval.

Because Laval Father how much miracle fine to arrive

Because Laval Father how much fine misery soulazer

Tomb Father Laval Li not difficult Po to suit us

Because Father Laval Li quite quiet Po to request from us! ”

Extract of the Séga Laval Father composed by Serge Lebrasse

Quotations

“You know how much I love the Laval Father. I love you as much. Continue to go on its way.” Jean-Paul II, on October 15th, 1989
“Laval Father does not belong at a community nor with only one religion: it was unanimously accepted by all the Mauritians as being large in love with humanity. We benefit today from all that it did, by its work and its faith, for the unit of the people Mauritian. ” Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, on May 18th, 1979

“If the Laval Father were of sound living the man of all because he was authentically a man of God, better than whoever, it remains for us today the symbol of the unit Mauritian in her cultural diversity, racial and religious. ” Mgr Jean Margéot, old cardinal bishop and

“Laval Father left while leaving a heritage to the Mauritians, that without any reference of race or religious confession. ” declared Monseigneur Maurice E. Piat, bishop of Port-Louis

“the Laval Father has of alive sound, and more still since its death - unceasingly still - given a lesson of humility, of love of next and size of the man. Its presence with Maurice, his work during his life, its breath which planes on us since his terrestrial death exceeded always and still exceed any idea of race, religion and color… What to say universality of the Laval Father? It is enough to throw a glance on this mass of Mauritians, come from all the corners, of all the stocks, all the cultures which, every year, at the time of the birthday of its death, comes to testify its attachment to him, comes to seek near its burial courage, comfort, insurance and hope. ” S.E. Mr. Radha Krishna Ramphul, permanent representative of Maurice to UNO, on April 6th, 1976

External bonds

Site dedicated to the Father Laval
Current events (Blog) on the happy J-D Laval
on the Laval Father, missionary spiritain
Radio program, Jacques Laval
Family tree of the Father Laval
Book of gold of happy Jacques-Desired Laval

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