Jean-Louis Bonnard

Jean-Louis Bonnard - 1824 - 1852, is a priest of the Foreign missions of Paris, belonging to the group of the 117 martyrs of the canonized Vietnam on June 19th 1988 by Jean-Paul II.

Its life

Childhood

Jean-Louis Bonnard was born on March 1st 1824 with Saint-Christo-in-Jarez. His/her father had been mobilized under the Empire in Prussia and in Russia, he married Anne Bonnier in 1817 with which he had six children. They did not have enough resources to send them to the school, so that the father learned how to read with elder, load with him to transmit its knowledge to his/her young brothers.

Jean-Louis, as of his more young age, wished being priest. He made his first communion in 1836, while having had large difficulties in follow catechism, since he could very badly read. However, its enjoué character and its major piety attracted much sympathy to him.

Not being able to continue studies, the Jean-Louis young person was placed by his parents as shepherd. There, by supervising its animals, it read its book of catechism and recited its chain, by repeating with the priest of the parish that it wanted at all prices to become priest. In front of his insistence, his/her father finishes by him making integrate a boarding school downtown. Its teacher said of him: “ It could almost neither read nor to write. The little which he knew, he had learned it either from itself while keeping its cattle, or in the few months of lessons which he had received with the presbytery. Also it caused much embarrassment the first year. That once, loser patience with him, one addressed hard words to him on its little of aptitudes and its weak progress! Jean-Louis never rejected himself. The second year, it succeeds a little better. The third year, it been able to follow its school-fellows who admired his piety and his courage, and readily lent themselves to explain to him what it had sorrow to include/understand ”.

The seminar

Jean-Louis entered in fourth to the small seminar of Saint-Jodard, and it started to be impassioned for Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, with its visions of unknown territories, and dangerous religious missions. He thus worked with eagerness, working towards his end. He declared with his François brother that it was always well decided to become priest “ whatever the place where God will invite it to serve it ”. He thus left for the great seminar to Lyon.

He made share with the priests who accompanied it by his decision to join the Foreign missions. Those wanted to before test it, and, in front of its strong determination, ended up encouraging it. Its superior with the great seminar said of him: “ This young man is a saint, I do not doubt only the vocation missionary to which he aspires does not come from God ”. He had however to obtain the authorization of the archbishop to leave the diocese, and to separate his parents then. After having made a last visit with the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière, it left its area and arrived at the seminar of the Foreign missions of Paris on November 4th 1846.

The Mission

It was there very well, and its school-fellows liked it much. They said of him: “ Its figure, on which a pleasant frankness was usually painted, was impressed of an almost childish naivety, which easily attracted the affection of its fellow-members to him… It presents the image of these large rivers which roll their abundant water without any noise, and enrich the countries which they sprinkle… Angel of peace, humble, modest, endowed with a very great charity with regard to all, it undoubtedly owed these pleasant virtues with its perfectly preserved baptismal innocence .”

On its side, it tried to reassure his parents, anxious to see it leaving towards very dangerous considered regions.

Jean-Louis Bonnard was ordered priest on December 23rd 1848, and left Nantes on February 8th 1849 bound for gets missions based with HongKong where it arrived on July 5th 1849.

From there, it embarked in direction of the Tonkin where it arrived in full cholera epidemic. It began its ministry in company of monseigneur Retord, learning the language and the habits, being accustomed to the climate and local food.

In May 1851, monseigneur Retord entrusted to him the direction of the mission of Kẻ Bàng. The life of the missionaries was difficult and dangerous, of persecutions threatened them without stop, and with them the new converts. Already priests, had been denounced and carried out.

In its turn, at the end of March 1852, Jean-Louis Bonnard was denounced and imprisoned in Nam-Dinh. He refused to profane the cross as it was required, and to give the names of his sympathizers. It was thus condemned to be decapitated, under the reason for judgment according to: “ preaching of the perverse religion ”. Its death day before, it wrote: “ Tomorrow, Saturday the 1st er May, festival of the saints Philippe Apostles and Jacques, here, I believe, the day fixed for my sacrifice. I die content. How the Lord is blessed! My death day before, April 30th, 1852 ”. The body and the head of Jean-Louis Bonnard were embarked on board jonque, and were thrown in the middle of the Red River in order to withdraw it from the veneration Christians, but those managed to fish out the skin of the martyr, and to bring it back to the general headquarter of the bishop who proceeded to his solemn funerals.

Beatification - Canonization

Quotations

  • Of Jean-Louis Bonnard, right before joining the seminar of the Foreign missions: “ All my ambition: to seize the first palm of martyr who will present himself. ”
  • Letter with his/her parents right before his death: “ When you receive this letter, you could be certain that my head will have fallen under the sharp one from the sword, because it should be to you sent only after my martyrdom. I will die for the faith of Jesus-Christ. Thus, you delight. ”

See too

Poem of Victor Hugo dedicated to Jean-Louis Bonnard

With a martyr - (the Punishments)

Holy O priest! great heart! oh! I fall to knees!
Young person, it had encor long days among us;
He did not count the number of it;
He was at this age where happiness flowers;
He considered the cross of Jésus-Christ
Very radiant in the ombre.

However it is far from us another humanity,
Who does not know it, and in Rampe iniquity connected,
and suffers and tombe.

He said that it is good to light in their night,
These people mislaid far from the progress which shone,
Whose heart is covered with veils;
Then it was gone from there in the winds, in the floods,
Towards the blacks rests and the bloody blocks,
Eyes fixed on the étoiles.

External bonds

  • spirituality of the saint
  • Biography

Sources

  • Os Catholic Romano
  • Documentation: 1988 p.808 & 809.
  • Catholic Encyclopedia on Wikisource

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