Saint Just de Bretenières

Holy Just de Bretenières , of its civil name Just Ranfer de Bretenières (Chalon-sur-Saône, February 28th, 1838 - Seoul, March 8th, 1866), was a priest missionary French. He belongs to the 103 martyrs of Korea canonized on May 6th, 1984.

Biography

Just Ranfer de Bretenières was born in Châlon-sur-saône, in the residence of his/her maternal grandparent, on February 28th, 1838. it goes down from a line of magistrates to the Parliament of Burgundy. Its life was written by the Appert abbot.

The family divides itself between the castle of Bretenière S (today, Bretenière ) and the house Saint-François-of-Rooms, street Vannerie with Dijon, which is now the regional management of the cultural affairs.

In 1851, Just and its younger brother, Christian, are entrusted to a young tutor, the Gautrelet abbot.

Highly-strung person and sensitive, Just tests as of his more young age, an excessive fear of the pain but its attraction for the life missionary pushes it to be involved to support tiredness, heat and thirst, and during the holidays, at the time of the excursions in mountain, he is accustomed to carry burdens.

In 1856, it obtains its baccalaureat in Lyon and is registered in license of letters. Attracted by the missions étrangéres, on the councils of its confessor and his parents, it enters to the Seminar of Issy to Paris where it spends two years to be studied. One entrusts to him the functions of organist and male nurse.

In 1861, it enters to the seminar of the Foreign missions of Paris, street of the Vat. The years pass in the prayer, the study and work.

May 21st, 1864, Just is ordered priest. He writes with one his friends: “Ask for me the grace of martyrdom”.

He does not have any more but to await the order to leave. The candidates with the missions are unaware of until the last moment the place of their destination. They must be ready to accept hand of God the mission where they will be sent, whatever it is. It is in Korea that it must leave and it is happy: Live Korea, ground of the martyrs! he writes. Indeed, since nearly one century the blood of the Christians ran abundantly on the ground of Korea.

Mission in the Far East

July 19th, 1864, Just and nine of its fellow-members embark with Marseilles for the Far East. After having made stopover with Alexandria, Suez, Ceylon, Singapore, it remain with HongKong to take again forces. They enter clandestinely in Korea on May 29th, 1865. Just resides some time at Seoul, near the bishop, Monseigneur Berneux. It hides then among Christians in a very austere room, leaving only during the night, vêtu of the black behavior of mourning which wraps it head with the foot in order not to be recognized, because the Christians risk persecutions. At the end of six months, thanks to the assistance of a young Christian, Just, become the father Païk Chen Insane the white father like snow , speaks and understands sufficiently the Korean language to preach and confess. One year later, he hears faithful of the confession, baptizes the neophytes, famous marriages, gives the confirmation and often manages the Extrême-onction.

The catechumens come by far, sometimes 150 km and even more to be made baptize or to receive the communion.

But after one calm period, persecution against Europeans and the Christians begin again. The treason of a servant of the bishop involves the arrest of several priests. Mgr Berneux is imprisoned on February 23rd, 1866. Three days later, of the soldiers make irruption in the room of Just at the time when it is on the point of celebrating the mass, and take it along, dependant with a red cord, distinctive sign of the large criminals.

In its prison it finds monseigneur Berneux, and the Beaulieu fathers and Henri Dorie which will be tortured with him. They undergo the torment of the “shien-noum”: one strikes to the patient, bound on a chair, blows of triangular stick of section on the tibiae and the feet. Four days of continuation, the missionaries appear before various authorities. After each interrogation, their body is plowed with piles pointed of the size of the arm.

Incompetents to be held upright, condemned, bound each one on a chair, are related to the place of the execution to approximately 5 km of Seoul. Four hundred soldiers out of weapons hold crowd in respect.

Called the second, after its bishop, Just is posed with ground, and is stripped its clothing. Each of the two ears, folded up on itself, is bored of an arrow. Under his arms, dependant behind his back, one passes a long stick: two soldiers thus carry it during a long walk in spiral to show it at the assembly. Then, it is deposited on the ground, with knees, the ahead leaning head. With the signal of Mandarin, six torturers carry out a circular dance by holding up their sabers and by pushing wild cries: “With death! With death!” and blows of saber give. To the fourth, the head falls. It is on March 8th, 1866.

His/her brother Christian, also become priest, afterwards many difficulties with the bishop of Seoul, which makes a point of preserving these relics on the spot, succeeds in making repatriate the remainders of the martyr to bury them in the family vault near his parents.

Canonization

May 6th, 1984, 103 martyrs of Korea, among which monseigneur Berneux, Just de Bretenières, Henri Dorie and the father Beaulieu, are canonized with Seoul.

In fact, the Catholic church in Korea knew, and knows still nowadays, an astonishing rise. The catholics represent there nearly 8% of the population. Thus, the president of the South Korea, elected on December 18th, 1997 and Nobel Prize of Peace (October 18th, 2000) is he a catholic practitioner.

Today, Saint Just rests from now on in a mounting installed in the chorus of the old church of Bretenière S.

Marks of recognition

Its name was given to:

the church Saint-Just-of-Bretenières, Châlon-sur-saône, its birthplace,
the municipality Saint-Just-with-Bretenières in the regional municipality of county of Montmagny to Quebec.

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