|
|
|
Father James Dujarie
 Zeal and
Vision
James Francis Dujarie was born in 1767 in Rennes-en-Grenouilles, La Mayenne,
France. In 1795, at the height of the Reign of Terror, he completed his seminary studies
and was secretly ordained a priest for the Diocese of Le Mans. He was assigned then to the
parish of Ruillé-sur-Loir where he spent his entire active priesthood. What is remarkable
about Father Dujarie is the zeal and vision he put into rebuilding his parish and
surrounding area after the devastation wrought by the French Revolution.
Founder of Two Religious Communities
Taking responsibility for the education of youth, he first opened a school for
girls. By 1806, the women he gathered for this effort had become known as the Sisters of
Providence. Encouraged by the success of this religious community, Father Dujarie in 1820
began to organize a group of men to also provide for elementary education in the parish
and diocese. This signals the beginning of the Brothers of St. Joseph. They were
instructed by their founder, Father Dujarie: "Before all things else, let the
Brothers teach children virtue and religion. May they bring them to know and love Jesus
Christ." Within three years, the Brothers had been sent to nine schools, and by 1828,
there were sixty Brothers.
Letting Go
Faced with increasing age and declining health, Father Dujarie realized that his
two foundations would need to continue without him. The Sisters of Providence had already
been recognized by the Holy See as a religious community and were continuing to extend
their ministries. The Brothers were becoming well known and were in demand in schools and
parishes. In 1835, Father Dujarie turned the administration of the Brothers of St. Joseph
over to Father Basil Anthony Moreau, another zealous priest of the Le Mans Diocese. Father
Dujarie moved to Sainte-Croix (Holy Cross), a suburb of Le Mans and the center of Father
Moreau’s activities. After seeing the future of the Brothers assured, Father Dujarie
went to his eternal rest in 1838.
The Congregation of Holy Cross Begins to Take Shape
Just as Father Dujarie sought to respond to the pressing needs of his time, so too
was Father Basil Moreau inspired. Father Moreau gathered a band
of diocesan priests to preach missions and to assist in parishes. After he assumed the
administration of the Brothers of St. Joseph, his vision was to bring the Brothers, his
Auxiliary Priests, and the Sisters at Sainte-Croix together as the Congregation of Holy
Cross.
Contents
of this page courtesy of the
South-West Province of the Congregation of
Holy Cross
|
Father
Basil Moreau