Saint Michel
Garicoits
Founder of the
Society of Priests of the Sacred Hearth of Betharram)
(1797 – 1863
France)
One's upbringing often exerts a critical influence
on the orientation of one's entire life, as is shown in the story of a saint
from the Basque country. «From his earliest years, Saint Michael Garicoits
heard the Lord's call to follow Him in the priesthood. The maturation of his
vocation and the receptiveness he demonstrated are connected to his parents'
attentions, to their love and to the moral and religious upbringing he
received, thanks in particular to his mother's attentive care. In his spiritual
development, his family thus had an important role... Because of it, young
Michael learned to turn to the Lord, to be faithful to Christ and to the
Church. In the present day, where marital and familial values are often
ridiculed, the Garicoits family remains an example for couples and for
educators, who have the responsibility to convey the meaning of life and to
make their charges aware of the greatness of human love, as well as stir the
desire to meet and follow Christ» (John Paul II, July 5, 1997).
Scoundrel or saint?
Michael, the eldest of six
children, was born on April 15, 1797, in Ibarra, a little village in the
diocese of Bayonne, to Arnaud Garicoits and Gratianne Etchéverry. This poor
family's faith was strengthened by the tribulations of the French Revolution.
Many priests, hunted by the revolutionaries, took refuge in the Garicoits home
before being discreetly led by Arnaud into Spain. Michael was not born a
saint—original sin touches us all. He would later say, «Without my mother, I
would have become a scoundrel.» Of an impetuous temperament and greater than
average physical strength, he liked to be aggressive and violent. He was just four
years old when he entered a neighbor's house and threw a rock at a woman
suspected of having done wrong to his mother, before taking off as fast as his
legs would carry him. At the age of five, he stole a packet of needles from a
traveling salesman. «When my mother saw it in my hands,» he confessed, «she
gave me a very stern lecture.» On other occasions she had to intervene again to
return stolen objects. «I was just seven,» he told another time, «when I stole
a beautiful apple from my brother two years younger than me. I believed without
a doubt I had done no wrong, but when she remarked, 'Would you be happy if
somebody did the same thing to you?', I bit my lips, and the thought that we
mustn't do what we wouldn't want others to do to us hit me so hard that this
event and all the surrounding circumstances have never faded from my memory.»
To correct her son's difficult
temperament, Gratianne did not launch into long speeches but would very simply
turn from the visible to the invisible world. In front of the flames that
roared in the kitchen hearth, she told him, «My son, it is into a much more
terrible fire than this that God casts the children who commit mortal sin.»
Every inch of the child's being trembled at the thought of it, but he had
learned a sound lesson on man's final ends, as well as a lively fear of sin.
Yet his mother's comments were more often on Heaven than Hell. One day, hoping
to go to Heaven as soon as possible, Michael imagined he could easily reach it
from the top of the hill where he grazed his flock. After a difficult climb, he
realized that the sky was still higher, but that it seemed to reach another,
higher peak, and so left for this more remote hill. And so, from hill to hill,
he got lost and had to spend the night under the stars. The next day, he found
his way, managed to gather his flock and returned to his family's home. No one
scolded him for his childish flight, but he kept the desire for Heaven deep in
his heart.
In 1806, Michael was placed in
the village school. His lively intelligence and sure memory quickly brought him
to the head of the class. But in 1809, his father obtained him a position as a
servant on a farm to earn some money. When he went out with the flock, Michael
always took a book along with him to teach himself, and in this way learned
grammar and the catechism. Two years later, great anxiety overcame his soul—he
had not yet made his First Communion. A few months later, he obtained
permission to receive Jesus. Thirst for the Eucharist would live in his soul from
then on. Having become a priest, he wrote, «Ours is a strong God—without Him,
my soul languishes, it thirsts... Ours is a living God—without Him, I die... I
cry night and day when I see myself distanced from my God... (cf. Ps. 41
[42]:4).»
Michael dreamed of a vocation.
Little by little, he was stirred by the thought of becoming a priest. When he
returned to his parents' home in 1813, he made known his resolve. But he came
up against a refusal, as his family's poverty did not leave any money for the costs
his studies would entail. The young man then appealed to his grandmother who,
after having convinced his parents, walked twenty-some kilometers in order to
go to Saint-Palais, where there was a parish priest she knew well. She got him
to agree to have Michael stay with him and let him enroll in school. At the
rectory, the young student had a difficult life—while devoting himself to his
studies, he had to carry out numerous domestic tasks at the same time. But with
heroic determination, which was indeed in his temperament, he studied
constantly—while walking, eating and even in the middle of the night—and
finished with excellent results. He became friends with a pious young man,
Evariste, who would die young. «God,» he later said, «gave him insights greater
than all the learning of the theologians. He attained a remarkable level of
meditation and intimate union with God, and yet was so friendly and so
charitable to his neighbor.» After three years at Saint-Palais, Michael was
sent to Bayonne, where he worked in the Bishop's palace while studying at the
School of Saint-Léon. The efforts he put forth to overcome his temperament and
to devote himself to his neighbor brought about a noticeable transformation in
him. He himself reported a characteristic feature of his conduct. «At the
Bishop's palace, I often had to endure the cook's bad moods. I took my revenge
by cheerfully cleaning the pots and the casseroles. And she ended up using her
free time to sew my handkerchiefs and do my laundry.»
A slow but deep mind
In 1818, Michael entered the
Minor Seminary in Aire-sur-l'Adour, then, the following year, entered the Major
Seminary in Dax. His professors first considered him slow-witted, but soon they
realized that he went to the root of every question and always gave a relevant
answer. At that time, the diocese of Bayonne had the practice of sending a few
select pupils to the Saint-Sulpice seminary in Paris, where these students
would receive a more advanced education. Michael was unanimously chosen for
this distinction. But at the last minute, the Bishop, rightly fearing losing
him for the diocese, kept him in Dax. In 1821, he was given the responsibility
of professor in the Minor Seminary in Larressore. There, during the free time
that his courses permitted him, he continued his studies in theology. Finally,
on December 20, 1823, he was ordained a priest.
At the beginning of the year
1824, Michael was named vicar in Cambo. The parish priest, elderly and
paralyzed, left the young vicar in complete charge of ministry. The latter
said, laughing, «If they chose me to be here, it's no doubt because of my
strong shoulders!» Father Garicoits soon won the hearts of his parishioners.
His sermons, clear and understandable to everyone, and enlivened by his love of
God and neighbor, drew to the church more than one of his compatriots who had
forgotten the way there. His reputation spread throughout the Basque country,
and he spent entire days in the confessional, even if it meant going without
meals. He personally attended to the children's catechism, convinced that the
mission of the priest is to teach the elements of Christian doctrine, and that
a good catechism remains, for many people, their primary Christian recollection
to the day they die. His hale constitution allowed him to devote himself to
numerous penances. Yet on feast days, he joined in the delights of the
population and went to the Basque pelota games. Then he would return to the
church to pray at length before the Most Blessed Sacrament.
At the end of 1825, Father
Garicoits was named professor of philosophy at the Major Seminary in Betharram,
and also became its bursar. Both the material and spiritual state of the
seminary were mediocre at best. The buildings, situated on the side of a hill,
were very damp. The discipline, spiritual fervor and progression of studies
left much to be desired, as the Superior, nearly eighty years old, no longer
had the strength to administer the house. Father Garicoits was sent to
Betharram to attempt a necessary and urgent reform. His task was not easy, but
his moral qualities assured him a significant audience among the seminarians,
and allowed him to slowly bring about a sound reform. In 1831, the Superior of
the seminary passed away, and Father Garicoits was named to fill his place.
However, this same year the Bishop decided to transfer the seminary to Bayonne,
to which he sent the philosophy students first. Soon, the new Superior of
Betharram found himself alone in the large empty buildings. But joy and humor
did not leave him...
Do good and wait
The buildings comprising the
seminary of Betharram were adjacent to a sanctuary that had been consecrated to
the Blessed Virgin since the 16th century, and where many miracles had taken
place. Crowds from the entire area, but also pilgrims from distant regions came
there to honor the Mother of God. Father Garicoits took advantage of his
availability to devote himself to an abundant and fertile apostolate by means
of confession and spiritual direction. His solicitude extended to the nuns in
the convent in Igon, which he visited several times a week. Four kilometers
from Betharram, this religious house accommodated a community of the Daughters
of the Cross, members of a Congregation devoted to apostolate among the people,
recently founded by Saint Elizabeth Bichier des Ages. Father Garicoits' contact
with the Sisters allowed him to appreciate the spiritual advantages of
religious life and its apostolic power. Filled with admiration for Saint
Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises, he wished to become a
Jesuit. In 1832, he made a retreat with the Jesuit Fathers in Toulouse. At the
conclusion of this retreat, the priest who was directing him asserted, «God
wants you to be more than a Jesuit... You will follow your first inspiration,
which I believe comes from Heaven, and you will be the father of a religious
family that will be our sister. While you are waiting, God wants you to stay at
Betharram, continuing the ministries that you perform there. Do good there and
wait.»
Father Garicoits returned to his
usual work, without abandoning the idea of forming a religious community
devoted especially to teaching, education, the religious formation of the
worker and farmer, and to all kinds of missions besides. With this aim in view,
he engaged three priests. The Bishop granted this little community the
privileges of diocesan missionaries that already existed in Hasparren, on the
other side of the diocese. Slowly, the community grew novices headed for the
priesthood and brother coadjutors. In Betharram, Father Garicoits created a
permanent «mission» to ensure service to the sanctuary, to receive and offer
confession to the pilgrims, and lead retreats. In the course of these
activities, he placed in the hands of these retreatants the book of Saint Ignatius'
Spiritual Exercises. Drawing his inspiration from the «First Principle and
Foundation» formulated by Saint Ignatius—«Man is created to praise, reverence,
and serve God, our Lord, and by this means to save his soul»—he affirmed: «To
possess God eternally is man's supreme good. His supreme evil is eternal
damnation. There are two eternities. The present life can be likened to a path
that we can make lead to one or the other of these two eternities that we
want.»
What work!
Saint Michael Garicoits believed,
with the entire Church, in the existence of Hell. «The teaching of the Church,»
as the Catechism of the Catholic Church recalls, «affirms the existence
of Hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in
a state of mortal sin descend into Hell, where they suffer the punishments of
Hell, 'eternal fire.' » (CCC, 1035). Quite often in the Gospels, Jesus
warns us about Hell. On the day of judgment, He will speak to those who will be
on His left to tell them: 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal
fire prepared for the demon and his angels'... And these will go off to eternal
punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Mt. 25:41, 46). These words
from Truth itself cannot deceive us. On that day, therefore, there will be
damned souls, lost forever through their own fault. This is why Father
Garicoits' zeal for the salvation of souls inspired him with words glowing with
love. «Our purpose is to work for our own salvation and perfection, for the
salvation and the perfection of our neighbor,» he said to his priests. «To
utterly exert ourselves in this task is to live. To carelessly exert ourselves
is to languish. To not exert ourselves is to die. Working to avoid Hell, to
reach Heaven, to save souls that cost Our Lord so much, that the devil tries so
hard to lose, what work! Does it not demand our complete attention? Can one
fear doing too much? Will we ever do enough? We will never do as much for souls
as the devil and the world will do to lose them.»
But the «Saint of Betharram» did
not forget any part of the revealed Truth. He knew the vastness of Divine Mercy
for those who truly wish to receive it. Visiting a criminal condemned to death,
he insisted from the start, «My friend, you are in a good situation. Cast
yourself upon the bosom of Divine Mercy with utter confidence. Say, 'My God,
have pity on me!' and you will be saved!» He added, «If, one day, I found
myself in danger of losing my life between Betharram and Igon, and if I saw
myself burdened with mortal sins, without help, without a confessor, I would
throw myself heart and soul into the arms of Divine Mercy and would believe
myself to be in a very good situation.»
Tenderness
everywhere
One of his nuns wrote of him, «He
was as immersed in and persuaded of God's goodness as he was of man's
destitution. He could no more understand the feeling of mistrust of God than he
could the presence of pride in the heart of man.» Michael Garicoits drew his
gentleness from contemplation of Jesus. «What does Our Lord preach to us?
Tenderness everywhere—in the Incarnation, His holy Childhood, the Passion, in
the Sacred Heart, in every inch of His person, both internally and externally,
in His words, in His looks... What must be the foremost characteristic of our
spiritual life? Christian tenderness. Without this tenderness, we will never
possess this spirit of generosity with which we must serve God. It is as
necessary for our interior life and our relationship with God as it is for our
exterior life and our relationship with men. What is the gift of the Holy
Spirit whose special purpose it is to bestow this tenderness? The gift of
piety.»
In the French Catholic world of
the 19th century, the idea took shape that in order to re-Christianize
post-revolutionary France, it was necessary to re-Christianize the schoolhouse.
Convinced of this necessity, Father Garicoits opened a primary school in
Betharram in November 1837, not without the opposition of some members of his
community who hoped to keep all available resources for the missions.
Nevertheless, success was immediate—the students soon numbered two hundred. For
our Saint, to educate was «to form the man and to prepare him to yield a useful
and honorable career in his state of life, and thus to prepare for eternal
life, in elevating the present life... Education, be it intellectual, moral or
religious, is the highest human work that can be done. It is the continuation
of what is most noble and elevated in the divine work: the creation of souls...
Education imprints beauty, nobility, courtesy, greatness. It is an inspiration
for life, grace and light.» Encouraged by the marvelous transformation that he
observed among the students, the founder opened or re-opened numerous schools
in the region over the course of the years.
Sensitive to attacks by the
enemies of religion, and desirous of defending it, Michael Garicoits worked to
enlighten souls through serious doctrinal education. He devoted time in
particular to apologetics, the account of truths that support our faith.
«[T]his faith in a God who reveals Himself also finds support in the reasoning
of our intelligence. When we reflect, we observe that proofs of God's existence
are not lacking. These have been elaborated by thinkers under the form of
philosophical demonstrations in the sense of rigorously logical deductions. But
they can also take on a simpler form. As such, they are accessible to everyone
who seeks to understand the meaning of the world around him» («The Proofs of
God's Existence,» General Audience, John Paul II, July 10, 1985). The General
Directory for Catechesis, published in 1997 by the Congregation for the Clergy,
affirms, «[E]ffective apologetics to assist the faith-culture dialogue is
indispensable today.»
In 1838, Father Garicoits asked
his Bishop for permission for him and his companions to follow the
Constitutions of the Jesuits. Bishop Lacroix gave his provisional acceptance,
and later submitted to the Fathers, who would from then on be called «The
Auxiliary Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,» a new Rule that he had drawn
up for them. But this text was quite deficient. The vows were not acknowledged
in their full force. The Bishop reserved functions that should have been
retained by the Superior... In his profound humility and obedience, Father
Garicoits nevertheless submitted without the least reserve. However, certain
faulty provisions in the new Rule caused dissensions within the community that
the founder would have to endure until the end of his life. On numerous
occasions Father Garicoits depicted the disjointedness of the situation, but
without success. Returning one day from a meeting with Bishop Lacroix, he
confessed, in a tone filled with emotion, «What a laborious thing the birth of
a Congregation is!» It would not be until after the death of the founder and
the arrival of the 1870's that the new Congregation would succeed in
establishing itself according to Father Garicoits' views.
Forward! All the
way to Heaven!
On his trips to Bayonne to meet
his Bishop, Father Garicoits would sometimes go to see his elderly parents. He
would arrive there towards evening, have supper and spend most of the night
talking to his father, showing him the deepest affection and going so far as to
smoke, using one of his father's pipes. He would then return to his overwhelming
schedule, splitting his time between his Congregation, the Sisters of Igon, the
schools, the missions and the direction of souls. Around 1853, his vigorous
health began to weaken and an attack of paralysis stopped him momentarily. In
1859, he suffered another attack, from which he made a miraculous recovery. He
reassured his brethren, «Be calm, we will go on as long as the good Lord wants
us to.» During Lent 1863, a particularly serious attack was an omen of his
coming death. Always enthusiastic, he exclaimed to the Sisters of Igon, «Let's
go! Forward! All the way to Heaven! We have to go to Paradise!» On May 14 of
that same year, Ascension Thursday, he died murmuring, «Have pity on me, Lord,
in Your great mercy.»
«Father, here I am!» This was the
exclamation that sprang from the heart of Saint Michael Garicoits. «Our God is
a Father,» he used to say. «In the end, we must surrender to His love, we must
answer Him, 'Here I am!' At once, He will lift His child from the cradle of his
misery and lavish all His Love on him.» This is the grace that we ask Saint
Joseph and Saint Michael Garicoits to obtain for you and all your loved ones.
Dom Antoine Marie osb.
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