FOUNDING

THE
MISSIONARIES
OF
PROVENCE
◉ 1815 TO HELP THE CHURCH IN DISTRESS
It is good to transcribe some important papers, before we start on

the phases leading up to the foundation, regarding the state of mind

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT 1897

The missionaries are rooted in the shock that priests feel at the
◉ of Eugene at this time of choice. I built the groundwork for our small

company in 1815. It is my major aim that the destitute, prisoners and

children would be evangelized. I wanted some devoted fellow men

terrible state of the church, along with the clergy's weaknesses. In just who were able to exchange ideas inspired by God.

over 10 years, they have been able to identify and locate stability.

From October 1815 forward. Foundation date and

Commitment to everybody by Rome's authorized constitutions.

July 1826. ◉ 1815 APPROVAL OF DIOCESAN AUTHORITIES
Most of the church's repair was carried out pretty soon thanks to

Guigou's talks. On Palm Sunday it was ready for prayer. The Seventh

◉
of April 1816. It was turned around by the Diocese. Sometime later to

LODGING AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS 1815 the Missionaries of Provence. The grant was not, however, approved

before May 1822 by Royal Decree for the Archbishopric of Aix. The
In 1815, the dioceses of Aix had the same borders that the concordat
Diocese thereupon gives it to the Provençal Missionaries.
of 1801 provided for them, for instance the area of Bouchesdu-Rhone

and Var, two existing departments to which the district of Grasse was

added. And which now belongs to the Sea Alps. Although on 25

January 1816 he sent the Capitular Vicars a demand to authorize the

missionaries of Provence it was Guigou who gave the official

◉ 1815 THE SEARCH FOR COMPANIONS
We discovered Eugene's letter to Hilaire Aubert, possibly written in

approving response four days later. September 1815, in the Archives of the Holy Childhood in Paris. It is

THE LETTERS TO HILAIRE AND TEMPIER 1815

In September 1815, the letter from Hilaire Aubert was said to be.
◉ found hereafter. He was a priest-director at the Major Seminary in

Limoges, first in the Diocese of Aix, then. Fr. Rauzan and Forbin

Janson preferred the French Missionaries over Aubert.

Fortunately, much contact with Tempier remains with the letter from

Eugene De Mazenod to Hilaire Aubert. Although this material is

published in several publications, the latest is Oblate. Repeating them

here seems beneficial.

◉ 1815 EUGENE DE MAZENOD
All indicates that Eugene overcame his hesitancy during August or

◉
early September 1815 and began the process as stated above, to at

OCTOBER 2, WE LAID THE FOUNDATIONS 1815 least agree with the diocesan authorities and locate a local,

financing and accompanying. This time is possible with the letter to

Back in August 1820 on 2 October, 1815, the decision to lay down a
Hilaire Aubert and the first encounters with Icard and Maunier.
registry for the procedures of admission to the novitiate was taken in a

◉
Notre Dame du Laus assembly (Cf. Missions 1952). Everybody wrote a

format of their own. Of course, De Mazenod arrived the first, number 2,

which Tempier had been assigned, because he had not delivered his
1815 OCTOBER TO DECEMBER
His first letter to Tempier was written by Eugene on 9 October. Eugene
answer until the end of October, is chronologically wrong.
wrote to his colleague Charles on 23 and 24 October in order to

LAST PREPARATIONS 1815

On 30 December, in the presence of a notary, the deed of acquisition
◉ inform him on the situation. The dad's message in

November 8. November accepts Tempier's reply. Tempier's letter of 20

December announcing his forthcoming arrival to Aix.

Palermo on

◉
of the Carmelite Convent was signed. His December letter to Forbin

1816 JANUARY 25
could not be completed. So in January he restarted it.

So we get to the critical day of 25 January 1816. On the same day five

Missionaries of Provence signed the plea to the General Vicars of

Capitular Aix. Sunday in Septuaguesima. The first combined mission

was started on 11 February 1816 in Grans near Salon-de-Provences:

Juliannah Athena S. Mercado Eugene De Mazenod, Icard, Debileu and Mie participated in four

missionaries. Tempier was staying in Aix for the service of the church

BSN 1G
and the congregation of young people, which had then more than

300 young people.