In less than a week (on February 2nd), on the day the Church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, we Oblates of St. Francis de Sales throughout the world -priests, brothers, and sisters- will recall the death of our holy Founder, Blessed Louis Brisson.
Even more than a century after his death, the sad and tragic circumstances surrounding his death are painful to recall. The laws of an anti-clerical France had forced most religious to leave the country, surrendering all their ministries, apostolates, and homes to the State. Because of his advanced age and frail health, Father Brisson was unable to leave with his fellow Oblates. Thus, with only one Oblate brother to care for him, he retired to his small childhood home in the village of Plancy, France. The home was next door to the parish Church in which he, an only child, had been baptized many years before.
One day, upon returning from a short carriage ride, he noticed that the hostile civil government had posted a “For Sale” sign on his home. From that day on, he never left the house again.
From time to time a few Oblates and Mother Aviat (now St. Leonie Aviat) would secretly return to France to spend some precious time with the saintly priest, founder, and friend. As his death neared, an Oblate asked Father Brisson for a final word to share with the members of his two religious foundations, a word that would comfort them when was no longer with them and would serve as his spiritual legacy to them. His reply was simple but profound: “Tell them I love them with all my heart.” He did not need to say more, for these few words said it all.
Early on the feast of the Presentation in the year of 1908, while the Church bells were calling people to Mass, Father Louis Brisson went home to God. On the day when Jesus was brought to the Temple, the earthly home of God, Louis Brisson entered the heavenly Temple of that same God.
During the long months of this stubborn and deadly pandemic, I kept hearing of Covid-19 victims dying all alone, with no loved ones permitted to be with them for fear of contagion. I believe that in Blessed Louis Brisson those victims have a saintly patron, someone who can relate to being quite alone at that most solemn of life’s moments. I hope he was there to greet every one of them when they made their way to God!
Blessed Louis Brisson, pray for us!
Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
