The eleven vicariates of the congregation

Vicariate of France-Spain

France is the birthplace of the Betharram Congregation. According to the first biography of St Michael by Father Basilde Bourdonne, the saint of Betharram began assembling his first disciples. Once the Major Seminary had been transferred to Bayonne in 1833, he was left on his own “superior of the four walls of a huge building”. The first beginnings of the future Congregation emerged in the shadow of the Marian shrine, and it was here that Father Michael Garicoits assembled the first group of volunteers “ready to go wherever obedience called them”.

In the “History of Betharram since the Revolution of 1790” Father Fondeville has left us a terse account of the official birth of the first community:

In the month of October of this same year (1835) the community of Betharram, composed of MM Garicoits, Guimon, Chirou, Larrouy and Fondeville wanting to have a rule for their own sanctification and edification adopted the rules of the Missionaries of Hasparren and without any further ado for a novitiate other than their willingness to glorify God, save their own souls and sanctify the people, elected M. Garicoits as their superior, promising him obedience and poverty, and renewing their vow of celibacy they emptied their modest sums of money into his hands.

The official date of the birth of the Congregation is 10 September 1841, when the Bishop Mgr Lacroix gave the little community its first Betharramite rule. For that occasion, Father Didace Barbe wrote the PV of the ceremony and first profession:

On the 10 September 1841, during Mass celebrated by Mgr Lacroix, Bishop of Bayonne, in the chapel at Betharram in accordance with the constitutions of the Society of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, annual vows were made by MM Garicoits, Guimon, Perguillhem, Fondeville, Chirou, Bellocq, Cassou and Carrerot.

Right up to the beginning of the 20th century there will be no other communities in France except those founded by St Michael and Father Etchecopar in the diocese of Bayonne: Betharram, Orthez, Pau, Bayonne, Anglet, Sarrance and Oloron. These foundations all disappeared with the expulsion of the religious in 1903.

It was then that to prepare a safe refuge for the expelled religious a foundation in Spain was decided: the Buena Vista residence and, at Irun, the Cesario residence which welcomed the senior fathers and General Council; and the apostolicat at Mendelu (1910) . The two first communities were closed when the Betharramite religious were able to return to France at the end of World War I. The apostolicat passed from being a refuge for young French candidates to a junior seminary for the formation of the first Spanish religious, earmarked principally for Betharramite missions in South America or for the mission to China.

The 1947 General Chapter decided to divide the Congregation into Provinces, the Province of France to which were added the communities in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Beit-Jala (Holy Land), Casablanca (Morocco) and Sidi-bel-Abbes (Algeria). Numerically speaking this was the biggest and most important part of the Congregation. Despite the distance Spain was added to the list because of the linguistic and cultural links to the Province of Rio de la Plata as well as Argentina and Uruguay.

This new organisation helped in the realisation of a fantastic development of the Congregation and the birth of new religious communities; in France the communities at Floirac, Gan, Limoges, Saint Affrique, Pau, Saint Palais, Auch, Bazas, Balarin etc in Spain Zamora, Saragossa and Azpetia.

From May 1977, Spain was detached from the South American Province and became a delegation, directly answerable to the Superior General to give a fresh impulse to the pastoral of vocations. With this in view a new parish community was opened at Castellon de la Plana in the region of Valence.

Finally the 2005 General Chapter decided on a new form of organisation: the Regions composed of regional Vicariates along national lines. Today France and Spain form a single Vicariate belonging to the Region “Saint-Michel-Garicoits”.

Roberto Cornara, archivist

Now
AND TOMORROW…

with Fr Jean-Do Delgue scj

The Franco-Spanish Vicariate is composed of 58 religious in six communities:

The Maison Neuve community
at Betharram: a community of senior religious, each with a long record of religious life and missionary activity. This is a community with the time to pray for the whole congregation. As well as the religious there are 14 lay persons who enjoy the care and attention of the staff at the Care Home in the service of all the residents.

Notre Dame Community at Betharram: it has just welcomed the novitiate for the Region with the Master of Novices, Fr Jacky Moura and 2 novices from Ivory Coast. This community has the responsibility for the animation of the sanctuaries, for welcoming individuals or Betharram religious passing through, for the pastoral of the college and the parish Notre Dame du Piemont.

The Pau Community
It is situated in town. The last General Chapter decided that Pau should be an international community. Together with the cult of Blessed Mariam, with the students’ hostel, with the reception of different groups from the diocese or elsewhere, the mission of this community is to continue and consolidate the spiritual animation while at the same time looking after the chaplaincy of different Church movements and Care Homes and other parish services. Fr. Stervin and Fr. Pornchai from the Blessed Mariam Region answered the Superior General’s call to be part of this international community.

The Anglet-Saint Palais Community

in two residences. In Saint Palais the religious live in the birth place of Father Etchecopar and are responsible for Ibarre and pilgrimages as well as helping the parish of Saint Palais. At Anglet the religious are chaplains to the Servants of Mary.

The community at Pibracthe religious are responsible for the animation of the parish. It is also the formation community for the Vicariate. It is a community of transit thanks to the proximity of the airport.

The Mendelu Community (Spain): It was the wish of the General Chapter to maintain the presence of this community. To achieve this a religious has just arrived from France and in the next few weeks another will arrive from Brazil. It is a community responsible for the Saint Michael Garicoits parish as well as accompanying several chaplaincies: the Daughters of the Cross, Carmel, and the Christian Brothers.

Even if the average age of the religious is high, it doesn’t prevent the Vicariate from being dynamic. It can also be a source of joy to note that the six communities are international and are sign of the universality of the Church.

In this jubilee year of St Michael Garicoits the religious have the opportunity of making known the life and charism of their Founder. A steering committee of 8 religious worked very hard to prepare a press release with suggestions for animation, retreats and conferences. This committee continues to coordinate all requests from priests, parishes and schools so as to respond in the best possible manner. It is impossible to imagine the results of this jubilee year and all its fruits. What is most interesting for this group of religious is the diversity of characters helping them to realise together such an important work of animation.

Vicariate meeting? Not quite. Betharram Fathers and Brothers caught in the act of rehearsing a play on Saint Michael set up in 2013. A great event of communion.

The Vicariate meetings which take place once or twice a year are times of sharing faith and fraternity. Is it not prophetic to assemble around a table a group of religious whose ages range from 30 years to more than 100 at a time when usually only efficiency counts?

It is important not to forget the presence of the fraternity “Me Voici” in the life of the Vicariate, the commitment of several lay persons with the communities to help in their mission of welcoming and management. They are part of the Betharramite family and each in his/her own way benefits from the spirituality of St Michael.

Even if the Vicariate is going through difficult times there is no shortage of projects. The refurbishment of the house in Pau is under discussion. Reflexion on the property in Betharram, started in November 2012, is leading to new openings. Despite its limits the Vicariate is progressing with faith and trust, with the wish to construct communities which are prayerful and fraternal and to respond to the needs of the world. The presence of religious brothers from Africa, Asia and South America is priceless inviting to openness, and to be signs of fraternity “foundation and means to peace” (Pope Francis in his message for World Day Peace, 1 January 2014). Yes, indeed “always forward”!

Jean-Dominique Delgue, scj