The Fondeville Notebook (7)

Having bought the old Prémontrés Monastery at Sarrance in 1851, the Monsignor made the Betharram Fathers responsible for that parish and for the Pilgrimage of Our Lady in 1852;...

Sarrance

... he sent Mr Larrouy there as the Superior, Mr Castetnau as the Parish Priest and Mr Cazau as the Curate; soon to be joined by a young Basque priest, after taking the competitive exam of the Basques who went willingly in big numbers to visit Our Lady of Sarrance. The Good Lord called him to the Company of Jesus. Mr Larrieu, who had abandoned the Parish of Sarrance asked the Congregation for sanctuary: the Congregation received him willingly as he was still young and of sound health. Indeed, he made himself useful to the Congregation either at Orthez, where he had been a Curate in the past, or at Betharram listening to the pilgrims’ confessions.

That way, Our Lady of Betharram would gently join together those in the Aspe Valley and those within the borders of the Pau plain at the foot of the Pyrenees, a union represented by the two rivers which come from the same source in Spain, then separate and flow along to the foot of each of the two sanctuaries, a distance of 80 kms, and then join again at Peyrehorade.

The Sarrance Residence, like that at Pau, soon bore abundant fruits; confessions became frequent, the various works of Pau occupied Mr Vigneau in the work of the Curacy and we can say that foreigners took up his time just as much as the people of Pau. Mr Castetnau, who was already like a missionary, soon captured a respectful affection from the parishioners of Sarrance. Mr Larrouy stirred the parishioners and pilgrims by his strong rationale and by his training. He had already travelled across the Diocese for 16 years, giving missions almost habitually with Mr Chirou, until the latter, involved in administration since 1848, had to give up his Apostolic errands for 6 or 7 years. Mr Casau assisted the Superior and Mr Castetnau by his diligence to the confessional and seeing the infirm, especially in the renowned hamlets, perched on the precipitous montains.

A village in the Aspe valley

It was in the month of August 1853 that, while reading the new statutes of the Auch Provincial Committee, the Superior was suddenly struck by paralysis, but fortunately it gave way to being bled and to pills.

He made a journey around the month of November to La Puye and Valenciennes, accompanied by a new member of the Congregation: it was Mr De Bailliencourt, originally from Valenciennes which he had left over 8 years before. A lung condition had kept him in Montepellier and in the Midi region. After a season at Eaux-Bonnes in 1847 or 1848, the gentleman asked to stay at Betharram; after a year, he took up his studies again; he applied himself to Theology, in the belief that he had been called to the Priesthood in the Congregation. His lung condition had more or less gone or at least stabilised. He entered into Holy Orders in 1851, and in 1853 he became a Priest. It was in this year that he accompanied Mr Garicoits, without doubt for two commendable motives - the first was to see his parents, the second was to serve as a positive distraction for the Superior for 1 or 2 months, as per the advice of doctors. The two travellers returned in reasonably good health. Then Mr De Bailliencourt spent 2 or 3 days in Igon, making himself useful to the Community where he later set up an Orphanage. He was also a remarkable benefactor of the Carmelites.

Simon Fondeville scj
(1805-1872)
(continuation)