In memoriam...

Father Henri LATASTE scj
Captieux (France), 10 February 1928 - Paris (France), 10 May 2015

If only we could have a group of priests whose programme was that of the Heart of Jesus...! Such priests would be a real flying corps of good priests, ready to rush where ever they have been sent, even and above all if it is in the most difficult of ministries which others wouldn’t even want!

Homily at Saint-Pierre du Gros Caillou parish (Paris) on May 15 by Father Richard Escudier

I don’t mean to say that Father Henri Lataste wanted to go to Saint-Pierre du Gros Caillou where others were unwilling to go! But it is a fact that this devoted servant of God spent 50 years there, in the service of La Rochefoucauld parish and the families of the sector. This morning we share the pain of his family and the prayer of all those who knew and loved him.

We can be grateful that his departure towards God and the celebration of his funeral are taking place round the feast of the Ascension. As we look towards heaven we know that the things of this earth are transfigured by the light of the Glory of God and of the Risen Christ. In contemplating the One now seated at the right hand of the Father, Christians cherish the hope which is given them that God’s love has definitely enlightened the world. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for when they don’t see God, they hear Him. Blessed are the pure of heart because God shows Himself to them..... He speaks to them”. In her Journal (27th February 1930) Marthe Robin says that what Henri Lataste accomplished in his heart as a priest: throughout his whole priestly life he celebrated the Eucharist believing in the invisible. St Leo the Great wrote: “At the breaking of bread the eyes of the guests were opened. Those who see the glorification of their human nature have an even greater happiness” It was with the eyes of faith that Henri Lataste celebrated the mystery of Jesus in the service of his brothers.

There are some who say that all that seems very mysterious! But a priest’s life should be a mystery or else it is not a reality. Father Lataste proved this discretely in performing his priestly duties in the service of all. Those who came into contact with him understood that the passing days were not empty of eternity. Christian hope is easily accessible to those whose lives have been touched by God. Those who had been through trials and who had profited by his ministry know it better than anyone else. Since Father Lataste was a regular visitor to the Hostel at La Flatiere, I am going to quote these words from Father Jacques Ravanel, who is the founder: “The life of faith does not grow through doubts, but through non-evident assurances.”

Now one can begin to talk about the mystery of the special vocation of each individual, such as Marthe Robin expressed, she who had the first idea of the Charitable Hostels: “My God, fill me with an ever greater fire, with a new fire; fill my soul with all the flames of the Holy Spirit so that, more generously than ever, I may fly to all the demands of my vocation so as to act at all times according to your wishes and in the state where your love holds me” (June 1933) “To all the demands of my vocation”. The vocation of Henri Lataste was where God had put him and where he accomplished His will. (...)

The ministry of Father Lataste at La Rochefoucauld and at the Alma, his accompaniment of so many engaged couples and families for the christening of their children, his presence with those who had reached retiring age is witness of the beauty of life as God has ordained; and his presence with his parishioners in their hour of need bears witness today to the gentleness of a God who gives strength to the soul.

The extraordinary journey of Father Lataste is to be seen through his vocation in the service of souls and which had already been expressed by Michael Garicoits in that dream of his. This holy missionary was putting into practice in the 19th century the great art of directing souls and leading them to God. How can we not be amazed on seeing how Henri Lataste resumed in his priesthood the ideal of the French Spirituality of the humanity of Jesus that is of his heart aflame with love for the whole of humanity? (...)

Right up to the end Father Lataste thought that tomorrow would see him fit for his mission either on foot or on his motor-bike! Providence had willed that he should reach the end of a well-filled life. It is evening and the door has closed in the study where he has been waiting to hear some confidence. The shaft of light has died down; he has met up with the angels; like them, we can be sure that the faithful watchman that he is, is still on guard.

Father Bruno IERULLO scj
Vallelonga (Italy), 21 March 1943 - Buenos Aires (Argentina), 2 June 2015

Father Bruno Ierullo was born in Vallelonga, Calabria, on 21 March 1943. It was at the age of 12 that he emigrated with his family to America with his father, his mother and five younger brothers. Even as a child he helped his parents by working on modest tasks such as selling vegetables on the market or shining shoes in Avellaneda. After a few years, the family he always loved came to live in Wilde, a district of Avellaneda where they still live. He then entered the Bétharramite Apostolate at Barracas at the age of 13, where, over time, his vocation matured. He did his novitiate and studied at the seminary in Villa Bétharram at Adrogué. As for his studies, he pursued them at Rafael Calzada taught by the Fathers of the Divine Word; there he developed his interest in philosophy and theology. In 1969 he was ordained a priest in the chapel of the Holy Family of Adrogué (Bétharram). He began his ministry as a religious priest, first at Villa Bétharram going into ordinary neighbourhoods, still devoted to the catechesis of children and the service of the poorest people. There he met a group of young, engaged and married people who helped him realize his dream: the children’s home of Our Lady of Bétharram which he founded 40 years ago!

In the 70s he was a religious teacher and spiritual director at St. Joseph College in Buenos Aires. Arriving in 1978, he was asked to be director of the College of the Sacred Heart in Rosario, a position he occupied until the late 90s. In 1991, he was appointed Provincial Superior of the Rio de la Plata (Argentina and Uruguay), a post he fulfilled for two terms until late 1998. During that time, he was also college director at Saint Joseph in Buenos Aires. These were difficult years combining many struggles and research into educational engagement. He participated in the constitutional convention in 1993 as a representative of the education sector for the province of Santa Fe. Each summer, he was a tireless missionary in Catamarca and Santiago del Estero. In 1999 he was appointed General Councillor for two terms and Coordinator for Latin America. He lived in Argentina taking on pastoral responsibility in the colleges of the Sacred Heart and St Michael Garicoits for two years. In 2001, he returned to Martin Coronado, his beloved city; there he was to be the religious advisor in charge of pastoral responsibility until just recently. He had become, in some way, the priest of the college for a generation of numerous fathers, children and grandchildren. So many camping trips, climbing Champaqui, excursions to Calamuchita, his favourite place in Bariloche, always accompanied by him, always having an unassuming manner, organizing everything, cooking, celebrating mass, hearing confessions, fixing what was broken, healing wounds, and taking care of buying everything necessary to make everyone feel good ... Father Bruno left us after having celebrated his 72 years, after a disease he faced with courage, attended very carefully by doctors. A recent development was severe and certainly hit him hard. He had to spend the last two weeks at a British hospital. These words are only the outline of the life of a religious Bétharramite priest so fruitful it is so difficult to summarize in a few sentences. An existence entirely devoted to creating the Kingdom of God wherever he was sent. With a very special human quality, a great love for his congregation and for children, youth and families, he accompanied them as a father and a pastor with tireless energy and attention. His departure leaves a great void in the heart; only the power of hope can fill this, the hope that wherever he is now, by the mercy of the Lord, he enjoys eternal rest in a heavenly Bétharram.

Gustavo Agín scj