Jane Teresa of the blog My heart was restless passed on to me the story of a martyr priest from the time of the French Revolution who went to his death on this day in 1794. He refused to take the oath of allegiance to the "Civil Constitution of the Clergy", a law passed by the Constituent Assembly of the Revolution which subjected the Church to the civil government.Many priests and religious understandably fled the country and did great work elsewhere - including the USA. A brave few actually stayed on to minister to their flock - among them Blessed Noel Pinot. After refusing to take the oath he had to go into hiding but he came back publicly after the initial success of the rising in the Vendée.
During the brutal suppression of the rising (with atrocities amounting to genocide) Fr Pinot was captured while fully vested for Mass. He was dragged through the streets to the jeers of hostile spectators and soldiers and thrown into prison. After twelve days, he was sentenced to death for refusing to take the oath.
He went to the guillotine still vested for Mass and repeatedly praying the words that begin the Mass: "Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam.
Whenever we suffer, we should always remember that our trials are puny compared to those of the heroic martyrs of the faith.
9 comments:
Thank you, I had never heard of this martyr before.
Thank you for acquainting me with Blessed Noel Pinot. An inspiring story.
I think-- what a tragedy it was at the time, that he was killed. But now, 200 years later, what a tragedy it is for those who caved and took the oath-- and what glory Fr. Pinot must be living in now.
That's why I love the lives of the saints; they help to correct my perspective.
I had not heard of this brave priest, but it is a wonderful story. Unfortunately when I first saw the heading I thought you were talking about the wine Pinot Grigio !
Wow, what a humbling image.
I've added it to the bottom of a post I just made about praying for our bishops, that they may act with holy boldness.
That's holy boldness, displayed by Blessed Noel Pinot. Most priests and bishops today face only a "guillotine" of words. May they learn from such examples in Church history to hold the line.
We in RORATE CÆLI would also like to express our solidarity with you, dear Father and old supporter of our blog. Thank you for your work - and how privileged are those who have you as their Parish Priest!
NC
Many thanks, New Catholic, and thank you for the excellent information that you tirelessly provide.
Father, it is helpful for Catholics in Britain and France to understand how we have all, over the centuries, undergone great trials, so may I tell your readers of another heroic priest during the Terror?
Fr. Philibert de Bruillard was ordained one month before the Revolution. Like Fr. Pinot, he decided to stay in Paris undercover, and became one of the team of hidden priests who, amongst the crowds, followed the condemned to the guillotine and watched their lips and eyes for signs of prayerful entreaties to God. He then responded, giving absolution. He was thus present at the death of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.
Fr. de Bruillard was not captured but survived and, when the terror later cooled, was sent to be Bishop of Grenoble. It was thus he who interviewed Melanie and Maximin following the apparitions at la Salette, set up the five-year commission of investigation and concluded in 1851 that miraculous apparitions had occurred (seven years before the apparitions to St. Bernadette at Lourdes)`.
Thank you, tempus, I'm going to remember that story!
Dear Fr Tim,
Blessed Noel Pinot was tried by a revolutionary tribunal which was presided over by an apostate priest who sneered at Blessed Noel for his priesthood.
Blessed Noel was asked if he had none last request and it was that he be allowed to wear his priestly vestments to the guillotine.
This was allowed, partly so that it could be seen what happened to so-called "refractory" priests (i.e. those who followed God and not the abominable revolution).
Thus this great saint mounted the steps of the scaffold as he used to mount the steps to the altar.
And, as you record, he did so with the opening words of the ancient and ever new rite of Mass:
Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meum
"I shall go in unto the altar of God, that God who giveth joy to my youth"
A more holy end for a priest could hardly be imagined...
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