1901-1936: Conflict and Resolution

Political Problems and New Foundations

In 1901, the French government ordered all Religious congregations to draw up a list of their houses and works. The Council of State judged that the Congregation of the Holy Spirit had ceased to exist in 1845 and as the Society of the Holy Heart of Mary was never legally recognised, the Congregation in France had to close down and its members return to their dioceses of origin.

However, Mgr. Le Roy drew up a memorandum for the Council of State, showing that it was the Holy Heart of Mary that had been suppressed in 1845, and therefore their recent decision was based on inaccurate information. The Council of State unanimously agreed to revoke its decision.

New Conflicts in France

But even though legally recognised, the Congregation was harassed  by the government, which closed Religious schools and colleges.

Mgr. Le Roy said of this new form of persecution against the Church:

“Twelve of our houses are being closed at the same time, leaving homeless 300 fathers and brothers, at least a hundred of whom are old or sick, and more than 1,500 children and young people”.

In 1905, the French Government decreed the separation of Church and State and closed the Seminary of the Holy Spirit.

During the First World War, many Religious were mobilised. They shared the same fate and witnessed the same horrors as all the other soldiers, establishing a solidarity and friendship that held strong when religious persecution arose after the war. As a consequence, persecution gradually died down and the congregations were able to re-establish themselves.

The Portuguese Revolution

In October 4, 1910, a revolution scattered Religions and the country adopted a law separating Church and State in 1911. The government closed many monasteries and convents and the Spiritan Province was left in ruins. It was gradually built up again over the next ten years.

The Easter Rising in Dublin

On Easter Monday, 1916, the independence movement in Ireland took a decisive step forwards with a revolt against the British government in Dublin. The rising was put down, but the momentum continued, resulting in independence in 1921. Amongst the leaders of the independence movement were former students of Rockwell and Blackrock.

Birth of New Provinces

The religious persecution in France and the need for missionaries from a wider range of countries, encouraged Mgr. Le Roy to open up new circumscriptions. The result was six foundations started at the beginning of the 20th century: Belgium, Holland, England, Canada, Switzerland and Poland.

Dakar

One of Daniel Brottier’s final letters said the following:

“Regarding Dakar, I can assure you that I did not think of human glory for one moment. We must see the love of God in everything”.

The mission at Dakar was started by the Spiritans in 1846; seventy years later, Mgr. Jalabert, the Bishop of Senegambia, launched the idea of building a cathedral in the same place to the glory of God and the memory of all the missionaries who gave their lives for Africa. It would be called the “Cathédrale du Souvenir African”.

A symbol of the implantation of the Church in Africa

Mission is the work of God given concrete form by the hands of missionaries. The gift of their lives, their inculturation in a foreign country, their sanctification and their apostolic zeal – all these things produced much fruit. Jesus was brought close to people by the witness of their lives and their visits to those who were most neglected.

Mgr. Jalabert wanted to do something so that the memory of the work of God that was accomplished by those who went before should not be forgotten. Hence the project of the memorial cathedral.

In 1912, he wrote a letter to Daniel Brottier, a young Spiritan who had been working in Senegal but had to return to France for medical reasons:

“Do you feel able to build a temple for the Lord? Your health prevents you from working any more in Africa that you love so much, but you could do splendid work for Africa in Paris. Throughout France, you could organize collections, conferences, bring-and-buy sales and all kinds of other money-raising events to arouse enthusiasm and generosity for our future cathedral”

The plans for the cathedral were drawn up, but the First World War put a stop to the work, and in January 1920, Mgr. Jalabert and fifteen other Spiritans were drowned in the shipwreck of the “Afrique”. But work was resumed and the cathedral was finally consecrated on February 2, 1936, just a few weeks before the death of Daniel Brottier.