1900-05-04
"From his childhood, Claude Poullart des Places had a great concern for the poor. He was convinced 'that their souls were no less dear to Jesus than those of the greatest nobles in the land and that one could expect as much or even more from them'; therefore, he set out to pro-duce virtuous and learned priests from amongst their number. Those he chose were freed from all material worries. They followed the same courses as the Jesuit scholastics and were carefully trained in cate-chism and preaching" (J. Michel: Mémoire Spiritaine, Etudes et Documents no. 4, p. 113).
Depuis son enfance, Poullart des Places a le souci des pauvres. Convaincu que “leurs âmes n’étaient pas moins chères à Jésus-Christ que celles des plus grands seigneurs et qu’il y avait autant et plus de fruits à en espérer”, il entend leur préparer des prêtres à la fois vertueux et savants. Parmi les pauvres écoliers, il choisit ceux qu’il juge les plus capables d’acquérir science et vertu. Libérés de tout souci matériel, ils suivent les même cours que les scolastiques de la Compagnie de Jésus, sont soigneusement formés au catéchisme et à la prédication. (J. Michel,. Mémoire Spiritaine, Et.& Doc. 4, p.113, extraits).
Desde a sua infância, Poullart des Places preocupou-se com os pobres. Convencido que “as suas almas não eram menos caras a Jesus Cristo que as dos maiores senhores e que havia tantos e mais frutos a esperar deles”, pensa preparar-lhes padres ao mesmo tempo virtuosos e sábios. Entre os estudantes pobres, escolhe os que julga mais capazes de adquirir ciência e virtude. Libertos de toda a preocupação material, seguem os mesmos cursos que os escolásticos da Companhia de Jesus, são cuidadosamente formados no catecismo e pregação. (J .Michel, Mémoire Spiritaine, Et.&Doc. 4, p. 113, extraits).