August 26 Blessed Jacques Retouret Priest and Martyr OC: Optional Memorial

Blessed Jacques Retouret (1746-1794) is one of a group of 64 priests representing hundreds of clerics who, during the height of the French Revolution, were herded like animals onto prison ships in Rochefort Bay. Upon learning of the invalidity of the oath required under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, he publicly retracted his assent to it; consequently, he was considered an enemy of the people whom he had served as an observant religious and popular preacher of Limoges. After having suffered insults, abuse, and the deprivation of all spiritual ministry along with his brother priests, and particularly as a result of exposure to the cold, "he suffered from a painful sciatica which tested his patience for a long time, but he never lost his courage," according to the testimony of an eyewitness. He died of the plague on August 26, 1794, and was buried on Madame Island. Along with 63 fellow prisoners, he was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul Il on October 1, 1995.

From the Common of One Martyr, except the following:

Office of Readings

The Second ReadingPositio super martyrium et superfamam martyrii, pp. 148-150

From the "Resolutions taken by the imprisoned priests aboard the ship Deux Associes"

They bore their cross without complaint

They will not surrender to useless anxiety about their release; rather, they will try to profit from their time of detention, meditating on their past lives , making holy resolutions for the future , so that even during their physical imprisonment, they may find freedom of spirit.

Should God permit them to recover, in whole or in part, that freedom for which nature yearns, they will avoid giving themselves over to an excessive joy when they are informed of it. Preserving their peace of soul, they will demonstrate that they have borne the cross imposed on them without complaint, and that they were ready to continue to carry it for a long time with the courage of true Christians who do not permit themselves be overcome by adversity.

If given the possibility of recovering their belongings , they will show no eagerness to reclaim them; rather, they will respond humbly and truthfully to whatever they are asked. They will accept whatever is given them without complaint, accustomed, as they should be, to put little stock in the things of this world and to be content with little, following the example of the Apostles.They will not satisfy the curiosity of those whom they meet on their way, and they will not respond to useless questions about their experiences. Rather, without going into detail and without showing resentment either towards those responsible or toward those who were their agents, they will let it be known that they endured their suffering patiently.

They will observe strict and absolute silence about the failings of their confreres and about the defects into which their sorry condition, the sad state of their health, and the length of their suffering may have led them. They will exercise charity towards those whose opinions are different from their own. They will avoid feeling bitterness or animosity toward them, keep their resentment to themselves, and seek to bring them back to the way of truth by their own kindness and moderation.

They will show no regret over the loss of their belongings, no anxiety to recover them, no bitterness toward those who are in possession of them.

From the present moment on, they will be of one heart and one spirit, excluding no one, and without distancing themselves from any of their brothers for any reason whatsoever. They will not interest themselves in news of current politics, but will be content to pray for the welfare of their country and to prepare themselves, should God permit them to return to their families, for a new life in which they will become good examples and models of virtue for their people through their detachment from the world, their fidelity to prayer, and their love of recollection and godliness.

Responsory
R. We are hungry and thirsty, poorly clad, roughly treated, wandering abouthomeless.

      -- Insulted, we respond with a blessing; persecuted, we bear it patiently.
     We have become the world's refuse, the offscouring of all things.

      -- Insulted, we respond with a blessing; persecuted we bear it patiently.

Prayer

Lord, our God,
who gave the grace of fidelity and pardon
to Blessed Jacques, priest and martyr,
even in the midst of appalling conditions,
grant, by his intercession,
that we too may remain
ever faithful to your Church
and always ready for reconciliation with our brethren.
Through our Lord.