I HAVE NAMED FATHER GUIGUES TO DO ALL THAT I WOULD DO MYSELF WERE I ON THE SCENE

I have dealt at length with the adventures of Father Leonard on his recruitment campaign because it makes an interesting page of our Family history. The campaign concluded in March 1848 when Fr Tempier ran out of money to take care of around 100 new entries to the novitiates. Father Leonard was also anxious to return to Canada where Fr. Guigues has been appointed bishop of Bytown (Ottawa today). So, let’s look at the story of this appointment.

Firstly, let us recap on who Bruno Eugene Guigues was. (See https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/guigues-bishop-bruno-eugene/)

Born in 1805, he was the 15th Oblate to make vows. He was a man of many talents as can be seen in that while still a deacon, he was appointed professor of philosophy (1827-1828) and bursar (1827-1829) in the major seminary of Marseille. He was ordained a priest in 1828 and then had various positions of responsibility in Notre-Dame du Laus, Aix and in the shrine of Notre-Dame de l’Osier, while regularly preaching missions and retreats.

In 1844, when things in Canada did not work out exactly as Eugene had envisaged them, especially regarding interpersonal relationships among the first group of Oblates there, he sent Guigues out as Visitor (his representative), and then superior. Eugene had personally formed and moulded Guigues according to his spirit and he had been given positions of trust in France in which he had proved himself. Now Eugene was confidently able to say of Guigues that he was an alter ego, and to announce this to the Oblates in Canada:

“I have named Father Guigues as Visitor extraordinary with very wide powers… in a word, to do all that I would do myself were I on the scene.”

Letter to Fr Jean Baptiste Honorat in Canada, 8 June 1844, EO I n 39

In the years that followed he was successful in his task of organizing the Canadian missionaries and of opening up new missions in the center and west of Canada and the USA. The following letter to him from Eugene thus comes as no surprise:

The Bishop of Montreal had informed me, the moment he arrived in France, that he had a matter to discuss with me of the greatest interest to the Church in Canada. He told me that the bishops of this province had decided to solicit from the Holy See the erection of a new diocese at Bytown and that they were of the opinion that it was suitable to choose you to be the first Bishop of this church; that he would come to me soon and submit the reasons for their preference and obtain my consent.

Letter to Fr. Bruno Guigues in Canada, December 1846, EO I n 71

REFLECTION

‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:23)

An invitation to think of some of the hidden figures in our lives who have inspired us by sharing their many gifts in humble and quiet ways.