ব্যবহারকারী:Md Samiul Alim/খেলাঘর

Two Societies

Basile Antoine-Marie Moreau was born at Laigné-en-Belin, near Le Mans, France, on February 11, 1799 in the final months of the French Revolution. Moreau was raised in a time when the Catholic Church was facing intense pressure and was being stripped of land, resources, and rights. When Moreau decided to enter the priesthood, he was forced to undergo his seminary training in secret for fear that the French government would arrest him. He completed his studies and was ordained for the Diocese of Le Mans in 1821. The French government continued to work for the removal of the Church from the educational system, which left many Catholics without a place to be educated or catechized. It was out of this environment that Fr. Moreau and a fellow priest came forward to form what is now the Congregation of Holy Cross.

On July 15, 1820 a priest of the Diocese of Le Mans, Fr. Jacques-Francois Dujarié, brought together a group of zealous men to serve the educational needs of the people in the French countryside. Fr. Dujarié named this group the Brothers of St. Joseph, but at the time none of the men were vowed religious and the group had no formal recognition from the diocesan bishop. By 1835 this group was well established in the diocese, but Fr. Dujarié was slowing down and they were in need of a new leader. That same year Fr. Moreau had formed a similar group, which he called Auxiliary Priests, to serve the educational and evangelization needs of the Diocese of Le Mans. Fr. Dujarié and Fr. Moreau had met previously and discussed their views on the future of the Church in France and so Fr. Dujarié knew that Fr. Moreau was just the man he was looking for. With the consent of the bishop, Moreau was given control of the Brothers of St. Joseph on August 31, 1835. He was now the head of two organizations, the Auxiliary Priests and the Brothers of St. Joseph.