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Pierre Romançon was born in the village of Thuret in south-central France in 1805. He was so far ahead of his classmates in elementary school then when he was only fourteen years old the Brothers engaged him as a substitute teacher. Despite the objection of his parents, who wanted to keep him at home, and the reluctance of the superiors, who thought he was too short of stature, he was finally admitted to the novitiate in 1820, taking the name Brother Benildus.
From 1821 to 1841 he taught successfully in the Network of elementary schools conducted by the brothers in and around Clermont-Ferrand. |
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In 1841 he was appointed Director of a school that was opening in Saugues, an isolated village in a barren plateau in southern France. For the next twenty years he worked quietly and effectively as teacher and principal to educate the boys in the village. And some from the neighbouring farms, many of whom where in their teens and had never been to school before.
Small as he was, he was known as strict but fair disciplinarian. In time the little school became the centre of the social and intellectual life of the village, with evening classes for the adults and tutoring for the less gifted students. Brother Benildus’ extraordinary religious sense was evident to everyone: at Mass with the students in the parish church, teaching catechism, preparing boys for first communion, visiting, and praying with the sick, and rumours of near-miraculous cures. He was especially effective in attracting religious vocations. At his death in 1862 more than 200 Brothers and an impressive number of priests had been his students at Saugues.
At his beatification in 1948, Pope Pius XII stressed that his sanctification was attained by enduring “the terrible daily grind” and by “doing common things in an uncommon way”. He was declared a Saint in 1967.
Small as he was, he was known as strict but fair disciplinarian. In time the little school became the centre of the social and intellectual life of the village, with evening classes for the adults and tutoring for the less gifted students. Brother Benildus’ extraordinary religious sense was evident to everyone: at Mass with the students in the parish church, teaching catechism, preparing boys for first communion, visiting, and praying with the sick, and rumours of near-miraculous cures. He was especially effective in attracting religious vocations. At his death in 1862 more than 200 Brothers and an impressive number of priests had been his students at Saugues.
At his beatification in 1948, Pope Pius XII stressed that his sanctification was attained by enduring “the terrible daily grind” and by “doing common things in an uncommon way”. He was declared a Saint in 1967.
