Bienheureuse Alix Leclerc (1576-1622)

x Alix  Le Clerc naquit à Remiremont (France : département des Vosges) le deux février 1576. Elle passa sa jeunesse dans la joie et l’insouciance, aimant danser et se divertir. Après une maladie grave, elle réfléchit sur la futilité de sa vie. Toutefois, elle continua à vivre une vie de plaisir tout en découvrant petit à petit à quoi elle se sentait destinée réellement. Elle joignait à l’éclat d’un esprit des plus vifs une amabilité à damner un archange ! Consciente de son charme, elle en profitait. On dirait, tout vulgairement aujourd’hui, que la jeune lorraine Alix Le Clerc était une allumeuse.

Après une vision de la Vierge Marie (mai 1597), elle prit conscience de la vocation à laquelle elle était appelée. Immédiatement, elle changea de vie, s’habilla d’une robe de paysanne, refusa tout loisir, se consacrant exclusivement à la prière et aux mortifications. Le premier juin, Pierre Fourrier (ordonné prêtre en 1585) fut nommé curé de Mattaincourt et devint son confesseur et son directeur spirituel.

À Noël 1597, elle fonda un ordre religieux d’enseignantes avec l’accord de son directeur spirituel : c’était une maison nouvelle de filles pour y pratiquer tout le bien qu’on pourrait. Alix et quelques compagnes s’installèrent près du Chapitre de la ville de Poussay dans le même département. À l’automne 1598, elles ouvrirent leur première école destinée à l’éducation des filles. Cette première fondation d’un établissement scolaire destiné aux petites filles constitua l’acte de naissance de l’enseignement des filles en France.

De nouvelles écoles furent fondées, à Saint Mihiel, Nancy où le cardinal Charles de Lorraine signa l’acte d’approbation de la Congrégation de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie, le 8 décembre 1603. Le 21 novembre 1617 eut lieu la première vêture des religieuses, cérémonie que présida le Primat de Lorraine, en présence de l’abbé Pierre Fourier, son directeur spirituel. Au cours de cette célébration liturgique, Alix Le Clerc prit le nom de Mère Thérèse de Jésus. Très vite, de nombreuses écoles furent fondées : Pont-à Mousson (1604), Saint-Nicolas-de-Port (1605) ; Verdun (1608), Châlons-sur-Marne (1618) pour n’en citer que quelques-unes. Son oeuvre se poursuivit après sa mort (9 janvier 1622) avec de nouvelles fondations.

À la veille de la Révolution française en 1789, la congrégation de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie comportait 84 monastères et 4000 religieuses. Alix Le Clerc a été béatifiée le 4 mai 1947 par le Pape Pie XII. Le 9 janvier, l’Église fête la bienheureuse Alice Leclerc.

Source de l’image →  Parissaints : les hauts lieux de la charité à Paris

La Congrégation Notre-Dame fondée en 1597 par Pierre Fourier et Alix Le Clerc avait pour but de dresser des écoles publiques et y enseigner gratuitement les filles à lire, à écrire, à besogner de l’aiguille, et l’instruction chrétienne. Cette congrégation ouvrit des écoles publiques, c’est à dire gratuites, pour les filles, ne visant pas seulement l’enseignement de la lecture, de l’écriture et du catéchisme. Leurs écoles assurèrent de pair éducation chrétienne et formation humaine par l’enseignement et l’apprentissage. La Congrégation Notre-Dame a progressivement étendu son action à l’éducation de tous, sans distinction. Elle est aujourd’hui présente dans 13 pays.

Prière de la bienheureuse Alix Leclerc

C’est donc à vous, ô mon Dieu, et ma force, que je prétends trouver ce que je cherche. Car votre Sagesse éternelle nous a enseigné les moyens de posséder nos âmes en paix parmi la guerre. Je vous supplie, mon Dieu et Sauveur, de nous faire à toutes cette grâce de marcher par le chemin qu’il vous a plu nous frayer par votre exemple. Et ce, par les mérites de votre bénite Mère, que nous désirons imiter, aidées par son pouvoir ; et, dans cette espérance, nous désirons mourir sous l’abri de son nom et de sa protection.

Liens avec d’autres sites web chrétiens

◊ Grandir ensemble →  Fondation Pierre Fourier

◊ Écrits spirituels → Alix Le Clerc

◊ De la prière école créée par Alix Leclerc à une communauté active →  La Congrégation Notre-Dame

◊ Accueil, éducation et mission →  Notre-Dame de Fidélité

Vidéo : Bienheureuse Alix Le Clerc

     Publié par  Michel Houyoux, professeur retraité (Biologie, chimie et physique) du collège saint Stanis à Mons 5Belgique) et du Burundi du Collège du Saint Esprit à Bujumbura. Diacre permant dans le diocèse de Namur-Luxembourg.

First Sunday of Lent in Year C

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

At that time Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples :  « Who do people say that the Son of Man is ? «  They sai : « Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. «  Jesus asked them : « And what say ye ? «  Simon Peter spoke up and said : « You are the Christ, the Son of the living God !  » Jesus answered and said to him : « Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah : not flesh and blood have revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the power of death shall not prevail against it. And on this rock I will build my church, and the power of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mt 16, 13-19)

Information

# Peter (St Peter for Catholics and Orthodox), whose real name was Simeon Bar-Yonah (translated as « Simon, son of Jonah ») according to the Gospels, also called Kephas (the « rock » in Aramaic) or Simon Peter, was a Jew from Galilee or Gaulanitide who is known to have been one of the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. He is listed among the apostles, among whom he seems to have held a privileged position during Jesus’ own lifetime before becoming, after his death, one of the main leaders of the early Christian communities.

He was probably born at the end of the first century BC and died according to Christian tradition between 64 and 68 in Rome. Catholic tradition makes him the prince of the apostles, the first bishop of Rome, and the Catholic Church claims his apostolic succession in order to assert a papal primacy, which is contested by other Christian denominations and of which the current pope is the representative. It gave rise to a large number of artistic works, especially in the Latin West.

 According to S. Mimouni, the chronology of Eusebius Caesarea, which dates this departure to 42, does not fit well with that of the Acts of the Apostles, which places Peter in 42 in Jerusalem in the same year. According to S. Mimouni, the chronology of Eusebius of Caesarea, which dates this departure to 42, does not fit well with that of the Acts of the Apostles, which places Peter in 42 in Jerusalem until 43-44.

The tradition of the Catholic Church attributes the leadership of the Church of Antioch to Peter. As the first bishop of the city, the feast of the Chair of St Peter in Antioch was celebrated on 22 February from the 4th century until the reform of the liturgical calendar by the Second Vatican Council, which united it with the Roman Chair. Peter remained in Antioch for seven years. Christian tradition attests to Peter’s presence in Rome, but the date of his arrival and the length of his stay are not known precisely.

According to the historian Géza Vermes, Eusebius states that from Antioch, Peter went to Rome during the reign of Claudius (41-54), in pursuit of his opponent from the Samaritan era when he preached in Samaria, Simon the Magician freed Rome of the good man and his influence. In the imperial capital, Peter preached the Christian message. According to some critics based on the epistle of Paul of Tarsus to the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:12), Peter left Rome on a missionary journey that took him to Achaia, and he visited Corinth.

In the first half of the 1950s, at the earliest in 48, he was in Jerusalem. There, in meetings that were later called the « Council of Jerusalem », he proposed the solution that was adopted by James the Just at the conclusion of the assembly, on the obligations that Christians of polytheism had to follow. They had to observe a minimum of the precepts of the Torah, abstaining from the profanations of idolatry, immorality, suffocated flesh and blood. According to tradition, he was present in Rome when Paul wrote the Letter to the Romans.

Jesus, after praying in solitude, asked his disciples what opinion people had of him. They replied that he was thought to be John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the ancient prophets. Then he asked them for their opinion. Jesus forbade them to reveal him and added :   »The Son of Man must suffer many things, be killed and be raised on the third day. » 

« Then he said to all :  » If anyone wishes to be my disciple, he must follow me on the way of renunciation and the cross. «  To want to save one’s life is to lose it; to lose it is to save it. But our salvation is worth more than the possession of the whole world, for on the day of his glory the Son of Man will be ashamed of him before the people. Many of those who were here did not die before they saw the kingdom of God. Luke was the evangelist who most frequently emphasised these prayers of Jesus in solitude.

He alone reported that Jesus prepared himself by praying. As Mr Godet noted, it is likely that he involved his disciples in his prayer, thus putting them in a position appropriate to the circumstances. The conversation between Jesus and his disciples took place in the region of Caesarea Philippi. Luke links his narrative to that of the multiplication of the loaves, while Matthew and Mark interpolate a large number of stories that he does not mention at all.

In the three Gospels, Peter recognises the Lord Jesus as the Christ, but each evangelist formulates this idea in his own way: Matthew: the Christ, the Son of the living God; Mark: the Christ; Luke: the Christ of God. In the three Synoptics, this first announcement of Christ’s sufferings immediately follows Peter’s confession: « You are the Christ. « Jesus forbade his disciples to make him known. But it is Luke who highlights the meaning of this connection in the clearest and strongest way.

The reason for this prohibition is that Jesus did not want to entertain the carnal hopes of his followers. They expected a glorious Messiah, while he would suffer. Nor did he want to provoke the hatred of his opponents before his time. This reason is even more evident in John’s account: after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus had to withdraw from the enthusiasm of the crowd, who wanted to proclaim him king. Matthew and Mark report Peter’s opposition to Jesus’ suffering and the severe rebuke he gave him.

Deacon Michel Houyoux

Links to other Christian websites

◊  Young Catholics : click here to read the paper → 1st Sunday of Lent Year C (2022)

◊ What Good News : click here to read the paper → FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR C

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