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BLESSED POLYCARPE TUFFIER, PRIEST AND MARTYR
Polycarpe Tuffier was born in Le Malzieu (Lozère) on March 14, 1807. The son of Jean-Paul Tuffier and Suzanne Martin, he was baptised with the name Jules. While still very young, he was placed by his mother at the Collège de l’Adoration in Mende - an institution run by the Fathers of the Sacred Heart - under the supervision of the priest Régis Rouchouze. He was only twelve years old when, one day during a break, he heard these words spoken to him: "Monsieur Jules Tuffier, proceed to the novitiate." Upon arriving in Paris on May 3, 1820, he took his vows on May 14, 1823, adopting the name Polycarpe. Father Tuffier had just been ordained as a priest when the Revolution of 1830 broke out.
Between 1831 and 1858, he served in various roles: first as a chaplain for the deaf at Notre-Dame de Paix in Yvetot (near Rouen), and later as the superior of the Collège des Petits-Carmes in Cahors, a position he held from 1847 to 1858. The prosperity enjoyed by this latter institution is, in large part, due to him; he was also responsible for the construction of its chapel.
In 1850, he took advantage of legislation favouring freedom of education to organize courses in Latin, Greek, and the sciences. By 1856, he began to see the fruits of his efforts, as several of his students successfully earned their bachelor’s degree in the humanities in Toulouse.
From Cahors, Father Tuffier went to Mende and then to Laval in 1862. The following year, the General Chapter appointed him Procurator of the main house - a position he held until his death on May 26, 1871.
During his imprisonment prior to his martyrdom, Father Polycarpe managed - naturally and without any affectation - to win the esteem and affection of many of his fellow captives. M. Perny wrote of Father Polycarpe to Abbé Hermet, the parish priest of Villereau (Loiret); "His cell was opposite mine. Even before our cells were opened, I had caught sight of him through the small viewing window in the door. His radiant, open, and beaming countenance drew me to him at first glance."
Along with other Catholic priests, namely: Ladislas Radigue, Father Marcellin Rouchouze, Father Frezal Tardieu and the Vincentian priest Father Henri Planchat he was executed by firing squad during the harrowing Haxo Street Massacre of the Paris Commune on May 26, 1871.
These holy priests were beatified as martyrs on April 22, 2023.
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that we who know how courageously your holy martyr Polycarpe confessed the faith, may experience his goodness as he intercedes for us with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sources: https://www.notredamedesotages.fr/2021/05/22/petites-vies-des-pretres-otages-de-picpus/
https://dioceseparis.fr/biographie-du-pere-polycarpe.html
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-five-french-priests-martyred-in-anti-catholic-uprising-of-1871-beatified-in-paris/
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