BL. FREZAL TARDIEU, PRIEST AND MARTYR

BL. FREZAL TARDIEU, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 26 MAY

BLESSED FREZAL TARDIEU, PRIEST AND MARTYR

Father Frezal (Frézal) was born in 1814 and given the names Jean-Pierre-Eugène Tardieu at his baptism. Little is known about his early years. He was a fellow countryman of Father Tuffier, having been born in Chasseradez (Lozère).

He was admitted as a novice in Paris on June 2, 1837, and took his vows on April 24, 1839. In October of the following year, he was sent to serve as director of the novitiate in Vaugirard. From there, on November 3, 1843, he moved to the novitiate in Louvain, Belgium. On May 6, 1845, he was appointed superior of that same novitiate. Recalled to Paris in 1858, he became the director of the novitiate in Issy-les-Moulineaux. In 1860, he joined the council of the Superior General.

As a teacher, Father Frezal knew how to win the affection of his students, often joining them during their recreation periods. Father Frezal possessed a highly sensitive and compassionate heart; in Louvain, he served as a source of comfort for the afflicted - especially for those mourning the loss of a father, mother, spouse, or child.

Father Frezal made it his mission to bring the consolations of faith to bereaved families, even those to whom he had previously been a stranger. His priestly heart was especially compassionate towards children and the poor. He was fond of saying that it is better to speak to God than to speak about God. His humility was profound; he preferred to remain in the background. He spoke very little. In the confessional, he demonstrated a consummate level of experience. His exhortations can be summed up in two words: strength and gentleness.

Photomontage depicting the "hostages of the Commune" prior to their execution on the patrol path (chemin de ronde) of the Grande Roquette prison, May 24, 1871. Photograph by Ernest Charles Appert (1830 - 1890). Albumen print. Paris, Musée Carnavalet, February 1, 1872 - Wikimedia Commons

He was arrested on April 12, 1871. On April 13, he - and other religious figures who had also been imprisoned - were moved to Mazas Prison. Along with other Catholic priests, namely: Father Ladislas Radigue, Father Polycarpe Tuffier, Father Marcellin Rouchouze, and Father Henri Planchat - Father Frezal was executed by firing squad during the harrowing Haxo Street Massacre 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 Frezal 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://cath.ch/newsf/le-pape-reconnait-le-martyre-de-cinq-pretres-tues-pendant-la-commune - https://www.diocese-mende.fr/beatification-de-2-pretres-lozeriens/ - https://dioceseparis.fr/biographie-du-pere-frezal-tardieu.html https://www.notredamedesotages.fr/2021/05/22/petites-vies-des-pretres-otages-de-picpus/ -

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