Another Reason To Hate The French

September 2:  185 Martyrs of Paris

In August 1792, 185 bishops, priests, monks, and nuns were imprisoned in the Carmelite Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris for having refused to take the revolutionaries’ anti-papal Oath of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

On September 2, a mob stormed the abbey and slew all the prisoners.

Many of the martyrs are now called Blessed including:

Blessed Armand Chapt De Rastigan – victor general of Arles and provost of the Tours Cathedral

Blessed John Francis Burté - a Franciscan at 16 and later guardian of the large Conventual friary in Paris

Blessed Severin Girault - a member of the Third Order Regular, was a chaplain for a group of sisters in Paris and first to die in the slaughter

John Baptist Triquerie, born in 1737, entered the Conventual Franciscans. He was chaplain and confessor of Poor Clare monasteries in three cities before he was arrested for refusing to take the oath. He and 13 diocesan priests were guillotined in Laval on January 21, 1794. He was beatified in 1955.

QUOTE:
“The upheaval which occurred in France toward the close of the 18th century wrought havoc in all things sacred and profane and vented its fury against the Church and her ministers. Unscrupulous men came to power who concealed their hatred for the Church under the deceptive guise of philosophy.... It seemed that the times of the early persecutions had returned. The Church, spotless bride of Christ, became resplendent with bright new crowns of martyrdom” (Acts of Martyrdom).