Americans in the footsteps of Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon

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On May 19, twenty-four pilgrims set out on a nine-day journey from the United States to discover a man whose legacy had inspired their ministry and their formation, a contingent from Assumption College in Worcester and another from Bayard USA. From Paris to Nîmes to Rome, members of the Assumption Family, lay and religious, extended an unparalleled welcome that not only brought the visitors to sites important in the life of Fr. d’Alzon but also revealed something essential of the man himself: his spirit, his dreams, and his accomplishments.

Most of the participants had little knowledge of Fr. d’Alzon previously. In the end, they all spoke of how much they were impressed with his willingness to sacrifice a future full of such potential in order to give himself to a life consecrated to God and Church, his dynamism and creativity, and his far-reaching influence in 19th century France. They discovered a man who defied easy categorization, a man who, one the one hand, could acknowledge his debt to the forward-looking and innovative thinker, Félicité de Lamennais, who eventually embraced a nascent democracy, who profited greatly from new inventions like the railroad and the press, and who supported disciples who reached out to the newly industrialized masses, poor and disoriented. On the other hand, he was a staunch supporter of the Pope and an intransigent Ultramontane; he attacked Protestants and “secret” societies; and he was an implacable foe of laicist State authorities.

If a bicentennial celebration is intended to provide fresh insight and renewed commitment, then this pilgrimage was an unqualified success.

Fr. John L. Franck, a.a.