Jean-Jacques Olier

Jean-Jacques Olier was a French Catholic priest who founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice, a congregation of secular priests dedicated to the formation of candidates for the priesthood. He was also one of the initiators of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, which organized the settlement of a new town called Ville-Marie (now Montreal) in the colony of New France. Olier was born in Paris in 1608, into a wealthy and influential family. His father was a judge and his mother was related to several prominent nobles. He received a classical education at the Jesuit college in Lyon, where he felt a call to the priesthood. He was encouraged by St. Francis de Sales, who predicted his sanctity and great services to the Catholic Church. He returned to Paris to study philosophy and theology at the College of Harcourt and the College of Sorbonne. He also preached and obtained a benefice from his father. He was ambitious and worldly, living in luxury and frequenting high society. He went to Rome to learn Hebrew and gain more prestige by defending his theses in that language at the Sorbonne. However, his eyesight began to fail and he made a pilgrimage to Loreto, Italy, where he experienced a miraculous cure and a profound conversion. He renounced his worldly ambitions and devoted himself to serving the poor and the outcast in Paris. He was ordained a priest in 1633, under the guidance of St. Vincent de Paul, who became his spiritual director and mentor. Olier became a disciple of Father Vincent de Paul and Father Charles de Condren, who were leading figures of the French school of spirituality. He participated in their missions in France, aimed at reviving the faith and morals of the people. He also shared their vision of reforming the clergy through seminaries, as mandated by the Council of Trent. He attempted to found a seminary in Chartres, but failed. In 1641, he and two other priests formed a small community at Vaugirard, near Paris, where they trained seminarians according to a new method that emphasized spiritual formation and pastoral skills. In 1642, he was appointed as the parish priest of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, where he established his seminary within the parish itself. This was the beginning of the Society of Saint-Sulpice, which soon expanded to other dioceses in France and abroad. Olier was also involved in the colonization of New France. He joined the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, founded by Jérôme Le Royer de la Dauversière, which aimed to create a missionary outpost on the island of Montreal. He recruited priests and settlers for the venture, and sent four Sulpicians to accompany them in 1657. He also donated money and land for the project. Olier died in 1657, at Issy, near Paris, after suffering a stroke. He was buried in the church of Saint-Sulpice, where his tomb can still be seen today. He left behind a legacy of writings on spirituality and theology, as well as a flourishing society of priests that continues his work of seminary education and parish ministry.