A Word of the Postulator

For Fr. d’Alzon, mercy is a virtue that every Christian must cultivate. It flows from charity and is an essential aspect of any apostolic work. One is struck by the great sensitivity that Fr. d’Alzon had for « social work » or the « worker question », from the very first years of his priesthood till the end of his life. The works that he founded or took control of in the diocese of Nîmes are countless: adult education classes for the poor, youth shelters, orphanages, alternative detention centers for juvenile delinquents, workers’ circles, soldiers’ circles, an association for the distribution of Catholic literature, parish libraries, home visits to the poor, foundation of a women’s congregation for domestic workers (The Work of St. Martha), a center for liturgical vestments, the Association of the Ladies of Mercy, etc. He established the Association of Our Lady of Salvation to foster all kinds of social outreach efforts. Among them he included pilgrimages. His first disciples understood perfectly well the spirit that was to permeate these efforts and the importance of this ministry for the Church and the society of their time. Great was the admiration that Fr. d’Alzon had for the ministry founded by Fr. Etienne Pernet, the Little Sisters of the Assumption, and their apostolate among working families. In this newsletter we will cite several extracts from Fr. d’Alzon’s works. « Go and preach the gospel to the poor »!

Rev. Julio Navarro Román, A.A.

 Read more » PDF version