Name Joseph Passerat | Died 1858 | |
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Joseph Passerat (born 30 April 1772, at Joinville, France; died 30 October 1858) was a French Redemptorist. He was declared venerable in 1980.
Life
He was expelled from the seminary, imprisoned, and forced to serve in the army from 1788 to 1792. Owing to his height he was made drum-major, and later quarter-master. At the first opportunity he left the service and entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in Warsaw.
Clement Hofbauer trained him for the religious life and priesthood, and he in turn trained new-comers. Later with great difficulty owing to the circumstances of the times he established houses outside of Poland.
After the death of Hofbauer, Passerat succeeded him as vicar-general over all the transalpine communities. While thus engaged (1820–48) he founded houses in the United States, in Bavaria, Prussia, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Holland, and England. Difficulties were many in the United States, and in Europe the danger of suppression was imminent. He used to say:
"Console yourselves, we are seed, be it that we are reduced to ten, these like grains of corn reduced to dust under the earth will one day give a rich harvest".On 6 April 1848, he was driven out of Vienna with his community. After much hardship he reached Belgium. He resigned his office and became director of the Redemptoristines at Bruges.