Fathers Of Mercy

Aware of the crisis of the Faith and the disastrous effects of the French Revolution on the faith of the people, Father Jean Baptiste Rauzan, at the invitation of Cardinal Fesch of Lyons, brought together a small group of priests to form a mission band.

After the great upheaval and persecution which the Church suffered in France during the Revolution, the clergy and laity sought from heaven extraordinary ways to foster the salvation of souls, for most of the people had left the True Faith.

One of the many options suggested to revitalize the Faith and re-evangelize those who had fallen away was the preaching of parish missions. A group of missionaries, which would be at the service of the Bishops, was needed to fulfill this very task. God, in His goodness and mercy, raised up Fr. Jean Baptiste Rauzan, a priest of the diocese of Bordeaux, to be his chosen apostle to the people of France.

In 1808 the Archbishop of Lyons, Joseph Cardinal Fesch, asked Father Rauzan to gather a group of zealous priests to take up the awesome task of re-evangelizing a devastated France. Father Rauzan's thirst for souls and for all that is holy led him to accept and form what was then called the Missionaries of France. He began with five priests who traveled from town to town preaching missions. Upon entering a town, some would even go door-to-door personally inviting people back to the Church. Though the response may have been reluctant, the townspeople were so moved by the impassioned preaching of the missionaries that their faith was restored. As a result, the Missionaries of France acted as God's instruments in reversing many of the Revolution's disastrous effects. In 1814 a Generalate for the community was established in Paris where the fathers were placed in charge of several parishes. Hence, parochial work was added to their task of preaching missions and has continued to the present day.