On October 17th, a celebration was held at the Church of Santa Maria in Monticelli in Rome to mark the centenary of the beatification of Blesseds Claudio Bochot and Eustachio Félix, priests of the Congregation of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine. The Mass was presided over by Father Sergio La Pegna, Superior General of the Congregation, and brought together the faithful in prayer to commemorate two confreres who bore witness to their devotion to Jesus Christ and the Church, even to the point of sacrificing their own lives. At the conclusion of the celebration, a new painting depicting the two Blesseds was blessed and subsequently placed on one of the church’s side altars.
This date holds special significance for the entire Family Doctrinaire. On October 17, 1926, Pius XI beatified Claude Bochot and Eustache Félix, along with 189 other martyrs of the French Revolution. A hundred years later, a Mass in Rome served as an occasion to commemorate this witness of faith, renew gratitude for the martyrs’ spiritual legacy, and rediscover the enduring relevance of their fidelity to the Gospel.
The story of the Blessed Claude Bochot and Eustache Félix is linked to one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Church in France: the French Revolution, which began in 1789. Amidst the profound political and social transformations of that era, the Church faced persecution, restrictions on religious life, and conflicts stemming from the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which subjected all those who had received holy orders to the new revolutionary order.
Faced with such circumstances, many priests were confronted with a painful choice: to take the oath required by the government authorities, or to remain faithful to their own conscience and to communion with the Church. Fathers Bochot and Félix chose to remain faithful to their priestly vocation and to the Church, refusing to take the oath.
Father Bochot was the Superior, while Father Félix was the bursar of the Paris doctrinaire community. Their refusal to take the oath led to their arrest, and they were taken to the Seminary of Saint-Firmin, which had been converted into a place of detention.
Between September 2 and 3, 1792, Paris was the scene of violent massacres targeting numerous prisoners, including bishops, priests, members of religious orders, and other Catholic faithful. These events are known as the September Massacres. Among the victims were two priests of the Doctrinarian order, who suffered martyrdom at Saint-Firmin, remaining faithful to their creed and their mission until the very end.
The massacres resulted in the deaths of 191 people who were beatified by Pius XI on October 17, 1926; the liturgical commemoration of the martyrs is celebrated on September 2.
The celebration at Santa Maria in Monticelli served as an occasion to give thanks for the lives and witness of the two Blesseds. By recalling the events of 1792 and the beatification of 1926, the Family Doctrinaire turned its gaze toward its own spiritual roots, recognizing within the history of the Congregation both the challenges faced and the strength of a faith capable of enduring through the generations.
The centenary also serves as an invitation to renew our missionary commitment. The faithfulness of the martyrs must not remain merely a memory of the past; rather, it should become a source of inspiration for the daily lives of all those who share in the charism of Saint Cesare de Bus.
May the witness of Blesseds Claude Bochot and Eustache Félix continue to strengthen the vocation of the Doctrinaries and inspire new generations to live the Gospel with authenticity, keeping alive the mission entrusted by Saint César de Bus: to make Jesus Christ known and loved through the proclaimed Word and a life entirely dedicated to God and one’s brothers and sisters.
fr. Rodrigo Donizete de Campos, DC
