Pilgrimage to France to return to the spiritual sources of the Congregation

Between April 13 and 17, 2026, a group of priests, brothers, and lay people associated with the Congregation of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine—the Doctrinaries—made a pilgrimage to France with a twofold purpose: to celebrate the centenary of the beatification of the martyrs Claude Bochot and Eustace Felix and to rediscover, in places of remembrance, a decisive page in the history of the Congregation and the Church.
The journey proved to be a truly spiritual and historic experience. Founded on September 29, 1592, the Congregation experienced remarkable growth over the centuries in the Kingdom of France, eventually numbering approximately 65 houses. The Doctrinaries were engaged in catechesis in small villages and even in large urban centers, such as Paris and Toulouse, in addition to founding numerous schools. This pastoral and educational presence aroused respect, admiration, and gratitude in the communities, who recognized in the work of the disciples of Saint César de Bus a simple, effective evangelizing service deeply rooted in the lives of the people.
The pilgrimage also took participants to the places where the martyrs bore witness to their fidelity to the Church. On October 17, 1926, Pope Pius XI beatified the doctrinaires Claude Bochot and Eustace Félix, along with 189 other martyrs of the French Revolution. These 191 blesseds were killed between September 2 and 3, 1792, in various locations in Paris, including the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Hôtel des Carmes, the Prison de la Force, and the seminary of Saint Firmin, where the two blessed doctrinaires also were.
Although many of these sites have been destroyed or transformed over time, the memory of the martyrdom lives on. One of the most significant places visited by pilgrims was the church of Saint-Joseph des Carmes in Paris, where a memorial was erected in honor of all the martyrs of the French Revolution, with the relics of the Carmelites who bore witness to their fidelity to Christ even to the point of giving their lives.
The visit to the Conciergerie, an ancient place of imprisonment and summary judgment for many Christians, the celebration of Holy Mass at Saint-Joseph des Carmes, and the veneration of the relics of the martyrs aroused a profound variety of feelings in the pilgrims: gratitude for the heroic courage of those children of God, admiration for the strength of their faith, and, at the same time, dismay at the violence committed in the name of ideals that promised freedom, fraternity, and equality, but which turned into persecution and death for those who remained faithful to the truth of Christ.
In Paris, the pilgrimage also included a visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Church of Saint-Sulpice, monuments that, in addition to their architectural beauty and historical grandeur, represent the enduring presence of the Catholic Church throughout the centuries.
In Avignon, the group visited the Palace of the Popes, the ancient convent of the Poor Clares—the place where Saint César de Bus had a decisive experience of faith and discernment, definitively deciding on his consecration to God and the Church—and what remains of the house and church of Saint John the Elder, where the saint spent his last years and died on April 15, 1607.
Another significant moment was the celebration of the liturgical feast of Saint César de Bus in the Cathedral of Cavaillon, presided over by the Archbishop of Avignon, Monsignor François Fonlupt, during which the priests and doctrinaries brothers present renewed their vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity, in a gesture of fidelity to the charism and of interior renewal.

At the end of the pilgrimage, the group traveled to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the founding site of the Congregation, and to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, concluding with a climb to the Hermitage of Saint Jacques. During the journey, the Holy Rosary was recited in an atmosphere of contemplation, gratitude, and fraternal communion.

The pilgrimage was an opportunity to return to the spiritual and historical sources of the Congregation. Understanding one’s history is not merely an exercise in memory, but a true journey of identity. Likewise, community life strengthens the bonds between members, helps rediscover the beauty of a shared vocation, and builds a solid sense of belonging. When a Congregation preserves its memory, honors its testimonies, and walks together, it renews the awareness that its charism does not belong to the past, but is alive in the present and open to the future.
The coexistence of members and friends of the Congregation, from France, Italy, Brazil, India, Burundi, and Tanzania, made the experience even more meaningful. In every celebration, every visit, and every moment of prayer, the conviction that the work of Saint César de Bus remains timely and necessary was renewed, encouraging us to overcome difficulties and remain faithful to our doctrinaire charism: to proclaim the Word of God simply and effectively to all, through catechesis, spiritual direction, and the witness of our lives.
At the heart of this experience, the founder’s desire resounded powerfully: that the Doctrinaries be true “angels of light” and living catechists, consecrated men and women whose lives make the Gospel visible among the people of God.