Louis-Marie-Joseph Querbes

Upon his arrival in Vourles, Father Querbes was deeply moved by the spiritual distress and lack of instruction among rural children, particularly boys. While he succeeded in opening a girls' school thanks to the Sisters of Saint Charles, he encountered significant difficulties regarding the education of boys. To remedy this, he conceived an innovative project: to form an association of Christian teachers who would serve simultaneously as schoolmasters, catechists, and sacristans (parish clerks), working in close collaboration with rural parish priests. Between 1826 and 1831, he laid the foundations for this work, which he placed under the patronage of Saint Viator, a young fourth-century lector from Lyon and a model of liturgical service and the transmission of the Word. On November 3, 1831, Archbishop Gaston de Pins, Apostolic Administrator of Lyon, officially approved the existence of the Viatorian community. The diocesan statutes were approved on December 11, 1833. Desiring to provide a solid, international foundation for his work, Louis Querbes traveled to Rome. On September 21, 1838, he obtained pontifical approval from Pope Gregory XVI for the Institute of Parish Clerics or Catechists of Saint Viator (the Clerics of Saint Viator). Although his initial intuition to closely associate laypeople and clerics had to be adapted to the canonical requirements of the time to include only professed religious, the institute retained its deeply pastoral and educational orientation. Under his leadership as the first Superior General, the congregation developed rapidly. In 1847, responding to the call of Bishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal, he sent the first three Viatorians to Canada (Brothers Étienne Champagneur, Augustin Fayard, and Louis Chrétien). They took charge of the College of Joliette, marking the beginning of a major expansion in North America. The institute also spread to other regions of France, notably in Aveyron.

The reputation for holiness and pastoral zeal of Father Querbes has spanned generations. The diocesan process for his beatification was officially opened on February 27, 2006, by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon. After the closure of the diocesan inquiry, the cause was transmitted to Rome, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Positio, a summary document on his life and virtues, was subjected to an in-depth examination by theologians and cardinals. On October 1, 2019, the ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation unanimously recognized that the Servant of God lived the theological and cardinal virtues in a heroic manner.

On October 2, 2019, during an audience granted to Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Jean-Louis-Marie-Joseph Querbes. This decision, officially announced on October 3, 2019, confers upon him the title of Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the Church now requires the official recognition of a miracle obtained through his intercession.

The spirituality of Louis Querbes is deeply rooted in the Ignatian school, characterized by a constant search for the will of God and an absolute trust in Divine Providence. His spiritual motto, drawn from his writings, summarizes his vision of life: "Men, without knowing it, are almost always the instruments of Providence." His faith was nourished by a life of intense prayer and a profound love for the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. His legacy continues today through the Viatorian Community, present in more than a dozen countries around the world. Faithful to the intuition of their founder, the Clerics of Saint Viator (priests and brothers) as well as lay associates work together in Christian education, liturgical animation, parish service, and the accompaniment of young people and the most destitute.