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Pierre Romançon was born on June 14, 1805 into a farming family. He was, from childhood, a small and frail-looking boy, one not physically destined to do the hard, physical labor, required of farmers.
Fortunately, his family was able to send him to a school run by the Christian Brothers, a Catholic religious community dedicated to teaching school. Pierre was an excellent student, and soon he was far ahead of his classmates in elementary school. In fact, when Pierre was only fourteen years old, the Brothers often had him substitute as a teacher.
When he was fifteen years old, Pierre joined the Christian Brothers, and, in religious life, he was known as Brother Benildus. In many Christian Brothers’ schools in south-central France, Brother Benildus taught school. In 1841, he was appointed Director of a school in Saugues. This was an isolated village on a barren plateau in southern France. There, Brother Benildus worked for the next twenty years, giving himself totally to the welfare of the children, youth, and adults.
He was known to be a very effective teacher for boys of the village and from neighboring farms. Many of the teenage farm boys had never been to school before meeting Brother Benildus. The students found Brother Benildus was a strict, but fair, disciplinarian, but they knew he loved them and cared about their welfare. For example, he frequently prepared meals for hungry boys in the Brothers’ kitchen, and he often converted old Brothers’ robes into coats or pants for the students. In addition, Brother Benildus happily gave his time tutoring students who needed more help and time with learning. He referred to all students, regardless of age or where they came from, as “Monsieur” (Mister).
But although Brother Benildus’ first responsibility was to the students, he also made the little school the center of social and intellectual life for the community. For example, he conducted evening classes for adults, and he could be counted on to teach catechism, preparing the boys for and First Confession and First Communion. He also would visit the sick in their homes and pray with the sick and their families. Some people even said that Brother Benildus was responsible for miracles.
Interestingly enough, many religious vocations came from Brother Benildus’ school. When he died on August 13, 1862, more than two-hundred Brothers and a large number of priests had been his students in the little school.
Brother Benildus Romançon was canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 29, 1967. A shrine was built in the parish church of Saugues, where his body remains.
St. Benildus Romançon is a patron saint of teachers, and his feast day is August 13. Today, there are schools and universities named after St. Benildus in Ireland, the Philippines, Malta, and the United States.
In many ways, St. Benildus’ life is similar to that of Servant of God Joseph Dutton, right-hand man of St. Damien of Molokai. Like Brother Joseph, Benildus used his many gifts to benefit everyone who came in contact with him, and he found great joy in his all that he did.
