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SAINT BENILDE ROMANÇON
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Pierre Romançon was born to a poor peasant family in Thuret, Auvergne, France. At an early age, he became a tutor of prayers to his fellow children. He felt a strong desire to be a Lasallian Brother and assumed the name Benilde when he became a follower of John Baptist de La Salle.
He loved teaching children and spent 40 years in the classroom. He is distinguished for his devotion to educating students from all walks of life. He was also known to have deliberately learned sign language to teach a Deaf-Mute boy Catechism and to prepare him to receive Holy Communion. An embodiment of Lasallian spirituality, he lived well enough to enrich the quality of fraternal unity among the Brothers through prayer, song and music.
On January 6, 1928 Pope Pius XI signed a decree recognizing the virtuous life Benilde Romançon has lived, to which he said “Sanctity does not consist in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Years later, on April 4, 1948, Benilde Romançon was beatified in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Pope Pius XII delivered a panegyric for Blessed Benilde.
Pope Paul VI accepted the official decree of General Congregation on July 17, 1967 which paved way to the Saint Benilde's Canonization On October 27, 1967.
Saint Benilde’s deep faith and zeal encouraged many young men to the priesthood and religious life for which he became known as the patron saint of vocations.
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