Louis Decorsant (1866-1935) was a Catholic Priest principally known for promoting devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary based on the mystical experiences of the Belgian Franciscan Tertiary, Berthe Petit.
Background
editBerthe Petit had aspired to enter religious life, but in December 1888, her confessor advised her that her vocation was not to enter a convent, but to stay at home at care for her parents. Petit prayed to the Blessed Virgin that someone be called to the priesthood in lieu of her aspirations to enter religious life.[1]
Life
editLouis Decorsant was born in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France, in 1866. He initially trained as a lawyer in Paris, where he earned a Doctor of Law degree. An officer in the reserves, he broke his engagement to be married and decided to study for the priesthood in Rome. He obtained a doctorate in philosophy and theology and returned to Paris, where he was ordained on 9 July 1893 in the chapel of the Institut Catholique de Paris.[citation needed]
After serving fifteen years as a curate in Vincennes, France, Decorsant resigned due to overwork and failing health. In 1908, he made a pilgrimage to Lourdes where he first encountered Berthe Petit. He then left for Brussels, where he took up residence in a convent guest-house. He devoted his time to preaching and giving retreats. Under the supervision of Redemptorist Father Masselis, Decorsant became Petit's spiritual director. When Petit was granted the privilege of a private oratory, he became her chaplain.[2] Petit reported revelations regarding the establishment of a devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Through Father Masselis, Decorsant and Petit met Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Archbishop of Mechelen, who in 1911 approved the prayer, Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee."[2]
Later, he was instrumental in communicating some of her revelations to Pope Benedict XV via Cardinal Mercier, resulting in the Pope's explicit recommendation to seek the intercession of the "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary" ('Cuore addolorato ed immacolato di Maria') in his May 1915 letter to the bishops of the world.[3] Decorsant was also a correspondent with Cardinal Bourne of Westminster in preparing a national act of consecration to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lent 1917.[4]
Decorsant authored several books on sociology and apologetics, including Les Socialisme Voila L'Ennemi ("Socialism that's the Enemy").[5]
References
edit- ^ Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity, Congregatio Pro Clericis, 2007
- ^ a b The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, (A Nun of Kylemore Abbey, trans.), Lulu.com, 2004 ISBN 9781411603967
- ^ Acta Apostolica Sedis, 1915, [1] page 254
- ^ Duffner, I (2003). The Art of Divine Love or Berthe Petit (franciscan tertiary, 1870-1943) A message from the Sacred Heart of Jesus in favor of the sorrowful an Immaculate Heart of Mary, together with a short biography of His Messenger (Republished ed.). USA. pp. 31–37. ISBN 978-1411603219.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ The Publishers' Circular and Booksellers' Record of British and Foreign Literature, Vol. 54, Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1891