MOTHER-HOUSE & PROVINCIAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - 30 Rue Lhomond
These grounds were purchased on the 4th of June 1731, by Louis
Bouïc. At that time the street was called 'Rue des Postes.' The
year after, the Holy Spirit Community (Formators and Students)
arrived and it was officially recognised by the Royal Government in
1734 as a Seminary led by the Holy Spirit Society. From that time
dates the first building that includes the big stairs and the dining
room, with the four floors. Some decades later, the reception
building with the Provincialate and the Libermann chapel was built.
Likewise the building that extends the first one and closes the yard
was also completed. The chapel was eventually finished just a few
years before the suppression of the Seminary and Congregation of the
Holy Spirit by the French Revolution. When Jacques Bertout (6th
Superior General) got back this confiscated house with Government
financial subsidy (1819), it was stipulated that the Holy Ghost
Congregation would keep the ownership of these buildings, provided it
kept the same missionary goals; otherwise the ownership would go back
to the French Government.
After the fusion (1848), this House was at one and the same time the
Generalate, the Holy Ghost Seminary (Séminaire Colonial) and
the Provincialate of France. There were too many important services
in the same place.
In 1943, the Provincialate moved from rue Lhomond (the new name for
'rue des Postes') and transferred to another area of Paris, 393 rue
des Pyrenees, a nice house with a pretty garden. However 20 years
later, after the General Chapter of 1962, which wished the Generalate
to be more independent of the French Province (and vice-versa), the
Provincialate made its way back to rue Lhomond, and the Generalate
took its place at rue des Pyrenées, as a first step. Then in
1966, it was transferred to Rome, on Monte Mario, not far from the
Vatican, and the house of rue des Pyrenees was sold to the Salesians.
In 1954, the Holy Ghost Seminary left rue Lhomond for a nice place in
southern France, La Croix-Valmer, where it spent its last 9 years. It
was definitively closed the 30th of June 1963, 260 years after its
foundation by Claude Poullart des Places.
Because of its location in the very city centre, close to Metro and
R.E.R., near to 'Institut Catholique' and other important Study
Centres, bordered by 2 streets that are not too noisy, with a yard
big enough to park many cars, 'rue Lhomond' welcomes many visitors,
Spiritans or not, priests, religious men and women, lay people,
passing by either because of their work in Spiritan missions, to
learn French, to engage in ongoing formation or for different studies.
The Spiritan stable population of this big house is about 25-30
people: Provincial team, Provincial Secretariat, Provincial Bursar
services [bursars' offices, missions procure, social welfare
services, library, travels, car insurance, packing & wrapping
service], some Provincial Archives, Superior and Bursar of the
community, Review, 'Pentecôte sur le Monde', Fraternity
Esprit-Saint (an association of Spirituality) and so on. The chapel
itself is often used by African groups for various and diverse
celebrations (Senegalese, Congolese, Cameroonese).
Rue Lhomond is for Spiritans a living remembrance of Claude Poullart
des Places and Libermann. Poullart died quite close to this house and
Libermann breathed his last in it, and is buried in the chapel since
1967. Poullart has his 'Memorial Monument' just in front.
Welcome
to the site of the TransCanada Province of the Spiritans. We are a
Roman Catholic Religious Congregation of over three thousand members,
founded in 1703. Our missions are spread worldwide. While we may be
found involved in many diverse ministries, we have dedicated
ourselves to working with the poor and in those situations where the
Church has difficulty in finding ministers. We hope you enjoy your
visit to our site and that while browsing you will keep us in your
prayers. May God bless you.
